Learn how to knit a simple baby doll blanket with this pattern. Simple enough for beginners, and they make great gifts too.
It’s a warm August evening here in the Pacific Northwest, and I’m knitting. My husband is reading out loud from The Silver Chair and row by row, a baby doll blanket begins to form.
I’m using a bag of leftover yarn for this project as I only need a small amount to make a row or two of color.
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As I knit, I remember all of the projects I made out of the various yarns—the fluffy hot pink wallet, a lavender scarf for my sister, the swatches I made for a knitting get-together at my house all of those years ago.
Only bits remain of those projects but those bits are being woven together into a baby doll blanket for my niece.
Her birthday is months away but somehow it always sneaks up on me since it is so near Christmas. So I knit and think about which doll will be wrapped in this blanket.
I think about her toting around her doll at the mall a month ago, that matter-of-fact stage in life where you just bring your dolls with you because they need you. No thought of what other people will think . . . that is truly a beautiful time in life, isn’t it?
I love making these blankets because, one they are very simple to knit together and two, they make great use of all those leftover scraps of yarn that most projects leave behind.
There are many sites online that can teach you how to knit, and I won’t go into that here (just Google, “How to knit” OR read my note at the bottom of this post for free tutorials at CreativeBug.) If you don’t have a stash of leftover yarn, ask a friend who knits if you could have her leftovers. More than likely, she’ll be very glad to give you all those bits and pieces she has sitting in a bag somewhere!
How to Knit a Baby Doll Blanket
For this blanket, you will need:
5-6 different yarns in coordinating colors (not more than 10 yards each; we’re using
leftovers here so you don’t need to buy yarn unless you don’t have any on hand.)
Knitting needles (I used size 9 for this blanket)
Yarn needle
Scissors
Cast on 50 stitches, and then knit 3-5 rows.
Change to a new yarn, and knit another 3-5 rows. Continue with each of the yarn scraps you have on hand.
Knit until the blanket is long enough and to your liking and cast off. Sew in all of the loose ends for each color change, and you’re finished.
Usually I fold the blanket in a square and tie it with a ribbon instead of wrapping it in paper. The blanket itself is the packaging.
Last summer when we were visiting, my older niece brought out the baby doll blanket I had made for her years ago. “I still have it!” she said and showed me the little blanket with all of its stripes.
As I looked at it, I couldn’t help but notice the sunset-colored yarn woven throughout—that was yarn I used to knit her baby blanket eight years ago. How does time go by so fast?
Have a lovely {and creative} day!
P.S. If you’re new to knitting, check out these free tutorials on CreativeBug: