Cascade Yarns W Baby Blocks Blanket Knitting Pattern

Cascade Yarns W Baby Blocks Blanket

What is Being Made

The Cascade Yarns W Baby Blocks Blanket is a beginner-friendly knitted throw blanket designed for babies and children. This downloadable knitting pattern creates a finished blanket measuring 33.5 inches wide by 35 inches long, making it an ideal size for a crib blanket or small throw. The design features 99 stockinette stitch squares arranged in a grid pattern, evenly spaced throughout a field of garter stitch, creating a visually appealing block motif that is both decorative and tactile.

Techniques Used

This pattern employs fundamental knitting techniques suitable for beginners. The blanket is worked flat on circular needles using a straightforward alternating pattern structure. The primary technique involves working in the round on circular needles while knitting in rows (not in the round), which allows the needle to accommodate the large number of stitches required for the blanket's width. Stitch markers are used strategically to help organize the pattern repeat and maintain consistency across the 171 cast-on stitches. The pattern alternates between two main sections: Section A, which is worked entirely in garter stitch, and Section B, which introduces the stockinette blocks through alternating knit and purl stitches. This structured approach makes the pattern easy to follow and repeat.

Stitches Used

The Cascade Yarns W Baby Blocks Blanket uses only two fundamental knitting stitches, making it accessible for beginners:

• Knit Stitch (K): Used throughout both pattern sections to create the foundation of the blanket and form the stockinette blocks
• Purl Stitch (P): Alternated with knit stitches in Pattern Section B to create the distinctive stockinette square blocks against the garter stitch background

The pattern is constructed by alternating 12 sections of garter stitch (Pattern Section A, worked over 16 rows) with 11 sections of mixed knit and purl stitches (Pattern Section B, worked over 10 rows). This creates the visual effect of 99 raised stockinette blocks distributed evenly across the blanket's surface.

Materials and Tools

This pattern requires Cascade Yarns 220 Superwash Merino yarn, a premium wool option made from 100% Superwash Merino Wool. The yarn is provided in 100-gram skeins with 220 yards (200 meters) of yardage per skein. The pattern calls for 6 skeins in color #56 (Seafoam Green), providing approximately 1,320 yards of yarn for the completed blanket.

The recommended needles are US 7 (4.5 mm) 32-inch circular needles, chosen to accommodate the large number of stitches (171 cast-on stitches) while working the blanket flat in rows. Additional tools include a tapestry yarn needle for weaving in ends, 18 stitch markers for organizing the pattern repeats, a row counter to track progress through the alternating sections, and tip protectors to secure stitches when not actively knitting. The pattern is worked to a gauge of 20 stitches by 44 rows over 4 inches (10 centimeters) when unblocked.