Valley Yarns Runa Baby Blanket Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns Runa Baby Blanket

Project Overview

The Runa Baby Blanket is a beginner-friendly knit blanket designed by Kirsten Hipsky, featuring a soft and squishy construction that combines brioche stitch techniques with two-color striping. Available in three finished sizes—28 inches, 32 inches, and 36 inches square—this blanket is worked flat on circular needles and creates an enchanting visual effect: when viewed closely, the color and stitch pattern combine to reveal delicate lavender hearts throughout the design.

What Is Being Made

This is a square baby blanket with finished dimensions of 28" (32", 36") square. The blanket is knit as a single flat piece using circular needles, then finished with picked-up stitches along two sides to create neat edges. The project is designed as a beginner-level knitting pattern, making it accessible to newer knitters while still delivering sophisticated visual results.

Techniques Used

• Brioche Stitch: The primary stitch pattern incorporates brioche knitting, which creates texture by knitting into stitches from the row below. This technique produces the characteristic soft, squishy fabric and contributes to the heart motif visible in the finished piece.
• Color Striping: The blanket alternates between two colors (Orchid and Misty Lilac) in a structured pattern repeat. The stripes are worked by changing yarn colors at specific rows while maintaining the brioche stitch structure.
• Worked Flat: The blanket is constructed flat on circular needles rather than in the round, with stitches slipped to the opposite needle end between color changes to avoid cutting yarn.
• Picked-Up Stitches: After the main blanket body is complete, stitches are picked up along two sides (one stitch for every two rows) to create finished edges that are then bound off.
• Blocking: Light blocking is recommended to finish the blanket and even out the stitch pattern.

Stitches Used

• Knit (k): Standard knit stitch used throughout the pattern.
• Knit in the Row Below: The defining brioche stitch technique where the needle enters a stitch from the previous row rather than the current row, creating the textured, dimensional appearance.
• Slip Stitch (sl): Stitches are slipped to the opposite end of the circular needle to facilitate color changes without cutting yarn.
• Cast On and Bind Off: The pattern uses a cast-on in color B and a loose bind-off in color B to frame the striped design.

Pattern Structure

The pattern features a 24-row repeat that creates the color stripe and brioche stitch combination. Rows alternate between working with colors A (Orchid) and B (Misty Lilac), with specific rows using the knit-in-the-row-below technique to build texture. The pattern stitch requires an odd number of stitches and is worked across the full width of the blanket. The main body is worked even (without increases or decreases) for the desired finished length.

Materials

• Yarn: Valley Yarns Superwash, 100% Extrafine Merino Superwash, 50g/97 yards per skein. Quantities vary by size: 5 skeins each of color 024 Orchid (color A) and color 263 Misty Lilac (color B) for the 28" blanket; 6 skeins each for the 32" blanket; 7 skeins each for the 36" blanket.
• Needles: US size 7 (4.50mm) circular needles, 40 inches long, or the size needed to achieve proper gauge.
• Gauge: 4 stitches and 12 rows equal 1 inch in the pattern stitch. Achieving correct gauge is essential for the blanket to reach the intended finished size.

Design Benefits

The combination of brioche stitch and color striping creates a blanket that is both visually interesting and tactilely pleasing. The Superwash Merino yarn provides softness, durability, and easy care—important qualities for a baby blanket. The brioche stitch's dimensional texture adds visual depth while the two-color striping creates the subtle heart motif. The beginner difficulty level makes this an excellent project for knitters developing their skills while