When I found out I was pregnant I first thought, yay!, but my next thought was oooooh….what am I going to make?? So many choices! I did know though that I would have to start a baby blanket soon since I’m a pretty slow knitter and I wanted to complete it before the baby came.

Also, I wanted to knit a baby blanket that was gender-neutral since I’m not a fan of gendered colors and patterns. Since then, we’ve found out that Munchkin is a girl, which brings up for me a whole host of issues on raising a daughter. Like the current Disney princess culture (don’t get me started). If Munchkin wants to dress up like Belle from Beauty and the Beast, that’s great, but I don’t want to unintentionally foist that on her. What if she thinks Peter Pan or Han Solo (totally) is cooler? I don’t want to suppress her creativity or imagination.

So all of this over what kind of blanket to knit. I was totally over thinking it, I know.

Anyhow, I loooove the knitting patterns at Purl Soho and I came across their free Super Easy Baby Blanket pattern. And it’s stripes! Love stripes…The pattern is so easy, you only use the garter stitch (knitting only). That’s it! Instead of using the merino wool that the pattern recommended, I chose colors from Caron’s Simply Soft line since the colors won’t bleed, the yarn is very soft and I can throw it in the washer/dryer. Why waste fancy yarn on something that is just going to be covered in spit up?

Easy Knitted Baby Blanket Pattern

Adapted from the Super Easy Baby Blanket pattern, The Purl Bee

Materials

US #8, 24 or 32-inch circulars
7 skeins of Caron Simply Soft Solids (1 each in Persimmon, Pumpkin, Off White, Sunshine, Soft Blue, Light Country Blue and Ocean)
Darning needle

Finished Size

Approximately 30 inches x 45 inches

Directions

Like the original pattern, loosely cast on 120 stitches using your first color. Knit 40 rows in that color before switching to the next color. Make sure to switch colors on the same side each time. Repeat with each color. After you’ve completed all of the stripes, bind off and weave in any loose ends.

You should refer to the original pattern as well– there is a good tip on creating a nice edge on the blanket. I completely missed it and recommend it anyone knitting this pattern–it would have made my blanket a little more professional looking.

P.S– I just made it under the wire with this project. My due date has come and gone, but I’ve finished the baby blanket before Munchkin’s arrival!

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