Knitting a blanket for your home or as a gift for a loved one is a traditional first ‘big’ project for new knitters. Those that are new to knitting, or those who are finding their way back to an old hobby, need to find a balance between a simple stitch that’s easy to master and a pattern that is intricate enough to keep the piece interesting. The Patch Stripe Blanket pattern uses a mix of essential knitter stitches to make a pretty, structured, and (almost) reversible blanket.
This pattern can be scaled up and down to make a bedspread or a baby blanket, this pattern is going to make the best gift.
I have broken down this pattern into steps which you can complete as you like; a goal of one stripe per week is reasonable and achievable but hardcore knitters will find a stripe per day is manageable. You can follow along here as I add weekly updates. You can find a PDF of the full pattern available to purchase from my shop here
You will need:
Tapestry needle for weaving in ends
Sizing & Tension
The Patch Stripe Blanket is made from five different stitches each with similar tensions. Your blanket begins with garter stitch, a four inch square should contain 14 stitches and 28 rows. My blanket is 42” wide and 55” long, to make your blanket wider or narrower you can cast on more or fewer stitches
Step 1 - Casting On
Using your 5mm needles cast on 150 stitches using the long tail cast on method. The long tail method requires two lengths of yarn looped together to create each stitch. I find using two balls of yarn is easiest as you can cast on all of your stitches without the fear of running out of yarn. To begin, join your two strands of yarn with a knot. Use that knot to centre your length of yarn on your needles. hold each strand in your left hand with your needle in your right and begin to form your stitches.
When you have 150 stitches on your needle you are ready to begin your Garter Stitch border.
Step 2 - Garter Stitch Border
A border to your blanket will frame the piece and will also help to keep your edges straight and neat. Garter stitch is the ultimate beginners stitch which gives a classic, simple contrast to the blanket’s more intricate and textured stitches.
Garter stitch is the simplest of stitches created by knitting all stitches. To form your 5” border you will need to knit 34 rows of knit stitches. You will end on an even row (wrong side) ready to begin your next stitch on an odd numbered row (right side).
