Recently, I visited my Cioci to deliver a sweater that I seamed for her and a sweater that I made for her. During this visit, we both realized that we had assumed the other world make my sister a baby blanket and couldn’t help but laugh at the realization. We had both been enthusiastically working on different projects, oblivious to the idea that the other was doing the same. By the end of the visit, I had volunteered to purchase some yarn and to take on the blanket.

I have a very patient partner and very patient friends. Sure, they started in a different store while I went yarn shopping, but it’s important to remember that this trip was originally meant to be an “in and out”. Originally, I had a plan of yarn to grab and then we were going to grab lunch. Originally, I had not planned on taking over an hour and a half to pick out yarn. I’m very lucky to have friends who were ok entertaining themselves and were ok with me asking “what about this color combination” 300 times.

There are a lot of baby blankets out there, I should have been able to find a pattern that suited my needs. True, I blindly grabbed yarn and hoped I would have enough to make something and yes, I didn’t think about how to use four colors while I was selecting them, but I wanted a fun baby blanket that wasn’t pastel. Something that would grow with my future niece as she phased out of pastels. Something that wouldn’t drive me crazy to knit.

The problem is that I don’t find stripes particularly riveting. Stripes felt like a cop-out. Chevron was an exercise that seemed like a lot of work for a generic blanket. None of the alternative shapes really spoke to me (except maybe the Knitted Starghan, which since this blanket isn’t done yet there is still time to change my mind and knit it). I wanted bright, marled, and mindless.

So here’s what I’ve come up with, a bias blanket that is completely adjustable! It can be knit in any weight yarn on any size needle! Simply increase until you’ve used up about half your yarn and then decrease back down. Hold yarn double (or triple or whatever) if you want a marled look. Hold yarn against itself and then together with the next color(s) if you want more of a gradient. Don’t like garter stitch? Purl every other row. So. Many. Options.

My blanket specs:

• Gauge: 14st x 12 rows = 4×4 inches unblocked
• Needle size: US 11
• Yarn used: 8 skeins of Sublime Extra Fine Merino Worsted or 874 yards (note: yarn held double)
• Finished Blanket dimensions: 26×30 (note: blanket will grow when wet blocked)

The World’s Simplest Baby Blanket

Yarn estimates (DK, Worsted, Aran, Bulky) in yards

• Carseat blanket (~24x24in): (580, 410, 325, 230)
• Stoller blanket (~30x30in): (1090, 770, 610, 428)
• Receiving blanket (34x36in): (1480, 1050, 830, 580)
• Crib blanket (~40x45in): (2250, 1600, 1270, 890)

Pattern

Set-Up
CO1
Row 1: KFB (2 sts)
Row 2: K
Row 3: KFB, K to end

Repeat row 3 until half of your yarn has been used

Row 4: K1, K2tog, K to end
Repeat until 2 sts remain

Row 5: K
Row 6: K2tog
BO

Weave in ends.