Window into Space Baby Blanket

Free Baby Blanket Knitting Pattern

This cute blanket is composed of 4 squares, knitted on a bias and connected with stripes of a contrast color. I recommend using a self-striping yarn for the main color, because it creates an interesting window-in-a-window effect due to the bias of the blocks.

The baby blanket uses garter stitch throughout, and the construction is quite simple, so I would rate this beginner-friendly.

Skills Required/Techniques Used:
-Knit & purl, cast on & bind off
-Increase and decrease: make 1 (m 1), knit 2 together (k2tog), slip -slip-knit (ssk), knit 3 together (k3tog).
-Picking up stitches (pu&k)

Measurements: 43” (108 cm) square

Materials: Jojoland Rhythm worsted weight yarn (100% Wool), 110 yards(101 meters) /50 gr, color M01 – 10 balls (MC)
Solid color worsted weight yarn (100% wool), color Natural– about 250-300 yards (230-270 m) (CC).

Needles: US size #7 (4.5 mm) needles straight and circular (60”) [150 cm] OR SIZE NEEDED TO OBTAIN GAUGE

Gauge: 16 st x 32 rows = 4" x 4" (10 x 10 cm) in garter stitch

Abbreviations (USA):
k - knit
p – purl
RS - right side
WS - wrong side
MC – main color
CC – contrast color
m1 - make 1 increase - make a backward loop over the right-hand needle and in the next row/round purl/knit as a regular stitch.
k2tog - knit 2 stitches together
slip - Slip 1 stitch
ssk : Slip, slip, knit
k3tog – knit 3 together
pu&k - pick up and knit

Pattern Notes

Garter st in rows: all rows knit

Garter stitch in rounds:
Round 1: knit
Round 2: purl
Repeat 2 rounds

The selvedge/edge stitches are worked as follows: slip the first stitch and purl the last one in a row.


Short Overview of the pattern:

The blanket is made from 4 separate squares, worked on a bias. All increases and decreases are worked in RS rows. Next, garter st strips from contrast color yarn are knitted and the squares are joined together. Lastly, the border stitches are picked up around the blanket edges and the border is worked in the round. All parts of the blanket are worked in garter stitch.

Blanket

Bias Square

Cast on 3 sts and knit 1 row.

Row 1 (RS): sl, m1, k1, m1, p1. 5 sts.

Row 2 and all WS rows: sl 1, knit to the last st, p1.

Row 3 (RS): sl, m1, knit to the last st, m1, p1. 7 sts.

Row 4 (WS): sl, knit to the last st, p1.

Rows 5-102: repeat rows 3-4 49 more times. Total 105 sts.

Row 103 (RS): sl 1, knit to the last st, p1.

Row 105 (RS): sl1, ssk, knit to the last 3 sts, k2tog, p1. 103 sts

Row 106 and all WS rows: sl1, knit to the last st, p1.

Rows 107-204: repeat rows 105-106 49 more times. Total after the last decrease row 5 sts.

Row 205: sl 1, k3tog, p1. 3 sts.

Bind off.

Knit 3 more squares.

The size of the square is 19” (48 cm).

Connecting Stripes

Cast on 6 (1 selvedge st, 4 sts garter st, 1 selvedge st) sts with CC and work in garter stitch for 19” (48 cm). Bind off. Knit another one.

Sew on each stripe between 2 squares, to get 2 rectangles. Block both pieces.

Cast on 6 (1 selvedge st, 4 sts garter st, 1 selvedge st) sts with CC and work in garter stitch for 39” (48 cm). (19” + 19” + 1”). Bind off.

Sew on the long stripe between the rectangles, connecting them into one big square 39” (98 cm).


Border

Pick up and knit 156 sts on each side of the blanket, plus 1 st on each corner. Place markers before each corner st. Total 628 sts. Join into circle and continue to work garter stitch pattern in rounds. Work 16 rounds. In every odd round (3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15) increase for 2 sts in every corner as follows: *knit to marker, m1, k 1, m 1, from * repeat 4 times. Bind off.


Finishing

Weave in ends. Block.

Have fun!