Garter Stitch Baby Blanket

Skill level: Beginner
Construction: Worked flat, one piece, knit every row

A soft, reversible baby blanket in classic garter stitch. If you can knit, you can make this: there is no purling, no shaping, and no seaming. Optional contrasting stripes at each end add a simple color border without any new techniques.

Finished measurements

30 × 36 in (76 × 91.5 cm), after light blocking.

Width is set by the cast-on; length is measured as you knit. The blanket is a rectangle and looks the same on both sides.

Yarn

Worsted weight (Category 4)

Total yardage: 1,200 yd (1,100 m)

Choose a soft, machine-washable yarn (acrylic, superwash wool, or a washable blend). Avoid novelty yarns with sequins, beads, or long eyelashes.

Suggested amounts:

• One-color version: 1,200 yd (1,100 m) in Main Color (MC)
• Optional end-border version: 1,000 yd (915 m) MC + 200 yd (185 m) Contrasting Color (CC)

Always buy one extra skein of each color for dye-lot matching and gauge differences. Garter stitch uses more yarn than stockinette.

Example yarns: Lion Brand Wool-Ease, Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice, Cascade 220 Superwash, Berroco Ultra Wool, Knit Picks Brava Worsted, or any similar worsted.

Needles

• US 8 / 5 mm, 32 in (80 cm) circular needle, used flat (back and forth). The circular cable simply holds the 120 stitches more comfortably than straight needles.
• Optional: US 9 / 5.5 mm for binding off, so the top edge is not tighter than the garter fabric.

Use the needle size needed to match gauge, not the size printed on the yarn label.

Notions

• Tapestry needle
• Scissors
• Optional: 1 locking stitch marker (to clip to the front of the work so you always know which side you last counted from)
• Optional: row counter or scrap yarn to mark every 10 garter ridges

Gauge

16 stitches and 32 rows = 4 in (10 cm) in garter stitch, after light blocking.

• 16 sts ÷ 4 in = 4 sts per inch
• 32 rows ÷ 4 in = 8 rows per inch (16 garter ridges per 4 in)

Gauge swatch: Cast on 24 stitches. Knit every row for 5 in (12.5 cm). Bind off. Measure the center 4 in. Adjust needle size if needed: larger needles if you have too many stitches per 4 in; smaller needles if you have too few.

Do not skip the swatch. A small gauge difference changes both the finished size and the yarn you will need.

Abbreviations (US)

Garter stitch: Knit every stitch of every row. Two rows form one visible ridge.

Pattern notes

• The blanket is worked flat. At the end of every row, turn the work and knit back.
• Garter stitch is reversible. There is no right or wrong side unless you add the optional color borders (then the side you prefer becomes the “front”).
• Count ridges, not rows, if that is easier: 1 ridge = 2 rows. You will work about 144 ridges for 36 in (144 ridges × 0.25 in per ridge = 36 in ✓).
• Keep an even, relaxed tension. Do not yank the first stitch of the row; that tightens the edge.
• When joining a new ball, leave 6 in (15 cm) tails and join at the side edge, not in the middle of a row.

Instructions

Cast on

Using MC (or CC if working the optional border) and US 8 / 5 mm needle, CO 120 sts.

A long-tail or knitted cast-on both work. Do not cast on tightly.

Width check: 120 sts ÷ 16 sts × 4 in = 30 in ✓

Body (one-color version)

Row 1: Knit all 120 sts.

Repeat Row 1 (knit every row) until the piece measures 36 in (91.5 cm) from the cast-on edge.

Do not stretch the fabric when measuring. Lay it flat and measure in the center, not along a side edge.

Length check (if you prefer to count): 36 in × 8 rows per inch = 288 rows ✓ (144 garter ridges). Measuring is more reliable than counting every row.

Optional contrasting end borders

Work this instead of the one-color body if you want a simple color frame at the top and bottom. Still knit every row.

1. With CC, CO 120 sts.
2. Knit every row until you have 10 garter ridges (20 rows) in CC. Piece should measure about 2½ in (6.5 cm) (20 rows ÷ 8 rows per inch = 2.5 in ✓).
3. Change to MC. Knit every row until the piece measures 33½ in (85 cm) from the cast-on edge.
   (36 in total − 2½ in CC at the start − 2½ in CC at the end = 31 in of MC, plus the first CC section already on the needle brings you to 33½ in ✓.)
4. Change to CC. Knit every row for 10 more garter ridges (20 rows). Total length: 36 in (91.5 cm) ✓.

Join new colors at the side edge. Leave 6 in (15 cm) tails to weave in later.

Bind off

BO all stitches knitwise, loosely.

Work the bind-off as: k1, *k1, pass first stitch over second stitch; repeat from * across. Cut yarn, leaving a 6 in (15 cm) tail, and pull through the last stitch.

If the bound-off edge looks tighter than the sides, bind off with US 9 / 5.5 mm instead. A tight bind-off will make the blanket flare or cup.

Stitch count at bind-off: 120 sts (no increases or decreases were worked ✓).

Finishing

1. Weave in all ends with a tapestry needle, running each tail along the side edge through the bumps of several garter ridges. Do not weave across the middle of the blanket (it can show through).
2. Trim tails.
3. Block: Soak in lukewarm water with a little wool wash (or follow your yarn’s care label) for 15–20 minutes. Press out water in a towel; do not wring. Lay flat to the finished measurements of 30 × 36 in (76 × 91.5 cm) and let dry completely. Blocking evens the stitches and squares the corners.

No seaming is required.

Baby-safety and care

• Do not add buttons, beads, pompoms, or loose appliqués.
• Skip fringe on a baby blanket (it can snag or be chewed).
• Choose a yarn that can be washed the way the family actually does laundry.
• After blocking, check that no tails have worked free.

Quick reference