Garter Stitch Baby Blanket with Monogram

A soft, reversible baby blanket in easy garter stitch, finished with a personal monogram in a contrasting color. You knit every stitch, every row. The letter(s) are added after the blanket is blocked, so the knitting stays truly beginner-level.

Skill Level: Beginner

Finished Measurements

Width: 30 in (76 cm) Length: 36 in (91.5 cm)

Measurements are after blocking.

Yarn

Worsted weight (Category 4)

• MC (main color): 1200 yd (1097 m)
• CC (monogram / optional end borders): 50 yd (46 m)

A typical 200 yd (183 m) / 100 g worsted skein: about 6 skeins MC and a leftover or partial skein of CC.

Choose a smooth, light-colored MC if you want the monogram to read clearly (cream, pale gray, or soft white). Use a deeper CC for the letter(s) (navy, forest, charcoal, or dusty rose), or reverse that pairing for a dark blanket with a light initial.

Needles

• US 8 / 5 mm circular needle, 32 in (80 cm) or longer, used flat
• Optional: US 9 / 5.5 mm needle for a looser bind-off only

A circular needle holds the 120 stitches comfortably; you still knit back and forth, not in the round.

Notions

• Tapestry needle
• Scissors
• Removable stitch marker (to mark the right side)
• Optional: 2 locking stitch markers for monogram placement
• Blocking mats and pins or wires

Gauge

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

Garter stitch = knit every stitch of every row.

Check: 16 sts = 4 in, so 4 sts = 1 in. Check: 32 rows = 4 in, so 8 rows = 1 in (16 garter ridges = 4 in).

Swatch, wash, and dry the swatch the same way you will finish the blanket. Change needle size if needed to match gauge. If you have too few stitches per 4 in, go down a needle size; if you have too many, go up a needle size.

Abbreviations (US)

• BO — bind off
• CC — contrasting color
• CO — cast on
• k — knit
• MC — main color
• rep — repeat
• RS — right side
• st(s) — stitch(es)
• WS — wrong side

Pattern Notes

• The blanket is worked flat in one piece. Knit every stitch on every row.
• Garter stitch is reversible. Mark the side that will show the monogram as RS on the first row and leave the marker in place until you embroider.
• Cast on and bind off evenly. A tight cast-on or bind-off will pull the short edges in; a loose one will flare. If your bind-off tends to be firm, use the optional larger needle for the bind-off row only.
• Length is measured, not only counted. Row gauge varies; stop when the piece measures 36 in (91.5 cm) from the cast-on edge after a light steam or wet-block check on the needle if you are unsure.
• The monogram is a single initial or a two- to three-letter motif in CC. It is applied after knitting. If you later work from a colourwork chart for your letter(s), use the same placement and colors described in Monogram; this written pattern does not rely on a chart being present.
• Weave in tails as you go when you change colors so finishing stays light.

Instructions

Cast on

With MC and US 8 / 5 mm needle, using a long-tail cast-on, CO 120 sts.

Width check: 120 sts × 4 in ÷ 16 sts = 30 in (76 cm) ✓

Place a removable marker on the fabric at the start of the next row to mark RS.

Body

Row 1 (RS): Knit all sts. Row 2 (WS): Knit all sts.

Rep Rows 1–2 (knit every row) until the piece measures 36 in (91.5 cm) from the cast-on edge, ending after a WS row.

Length check (at gauge): 36 in × 32 rows ÷ 4 in = 288 rows ✓
(288 rows = 144 garter ridges.) Use the tape measure as the authority if your row gauge differs.

Optional CC end borders: For a simple color frame at each short end, work the first 12 rows (6 ridges) and the last 12 rows (6 ridges) in CC, and all remaining rows in MC. Change colors at the start of a RS row; cut the unused yarn, leaving a 6 in (15 cm) tail. (12 rows × 4 in ÷ 32 rows = 1.5 in / 4 cm each end ✓)

Bind off

With RS facing, BO all sts knitwise. Keep the bind-off as elastic as the cast-on edge. (Optional: BO with US 9 / 5.5 mm.)

Cut yarn, leaving a 6 in (15 cm) tail. Pull the tail through the last loop and snug — do not cinch.

Stitch count throughout: 120 sts on every row; no shaping. 120 sts remain at bind-off ✓

Monogram

Work the monogram after the blanket is blocked so the fabric is at finished size and the letter sits where you intend.

Motif: One block initial, or a short monogram of two or three letters, in CC. Keep the motif modest — a clear personal mark, not an all-over design — so it sits comfortably on a baby-sized field of garter stitch.

Colors: MC is the background. CC is the letter(s) only. Use a smooth CC in the same yarn weight (or a slightly finer yarn) so the stitches lie flat.

Placement: On the RS, center the motif horizontally. Sit the bottom of the letter(s) about 8–10 in (20.5–25.5 cm) above the lower (cast-on) edge for a classic lower-third monogram, or raise it to the true center if you prefer a centered mark. The motif should clear the optional CC end borders if you added them.

To mark placement before stitching: fold the blanket in half vertically and mark the center line with pins; measure up from the cast-on edge and pin a small window where the letter will sit.

How to add it (beginner method): With CC and a tapestry needle, embroider the letter(s) on the RS using chain stitch or stem/outline stitch. These stitches follow the shape of the letter and do not depend on stockinette “V”s, so they read cleanly on garter ridges. Keep the WS tidy; do not pull so tight that the blanket puckers.

Cross-stitch option: Treat the garter ridges as a grid (each ridge ≈ one row of squares; each knit stitch ≈ one column) and cross-stitch the letter in CC. This is useful if you are following a simple alphabet chart.

If you are using a colourwork chart: Center that motif on the RS at the placement above. Read MC as background and CC as the letter(s). For this beginner blanket, apply the charted letter with embroidery or cross stitch after knitting rather than knitting it in. (Knitting a letter in with intarsia or stranded colourwork is a different skill level.)

Choosing a letter size without a chart: Sketch your initial on paper, then pin the sketch on the blocked blanket and adjust until the letter looks balanced — large enough to read from a short distance, small enough that plenty of plain garter remains around it. Transfer the outline with pins or a few running stitches in CC, then embroider.

Weave in CC tails on the WS at the end of the motif.

Finishing

1. Weave in all remaining ends on the WS with a tapestry needle. For garter stitch, split the plies slightly and bury tails along a ridge for 1–2 in (2.5–5 cm).
2. Wet-block: soak in lukewarm water with a drop of wool wash, press out water in a towel (do not wring), and pin to 30 × 36 in (76 × 91.5 cm). Let dry completely.
3. Add the monogram on the dry, blocked RS as described above.
4. Steam the monogram lightly from the WS if needed so the letter lies flat. Do not crush the garter ridges.

Finished size check: 30 in wide × 36 in long ✓

Your blanket is ready to gift or use. The garter fabric is stretchy, washable (follow your yarn’s label), and the monogram is the only “right side” detail on an otherwise reversible throw.