If you have a friend with a baby on the way, I have the sweetest little Baby Blanket & Hat knitted gift set to make using a brand new self striping yarn that creates floral patterns as you knit.
This yarn review and free Baby Blanket Knitting Pattern is a collaboration with American Yarns. Contains affiliate links.
Premier Bloom Chunky is printed yarn that creates a floral pattern and stripes when knitted. It gives the effect of stranded colourwork without having to mess with multiple yarns.
It’s chunky nature (12ply/bulky) means that it works up super quickly on large needles – perfect for churning out projects fast, especially if there is a baby on the way.
The yarn is quite soft and squishy, with just a tiny bit of fluffiness. 100% acrylic, so it’s machine washable (gentle cycle), although I’d probably hand wash this personally to prevent pilling that may be caused by a machine wash.
Simple knitting patterns that show off the stripe design are best suited to this yarn. The plainer the better. If the stitch pattern is too fussy, it will obfuscate the floral print and you lose all the charm.
Similarly crochet would not really show off the best patterning in this yarn (an exception may be moss stitch).
When choosing a project to make from this yarn, keep in mind that the width of the stripes will depend on the stitch count. The more stitches the thinner the stripes, and conversely, less stitches across means thick stripes.
I found, when designing my baby blanket pattern that around 60 stitches gave a great pattern repeat.
The colour range of this yarn is quite pastel and mostly skews feminine. But there are a handful of colourways that are more gender neutral if you prefer.
Knitting with this yarn was never boring. I quite enjoyed how the stripes developed and it was fun seeing the rows of flowers ‘bloom’ before my eyes.
I hope you enjoy knitting up this easy baby gift set, it’s a simple pattern that showcases the best of Premier Bloom Chunky’s patterning ability.
You may also enjoy:
- Rainbow Baby Blanket Knitting Pattern
- Grid Beanie Knitting Pattern
- Velvet Yarn Crochet Baby Blanket
- Cotton Knitted Washcloth
Pretty Blooms Baby Blanket & Hat Gift Set Knitting Pattern
Whip up this knitted baby blanket and hat gift set in just a weekend. The pretty bloom floral pattern grows right before your eyes with barely any effort.
No fancy stitches required, if you can knit and purl, you’ve got this baby blanket knitting pattern covered!
This blanket is ideally sized for use in a bassinet, or pram. The hat will fit a newborn to about 3 months and can be made with yarn that is leftover from making the baby blanket.
I’ve added a garter stitch border to the hat so it matches the blanket, but you can change that to a rib if preferred.
Pretty Blooms Baby Blanket
Finished size (unblocked): length 79cm (31″), width 63cm (25″)
To make this Knitted Baby Blanket
You will need:
- 3 balls Premier Bloom Chunky in Hydrangea (or colour you prefer)
- 9.0 mm (US 13) 100cm (40″) circular needles (I use this interchangeable set)
- Yarn needle
- Scissors
Knitting Stitches used:
- CO – Cast on
- K – Knit stitch
- P – Purl stitch
- BO – Bind off
Gauge (approx) 10st and 15 rows in 10x10cm (4″x4″)
Knitted Blanket Pattern instructions:
Starting with a solid colour section of yarn CO 60 stitches loosely (or with long tail cast on).
Knit in garter st (knit all) for 6 rows
Row 7 (wrong side): K4, P52, K4
Row 8 (right side): knit all
Repeat these 2 rows (R7 & R8) 50 times (or around 7 segments of floral pattern section).
Finish with 6 rows of garter st (K all) and bind off. Weave in ends.
All done!
Notes on joining a new ball:
When you need to join a new ball of yarn, take note of the design repeat.
As you can see in the image below, the ball on the left starts on the wrong section of the pattern. Ideally, choose a ball that continues as close as possible to the pattern repeats, or wind off some yarn till you get a match. I’ve allowed for this in the pattern. (The excess yarn can be used to make a hat!)
As the yarn is printed with a pattern, you should be able to find the exact spot where the pattern matches.
Even though the printing may look somewhat random, if you look closely enough the subtle patterns will match exactly from one ball to the next.
Careful yarn end matching will give you a nice and consistent stripe pattern through your blanket.
Pretty Blooms Baby Hat Knitting Pattern
Only a small amount of yarn is required to knit this baby hat, making it ideal for using up yarn remnants from the baby blanket pattern.
The chunky needle and yarn combination means this little newborn hat is a super quick knit.
The actual beanie knitting pattern is very simple with only basic stitch knowledge required. It’s worked in the round from the garter stitch brim up, so the bonus is no sewing. It’s almost ready to wear when it comes of the needles.
- 1/4 ball Premier Bloom Chunky in Hydrangea (about 25m/27yds/25g)
- 9.0 mm (US 13) 100cm (40″) circular needles (I use this interchangeable set)
- Stitch Marker
- Yarn Needle
- Scissors
Stitches used:
- K – Knit
- P – Purl
- CO – cast on
- K2tog – Knit 2 together
Gauge: 10st and 15 rows in 10cm/4″
Finished size: (measured un-stretched) brim diameter 30cm (12″), crown height 15cm (6″)
Pattern notes:
This pattern uses the magic loop method for knitting in the round, it’s really handy because I don’t have to swap to double pointed needles when stitches decrease. If you are not familiar with the magic loop method, this video explains it clearly.
To make:
CO 31 stitches onto 9mm needle. Cast on loosely (or with a long tail cast on) to allow for some stretch in the brim.
Join for working in the round by slipping the last stitch from the right needle to your left and K2tog (30 stitches).
Place stitch marker to mark the beginning of the round.
For brim section
Round 1: K all
Round 2: P all
Round 3: K all
Round 4: P all
Round 5: K all
Round 6: P all
For crown section
Rounds 7-16: K all
Decreases
Round 17: *K2tog, K4* repeat all the way around (25 stitches)
Round 18: K all
Round 19: *K2tog, K3* repeat all the way around (20 stitches)
Round 20: K all
Round 21: *K2tog, K2* repeat all the way around (15 stitches)
Round 22: *K2tog, K1* all the way around (10 stitches)
Round 23: K2tog all the way around (5 stitches)
Break yarn and pull through 6 live stitches, fasten securely. Weave in ends.
You can purchase the yarns featured from www.americanyarns.com.au
I think this is one of the prettiest baby blankets I’ve ever seen. I love it so much!!
Thanks, I’m glad you like it.
How do you print the pattern without all the advertising?
Most browsers will give you a ‘reader mode’ option that strips out the extraneous content (Firefox has it in the right of the browser address bar). from there you can copy and paste any relevant info you wish to print into a word doc for personal use. My free patterns are funded by advertising.
Can I make this the same way with the thinner version of this yarn? Do I need to change the stitch count? I love this yarn!
Hi Brenda, the basic pattern will be the same but yes, you will need to cast on more stitches and increase the rows. I suggest you make a sample swatch with the recommended needles and measure to see how many stitches are required to cast on. You can also take a look over at Ravelry to see what blanket patterns people have used for the thinner version of this yarn.
Loving the baby blanket. I am doing one for church fete.
I love this pattern but was wondering what the Multiples are if wanting to change the size of the blanket. Thank you for sharing your talents with us 😊
You can make this blanket as large as you wish, but keep in mind that as the yarn creates the pattern, the wider you make your cast on edge, the thinner the lines will be until you may not have a recognizable stripe pattern.
To make the baby Afghan, do I need to begin with the solid color found in the skein so the floral pattern does not appear before it is due? My skein starts with the colored part versus solid color
Yes, all skeins vary. For a neater result I do prefer to start on a solid section. You can save the patterned section of yarn and splice it in to match the stripes so as not to waste the yarn.
How can I make the hat in flat knitting,?
Here are some handy tips for converting a pattern in the round to flat knitting https://nimble-needles.com/tutorials/how-to-convert-a-knitting-pattern-from-in-the-round-to-flat-knitting/