Choosing Yarn for Baby Knitting
Baby knitting demands more from your yarn than almost any other project. The stakes are higher — a baby's skin is sensitive, the item will be washed frequently, and you want it to survive being loved hard for years. Before you cast on a single stitch, get the yarn right.
Your two main options are superwash wool and acrylic, and both are legitimate choices:
Superwash Wool
Wool that's been treated to survive machine washing. It's warm, breathable, and feels wonderful against skin. Because it's a natural fibre, it regulates temperature better than acrylic — cooler in summer, warmer in winter. The downside: superwash wool can grow significantly after washing, especially in a loose stitch pattern. If you're knitting a blanket, expect it to block out larger than your cast-on dimensions suggest.
Good superwash wool options for baby blankets: Cascade 220 Superwash, Paintbox Simply DK Superwash, Drops Lima.
Acrylic
Machine washable, durable, widely available, and often much cheaper than wool. Modern acrylic yarns are far softer than they used to be — look for labels that say "soft" or "baby" and feel it before you buy. The best baby acrylics include Lion Brand Pound of Love, Paintbox Simply DK, and Drops Safran (a cotton-acrylic blend that's excellent for warm-weather babies).
What to Avoid
Avoid anything with long fibres or mohair (traps fingers and poses a choking hazard). Avoid yarns that aren't machine washable — the parent of a newborn does not have time for hand-washing. Avoid anything scratchy or stiff. Test by pressing the yarn against the inside of your wrist: if it itches, don't use it.
Size Guide
A standard crib blanket is approximately 30 × 36 inches (76 × 91 cm). This size fits a standard crib mattress with a small overhang and is large enough to use as a stroller blanket too.
If you want to make something smaller — a lovey or lap blanket — aim for 20 × 20 inches. If you want a car seat blanket (different from a swaddle — never use a knitted blanket under a car seat harness), 24 × 30 inches works well.
For a 30 × 36 inch blanket in worsted weight:
- Needle size: 5–6mm (depending on yarn and your tension)
- Cast on: approximately 120–140 stitches
- Yarn: 800–1000 metres of worsted weight
Always swatch first. In garter stitch, a typical worsted gauge is 18–20 stitches per 10cm on 5.5mm needles. Multiply your target width in centimetres by your stitches-per-cm to get your cast-on number.
Simple Patterns for a Baby Blanket
Garter Stitch
The simplest option: knit every stitch, every row. Both sides look identical. It lies flat without blocking, so you don't have to worry about edges curling. The resulting fabric is thick and squishy — ideal for a baby. Cast on your target number of stitches, knit until you reach your target length, bind off.
Seed Stitch
Alternating knit and purl stitches, offset each row so that knits line up over purls. Row 1: k1, p1, repeat. Row 2: p1, k1, repeat. The fabric is bumpy and even more textured than garter stitch. It lies flat and looks beautiful. It's slower to knit than garter because you're switching between knit and purl constantly, but the result is worth it.
For seed stitch with an even number of stitches, every row starts and ends with the same stitch. For an odd number of stitches, every row starts with a knit — simpler to remember.
Simple Striped Blanket
Work in garter stitch, changing colour every 10 rows. This is an excellent use of leftover yarn from other projects. Carry the unused colour up the side of the work — don't cut and rejoin every stripe. To carry: when you switch colours, bring the new yarn up from underneath the old yarn. This locks the floats against the edge without creating a mess of ends.
Managing the Cast-On
If you've never cast on more than 40 or 50 stitches at once, 140 stitches can feel overwhelming. Here's how to make it manageable:
Use a long circular needle. A 60cm or 80cm circular needle lets you spread all your stitches out and see them clearly. You'll knit flat (back and forth), not in the round — the circular needle is just for managing the stitch count comfortably.
Place a stitch marker every 20 stitches as you cast on. This way, if you lose count, you only have to recount back to the last marker rather than starting from the beginning. Use different-coloured markers if you have them — it makes the groups visually distinct.
Count before you knit the first row. Once you've completed the cast-on, count every stitch before you start knitting. It's much easier to fix a count error now than after you've worked 20 rows.
Yarn Estimate: How Much Do You Need?
For a 30 × 36 inch worsted weight blanket in garter stitch: 800–1000 metres. Buy slightly more than you think you need — dye lots vary, and a half-finished blanket because you ran out of yarn is heartbreaking.
If you're knitting in seed stitch, you'll use approximately 10% more yarn per row than garter stitch (because you're passing the yarn back and forth between stitches more frequently). Budget for 900–1100 metres.
For DK weight (lighter than worsted): increase your stitch count by about 15–20% and add 200 metres to your yarn estimate. The fabric will be lighter and more drapey.
Tips for Getting It Right
Don't knit it too loosely. A loose, holey fabric isn't safe for a baby — tiny fingers and toes can get caught. Knit at a tension that creates a dense, stable fabric.
Weave in ends as you go. If you're knitting stripes or joining new balls of yarn, don't leave all the ends to weave in at the end. Weave in each end when it appears. By the time you bind off, you'll have nothing left to do.
Wash the finished blanket before gifting it. This confirms it's machine washable, removes any residual spinning oils from the yarn, and softens the fabric. It also lets you catch any colour bleeding before the baby uses it.
Block if necessary. Superwash wool in particular benefits from wet blocking — soaking in cool water, pressing out the excess (don't wring), and laying flat to dry. This evens out the stitches and opens up the fabric beautifully.
A Note on Safety
Never leave a loose-knit or open-work blanket with an unsupervised infant under 12 months. Garter stitch and seed stitch are safe — they create a dense fabric without holes. Save lace patterns for older children or decorative use only.