Squishy Free Knitting Pattern: Miller and June Baby Blanket

When I was pregnant with my first son, I couldn’t do math without extreme concentration which, in turn, made me even more tired. So I avoided math entirely. And that included knitting math. No patterns to try to follow and no stitches to count. My tried and true formula for an easy and math-free hand knit baby blanket has helped me create and give lasting baby gifts for friends and for my own little man. Each blanket project is knit with different washable yarns, making the result completely unique and machine washable. Garter stitch provides a wash but light layer for baby.

Pattern Available

To knit your own one-of-a-kind squishy garter stitch baby blanket, just follow the free pattern/formula.

The Materials

With basic garter stitch rows and doubled up yarn, a squishy blanket is created. The result feels lightweight, the gauge is a little looser so it breathes better, and the garter stitch gives it a squishy feel. Of course, the custom vibrant color scheme you choose makes it one-of-a-kind!

The free pattern is available on Ravelry. The other materials needed are:

• 7mm (US10.5) circular needles
• 350-450 yards (320-412 meters) washable DK weight yarn
• 350-450 yards (320-412 meters) coordinating superwash fingering/sock/4-ply weight yarn
• Tapestry needle for weaving in the ends

The sock yarn should be variegated in colour while the DK should be a solid color coordinating with a hue in the sock yarn. A gender neutral example would be choosing a butter, sage, peach, or teal sock yarn and having the DK yarn be sage green.

The Progress

This design leaves ample room for fun and customising. If you want to spice up the design a bit, you can use two or three DKs in coordinating colors instead of just one for a marled look. I like to do that and have each end of the blanket be a different color or add a stripe design – let your imagination go wild. Be mindful to choose washable yarns only and, if you’re giving it as a gift, tell the recipients it is machine washable and dryer friendly so they know it is a blanket to be used, not folded nicely on a shelf.

The Results

My tried and true formula for an easy hand knit baby blanket has helped me create and give lasting baby gifts for friends. Each blanket project is knit with different washable yarns, making the result completely unique. Garter stitch provides a warm light layer for baby.

My Other Free Baby Blanket Patterns

The thing to remember when creating any kind of blanket for a baby is that it should be washable and soft. Washable for the parents and soft for the baby. Here are links to my three free baby blanket knitting patterns:

Ballyhoura Baby Blanket

Stripy Cozy Baby Blanket

Miller & June Baby Blanket

Other Non-knit Baby Blanket Ideas

There are countless patterns for knitting, crochet, sewing, and quilting so your imagination is your only limitation – and the baby’s due date. If you are not a knitter and don’t plan to become one, there are other ways to personalize a blanket for a special baby. Purchase a knit blanket, even a machine knit cellular blanket will work, and sew on your own edging with wide colorful bias tape. Alternatively, you can purchase two coordinating but different coloured pieces of fleece, one large (about 48” square) and one small (8” square), and thick smooth colorfast thread or sock yarn in a matching or contrasting shade. From the small square of fleece, trace and cut out the child’s first initial then hand stitch it onto one of the corners of the large fleece square. Then do a simple blanket stitch around the edges of the large square to finish it nicely. It won’t be suitable for baby to sleep with in the beginning but will be a favorite for story time and chilly nights later on.

Note: Miller and June were the babies who helped me perfect this combination. The photos shown are of their cherished baby blankets (but the baby is my LB).