How to Knit the “Toby” Baby Blanket [Free Video Tutorial & Written Pattern!]
***You can purchase an INEXPENSIVE AD-FREE PDF of this pattern on Ravelry HERE or Etsy HERE***
Clean modern lines, and bags of texture make Toby one of my favourite blankets I’ve knitted to date. I’ve combined Seed, Garter and Stockinette stitch in stripes of varying thickness to give a blanket that’s great for an adventurous beginner wanting to practice the skills they’ve learnt, or a more experienced knitter looking for a soothing easy knit.
For me, texture is really important in a baby blanket, it’s easy to forget that this is a tactile item that a small human gets to feel as they’re snuggled in it. I like to think that the differing textured in a knitted blanket are interesting to a baby just discovering the world around them. Seed stitch has a particularly fun bumpy texture that hopefully little fingers will enjoy exploring, and the dense texture means they can do so safely.
Unusually for me, I’ve gone for a pastel shade of blue, I’m normally drawn to bright, bold colours for my knits, but I cast this on just as 1989 Taylors Version was released, and as a long time fan, I’d be lying if I said the pale blue of the album colour didn’t influence my colour choice for this blanket (!)
yarn and sizing tips & tricks
I’ve chosen to knit my blanket in double-knit yarn (for those of you outside the UK, the equivalent is Light Worsted or 3 weight yam), but this blanket design will work in any weight yarn you choose. Just make sure that you select the right size needles for the yarn you want to work with.
My instructions produce a Blanket approximately 60cm x 80cm, but the beauty of this blanket is there is NO pattern repeat, you just cast on an ODD number of stitches, and off you go. Ideal for when you really don’t want to have to sit and work out how many stitches you need to achieve the perfect size.
pin for later
Materials Needed
- 4mm Circular Needs (to recreate this blanket 100cm is a perfect length)
- 400g of DK Yarn – I used King Cole Cherished in Baby Blue
- Scissors & Tapestry Needle for sewing in ends
- 2 Stitch Markers
written pattern
Stitches Used
- k – knit
- p – purl
- sl1pwyf – slip one purlwise with yarn in front.
- Pm – place marker
- Sm – slip marker
Bottom Edge
Foundation Row: Cast on 133 stitches.
Knit 15 rows as follows: K until final stitch, sl1pwyf
Main Pattern Repeat
Row 1 (Setup Row): k9, pm, k until 9 stitches remain, pm, k8, sl1pwyf.
Row 2 (WS): k9, sm, p until next marker, sm, k8, sl1pwyf
Row 3: k9, sm, k until next marker, sm, k8, sl1pwyf
Row 4: k9, sm, p until next marker, sm, k8, sl1pwyf
Row 5: k9, sm, p1, *k1,p1* repeat from *to* until next marker, sm, k8, sl1pwyf
Row 6: k9, sm, p1, *k1,p1* repeat from *to* until next marker, sm, k8, sl1pwyf
Row 7: k9, sm, p1, *k1,p1* repeat from *to* until next marker, sm, k8, sl1pwyf
Row 8: k9, sm, p1, *k1,p1* repeat from *to* until next marker, sm, k8, sl1pwyf
Row 9: k9, sm, p1, *k1,p1* repeat from *to* until next marker, sm, k8, sl1pwyf
Row 10: k9, sm, p1, *k1,p1* repeat from *to* until next marker, sm, k8, sl1pwyf
Row 11: k9, sm, k until next marker, sm, k8, sl1pwyf
Row 12: k9, sm, p until next marker, sm, k8, sl1pwyf
Rows 13-16: k9, sm, k until next marker, sm, k8, sl1pwyf
Repeat Rows 1 – 16 15 times in total (slipping markers on row 1 instead of placing them), and then work rows 1-12 once more before moving on to top border.
Top Edge
Knit 16 rows as follows: K until final stitch, sl1pwyf.
Final row (Row 17): Cast off knit wise with right side facing.
Could this blanket be knit in two long needles
You could try but i’m not sure straight needles will be long enough.
I am currently working on the Toby blanket. I am using 40 in/101.5 cm circular needles. I would not use circular needles that are shorter than 32 in/81cm long.
I agree – I use 80-150cm needles.
Just love your blankets. I have 5 now thankyou so much♥️♥️
Thank you Kim!!
Novice knitter here. Would it make a significant difference if I were to use a 3.75mm circular needle of 100cm length?
You’ll end up with a slightly smaller and denser blanket but there won’t be a huge amount of difference
Such a beautiful blanket! I wanted to ask if it would be possible to do this pattern with 2 colors. For example if I use a different color for where you have the garter stitch rows in the pattern. Or would the change be noticeable on the right side?
As long as you change colours when you a are knitting a right side row then the colour change would appear on the back and not the front. I’d love to see your work if you do try it! I think it could work really well.
Thank you so much! I’m about to go purchase this pattern from your Etsy page. It will take me some time to complete this but I will definitely share a photo with you once I do! 😀
Beautiful complete instructions will definitely be making this blanket soon!