An easy knit blanket that’s all stockinette with a one inch garter border – my Frozen Summer Baby Blanket – is a free pattern here on the blog. Read on for the design and inspiration, yarn choice and affordable substitutes, and step by step pattern.
Or purchase the ad-free printable PDF pattern on Etsy HERE or Ravelry HERE.
Pin to your Pinterest board for later HERE.
Design & Inspiration
Back in March, I purchased some hand dyed yarn from Sewrella Yarn (formerly Handmade Home Fibers). It was the first time I ever bought yarn from an indie dyer, but I’ve been following Ashleigh on Instagram for years now, and always loved her knit and crochet designs for Sewrella. So I thought, why not?
By the way, if you don’t know Ashleigh, you really need to check out her work because she makes the prettiest things! And after that, go check out her hand dyed yarn.
Each month there’s a new theme, so for March, it was all about Disney’s Frozen. Of course there were colorways for Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, and Sven, which were amazing, but when I saw Olaf, I knew instantly I needed to make something with it. My first thought was, I’ll knit a baby blanket for my son. Three skeins of Classic Worsted went right in the cart that night without hesitation.
While eagerly awaiting my fun new yarn, I started plotting out blanket designs. Keeping in mind all the blankets we used this past winter, I definitely wanted the design to be lightweight and not too bulky, especially since he runs on the warmer side.
So I decided the go with the classically simple stockinette stitch with a one inch garter border. The stockinette shows off the colorway, making the ice blue and carrot orange really pop throughout the entire blanket. And the garter border was so that the blanket wouldn’t curl under itself. It’s as simple as that!
The skill level is definitely beginner-friendly and a great project for anyone looking to branch out beyond the standard knit garter stitch. The pattern is worked in a series of knit and purl stitches within the same row, which achieves both stockinette stitch and garter border at the same time. It’s really very simple, I promise!
Stockinette vs Garter Stitch
If you look at the next picture, the flat v-shaped stitches are stockinette, which are made by knitting one row, then purling the next, then knitting, purling and so on. The wavy stitches for the border are garter, which are made by knitting every stitch. This is the front or “right” side of the blanket.
And in contrast, the next picture shows the “wrong” side aka the back of the blanket. Notice how the back of the stockinette stitches also look like waves, and the garter stitches look the same as they do on the front. That’s one nice thing about garter stitches in that they’re reversible, whereas stockinette stitches have a right and wrong side. I’m partial to stockinette though, especially when working with a variegated colorway because the colors really show through on those little v’s.
The finished size is 23″ wide x 32″ long unblocked, which is a great size for swaddling a newborn or covering a sleeping toddler. I chose a non-traditional baby blanket size because I wanted the blanket to grow with my son. He’s under a year, but he’ll be able to use it for at least a year or two. Plus, the yarn I used is pretty stretchy and very soft!
Yarn Choice
I chose this yarn specifically for the color scheme. The orange is just the right shade for Olaf’s carrot nose and the blue and off-white for his snowy body. But my favorite part is the little speckles of black that pop up throughout the yarn for his charcoal eyes and buttons. It’s all about the little details, and Ashleigh definitely scored with this one! True snowman colors and the perfect colorway to represent Olaf. And like Olaf, who is playful and warm, so is this blanket. I figured what’s a better color combo for making a baby blanket than one that’s as lovable as a snowman!
Yarn Subs
That being said, there are plenty of affordable worsted weight yarns that would make the perfect substitutes to hand dyed yarn. I included those that I’ve used in the past as alternatives, but honestly, the list is endless. Click the names below to purchase on Amazon.
- Caron Simply Soft – this is a personal favorite of mine when it comes to making baby blankets. In fact, I’m working on one now with this yarn, so stay tuned for an upcoming blog post.
- Lion Brand Wool-Ease – if you like LB’s super bulky Thick & Quick, you’ll LOVE this medium weight alternative. It’s perfect for blankets, hats, scarves and even sweaters.
- Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice – this is my all-time favorite yarn by LB. I’ve used this for literally anything and everything. There’s so many color choices and it’s the perfect yarn for beginners.
- Red Heart Soft – the name doesn’t lie; this yarn is SUPER soft. I’ve used it for knitting hats because of it’s softness and warmth, but it would make a great Frozen Summer Baby Blanket too.
Pattern
Purchase the printable PDF pattern from Etsy HERE.
Purchase the printable PDF pattern from Ravelry HERE.
Pin to your Pinterest board for later HERE.
MATERIALS
Sewrella Yarn Classic Worsted in Olaf (weight 4 / worsted, 218 yds/199 m, 3.5 oz/100 g) or approx. 654 yds/598 m of another medium weight yarn
Size US 8/5.0 mm knitting needles
Stitch markers (optional)
Tapestry needle
FINISHED SIZE
Length: 32″ / Width: 23″ (unblocked)
GAUGE
20 sts x 28 rows = 4″ in stockinette for the body
5 sts x 5 rows = 1″ in garter for the border
ABBREVIATIONS
*Pattern is written in standard US terms*
CO – cast on
K – knit
PM – place marker
P – purl
Rep – repeat
RS – right side
St(s) – stitch(es)
WS – wrong side
Notes: Blanket is worked flat with a one inch garter stitch border on all four sides and with a stockinette stitch body. Start and end with garter stitches for 10 rows each. Stockinette body begins at row 11, which is an all knit row, followed by row 12, which is knit 5 for border, purl, then knit last 5 for border. Place stitch markers to indicate when to knit the border on the purl rows (this is optional). Long-tail cast on is recommended, but not required. Bind off on the wrong side so that the bind off edge faces the back of the work.
CO 120 sts.
Row 1 (RS): K all sts.
Row 2 (WS): K all sts.
Rep rows 1 & 2 eight more times (10 rows total for bottom border).
Row 11: K all sts.
Row 12: K 5, PM (optional), P to last 5 sts, PM (optional), K 5.
Rep rows 11 & 12, slipping markers, until desired length of 31″, ending with row 216.
Row 217: K all sts.
Rows 218-227: K all sts (10 rows total for top border).
BO after row 227, which is the WS, and weave in ends.
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