How to Knit the “Eric” Baby Blanket [Free Video Tutorial & Knitting Pattern!]

***You can purchase an INEXPENSIVE AD-FREE PDF of this pattern on Ravelry HERE or Etsy HERE***

Meet Eric! Knitted during a very sunny heatwave here in England so the name seemed appropriate ((Eric) Morecambe & Wise – Bring Me Sunshine for those of you not familiar with the song).

Featuring a squishy garter stitch border, the main body of Eric is only a 2 row repeat, making this the perfect knit for those of you wanting to tackle a marginally more complex pattern repeat without the added challenge of it being multiple rows in length.

Yarn & sizing tips and tricks

The Eric baby blanket pattern is knitted all in one piece, from bottom to top. In order to accommodate all your stitches, I recommend using a set of circular needles (at least 100cm long) as straight needles just won’t be long enough to fit your stitches on comfortably.

I’ve chosen DK (aka Double Knitting, Light Worsted, 3 Weight) yarn for this project, but don’t let that stop you from knitting it in your own preferred weight of yarn.

My instructions produce a baby blanket approximately 60cm x 80cm, perfect for using as a cot, pram or travel blanket. But don’t let that stop you from knitting this blanket in any size you want! I think it would look great scaled up as a Sofa Throw, Quilt or Bedspread!

I’ve deliberately designed this knitting pattern to be super easy for you to adjust the size of your blanket to whatever size you want/need.

To make the blanket longer, you’ll need to work more repeats of the Middle Section (the top and bottom border are worked the same regardless of the size of blanket you knit).

To adjust the width of your blanket you’ll need to cast on more (or indeed less) stitches, it can easily be done using the pattern multiple of 10+5 for the middle textured panel, and an additional 18 stitches (9 for each side) for the garter stitch edging.

pin for later

Not ready to knit the Eric baby blanket just yet? Why not pin this image to your Pinterest so you can find it easily when you’re ready to sit down and cast on!

Materials Needed

• 4mm Circular Needs (to recreate this blanket 80cm is a perfect length)
• 400g of DK Yarn – I used Stylecraft Bambino in Denim Dungarees
• 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 16 rows as follows: K until final stitch, sl1pwyf

Main Pattern Repeat

Setup Row: k9, pm, p5, *k1,p1,k1,p1,k1,p5* repeat from *to* until 9 stitches remain, pm, k8, sl1pwyf. 

Row 1: k until 1 stitch remains (sm as you come across them), sl1pwyf

Row 2: k9, sm, p5, *k1,p1,k1,p1,k1,p5* repeat from *to* until marker, sm, k8, sl1pwyf. 

Repeat Rows 1 & 2 until project is slightly shorter than desired length (to allow for garter edging. Start Edging after completing a “Row 2”

Top Edge

Knit 16 rows as follows: K until final stitch, sl1pwyf.

Final row (Row 17): Cast off knit wise with right side facing.

I hope you love Eric just as much as I do! If you’re looking for more knitted baby blanket inspiration then why not take a look at Harvey, Henry or Noah.

video tutorial

Want to browse all of my free knitted baby blanket patterns and more? See them HERE!