How to Knit the “Finley” Baby Blanket [Free Video Tutorial & Written Pattern!]
***You can purchase an INEXPENSIVE AD-FREE PDF of this pattern on Ravelry HERE or Etsy HERE***
The “Finley” Baby Blanket, is in design terms, the younger sibling of my “Toby” Baby Blanket.
When knitting the Toby baby blanket pattern, I had so much fun combining seed stitch, stockinette stitch and purl ridges, that when knitting the Finley baby blanket, I wanted to revisit the idea and create something totally different but with that same super textured look.
Finley has a pattern repeat of only 14 rows, short enough for an adventurous beginner to tackle, but also complex enough to keep an experienced knitter busy. I’ve chosen to knit my sample blanket in a deep French Navy Blue but I think this pattern really lends itself to any colour you might want to pick.
yarn and sizing tips & tricks
The Finley 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 by casting on an ODD number of stitches for the middle textured panel, and then adding an additional 18 stitches (9 for each side) for the garter stitch edging.
The super simple pattern repeat makes the Louis baby blanket knitting pattern 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
Not ready to knit the Finley 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 100cm is a perfect length)
- 400g of DK Yarn – I used King Cole Cherished in French Navy
- 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
- WS – Wrong Side
- RS – Right Side
Bottom Edge
Foundation Row: Cast on 133 stitches. (I like to use the Long-Tail method)
Knit 15 rows as follows: K until final stitch, sl1pwyf
Main Pattern Repeat
Row 1 (RS): 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, k until next marker, sm, k8, sl1pwyf
Row 6: k9, sm, p4, *k1,p1* repeat from *to* until 4 stitches before next marker, p4, sm, k8, sl1pwyf
Row 7: k9, sm, k5, *p1,k1* repeat from *to* until 4 stitches before next marker, k4, sm, k8, sl1pwyf
Row 8: k9, sm, p4, *k1,p1* repeat from *to* until 4 stitches before next marker, p4, sm, k8, sl1pwyf
Row 9: k9, sm, k until next marker, sm, k8, sl1pwyf
Row 10: k9, sm, p 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
Row 13: k9, sm, k until next marker, sm, k8, sl1pwyf
Row 14: k9, sm, p4, k until 4 stitches before next marker, p4, sm, k8, sl1pwyf
Repeat Rows 1 – 14 16 times in total (slipping markers on Row 1 instead of placing them), and then work Rows 1-13 once more before moving on to top border.
Top Edge
Knit 15 rows as follows: K until final stitch, sl1pwyf.
Final row (Row 16): Cast off knit wise with right side facing.
I hope you love Finley just as much as I do! If you’re looking for more knitted baby blanket inspiration then why not take a look at Harvey, Taylor or Noah.
video tutorial
Want to browse all of my free knitted baby blanket patterns and more? See them HERE!