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.

video tutorial