In the mood for spring? Here you can find spring yarns 
Esther Sweater Baby 
We have new Muud products in the store 
You can find all Maschenfein pattern here
I keep getting emails asking "what wool should I use for a baby blanket?". The posts about baby blankets here on the blog rank right at the top among the click numbers. There is the brioche blank et from last summer, or my baby blanket "Mila" in chevron pattern, or the striped baby blanket from Cécile. So I thought I'd start a little series in which I simply tell beginners and inexperienced knitters how I proceed when I want to knit a baby blanket. And so that this does not remain too theoretical, I just knit a baby blanket at the same time!
The questions I want to answer you while knitting are: What wool do I choose and why? What do I need for knitting needles? How big should such a blanket be and how do I calculate how many stitches I need? Where do I find nice patterns? And let's see what else I can think of or might be asked here.
At the beginning of my new project "knitting baby blanket" I ask myself the question about the choice of material. Personally, I now knit exclusively with natural fibers and will also choose an appropriate yarn for my baby blanket. But there are a few factors that you should consider when choosing your yarn, so that in the end you have the perfect yarn for you on your needles:
Warmth and cuddle factor
Babies like to be warm. Natural fibers are warmer than artificial fibers, even cotton keeps the little ones cozy warmer than acrylic fibers. So personally, regardless of my preference for natural fibers, I would always choose a yarn without (or with as little as possible) artificial fiber content for baby blankets. If you decide to use wool from animals, then make sure that the yarn does not fluff or hair.
In addition, of course, the wool should not scratch, after all, it comes into contact with delicate baby skin. The finest wool obtained from the sheep is merino. Merino wool does not scratch the skin and is therefore ideal for baby knitwear.
Care and washability
Warmth is one thing, but what about care and washability? Young moms don't have much time to wash baby clothes by hand. Personally, I do this for selected items of clothing for my children, but I also find it more practical to simply throw the items into the machine. I would also find a closet full of cashmere clothing extremely stressful.
Cotton is generally easier to care for than virgin wool, but there are also many very nice superwash treated wool that you can easily machine wash without it felting. So if your baby blanket should be machine washable, then use either cotton or but washable wool. Whether a wool is washable, you can see when buying already on the banderole!
Conclusion
The listed factors now greatly limit your choice of yarn. If we do without artificial fibers, but at the same time do not want the baby blanket too much lint or hair, we have a choice between a cotton and a merino wool. So that the blanket is also finished, but at the same time does not become too heavy, it should be knitted with a needle size 4mm to 6mm.
A few beautiful and suitable yarns for baby blankets I have gathered in my store. chaukt you best the color palettes, because the color selection is of course also a very important factor:
- Cotton "Ica" from Lamana for a needle size 5 to 5.5mm
- Merino wool "Como" from Lamana for a needle size 3,5 to 4,5mm
- Cotton-modal blend "Cosma" from Lamana for a needle size 5 up to 5,5mm
- Merino wool "Merino Baby" by Pascuali for a needle size of 3mm
- Cotton-cashmere blend "Sole" by Pascuali for a needle size 3.5 to 4mm
For my baby blankets Karli and Kora I have knitted Como. It is incredibly airy and light with a yardage of 120m per 25g. Which needles or needle size I will choose, I will report next time, because I have to knit a few stitch samples first! And that's exactly what you should do before you start with the actual baby blanket.
About Marisa
I am Marisa, the founder behind Maschenfein. I made the first stitches with my grandma Lotti when I was about five years old. In 2014 I founded "Maschenfein". What started as a blog has now become exactly the online store for wool & knitting accessories that I always wanted. Together with my team I want to enrich the knitting world with inspiration, pattern, beautiful yarns and the best accessories.
Show all posts by Marisa
4 comments
Hello , I have a question about baby blanket kora. In the pattern it says ; 20 stitches re.Usw. But if you count the stitches you don't get 180 stitches ? I just do not get on, it is probably my understanding problem.
Greetings Hanna
Hello dear Hanna, you must please take into account the brackets! So the calculations in the brackets, they in math class, then you come exactly to the specified number of stitches. Love greetings
Hi, thanks for the helpful tips on how to treat the wool/cotton. I would like to knit a baby blanket. How many balls do I need for a blanket 50×50 cm? Thanks for the answer.
With warm regards
Adelheid Köhn
Dear Adelheid, 50×50 cm seems a bit small for a baby blanket. The little ones grow quite fast and if you knit them a bit bigger, the baby will enjoy your work longer 🙂 For a baby blanket in the size 70×70 cm you would need about 6 balls of Como. We always recommend this yarn because it is soft and light. https://www.maschenfein.com/produkt/lamana-como/ You can also find knitting kits for baby blankets here. Have fun knitting! Love, Sophia