Baby Blanket Knitting Kit: Perfect for Beginners

Are you new to knitting but eager to create something beautiful and functional? One of the best projects to start with is a baby blanket knitting kit. It’s a manageable size, simple to make, and results in something both you and the recipient will love.

At The Dizzy Knitter, we specialize in creating the perfect knitting kits by pairing quality yarn with patterns to help knitters of all levels succeed. Today, we’re talking about why knitting a baby blanket is perfect for beginners, how you can get started, and the steps to ensure your project turns out beautifully.

Why Knit a Baby Blanket?

Knitters often start with scarves, but a baby blanket offers a rewarding twist on the usual beginner knitting project. It’s practical, heartwarming, and a wonderful gift that shows your love and creativity. Whether you’re making it for a baby shower, a friend’s new little one, or simply to keep on hand, it’s a project that offers many uses.

One of our favorite knitted baby blankets is a baby stroller or car seat blanket. This beginner knitting project is smaller than a regular throw, making it less intimidating for beginners. The Sliding is Fun baby blanket is about 26x29 inches, it’s the perfect size to drape over a stroller or tuck around a baby in a car seat. Plus, since you’re working with a smaller area, you can focus on mastering your stitches without feeling overwhelmed.

For visual and kinesthetic learners (which many knitters are), seeing a baby blanket take shape through your own hands is both satisfying and calming. Every stitch adds up to something beautiful, and that’s the magic of knitting—watching an idea come to life with your hands.

Knitting Supplies for Success 

Let’s walk through what you’ll need for this beginner knitting project:

Knitting Yarn Selection

To make the Sliding is Fun blanket, you'll need 1 cake of Juniper Moon Farm Cumulus Rainbow, 1 skein solid Cumulus, the pattern - and a little patience. Luckily, The Dizzy Knitter has you covered with a knitting kit that contains both yarns bundled together and available in over 20 combinations to choose from. This baby blanket beginner pattern is free on Ravelry.com.  

In general, we recommend choosing a soft yarn for any knitted baby blanket and the Juniper Moon Farm Cumulus yarns are extremely soft - as in cumulus, like a cloud! Cumulus is 94% organic cotton with a touch of nylon to give the fiber a bit of elasticity. This combines to create a knitted fabric that is absolutely delicious to the touch.

Baby Blanket Knitting Pattern: Keep it Simple

When choosing a baby blanket knitting pattern, beginners will benefit from simple stitch patterns. The Sliding Is Fun blanket is knitted entirely in garter stitch, which means you'll knit every stitch and never have to "purl." 

So how does one create those ridges with stockinette stitch in between without purling any rows? Ah, here's where the "sliding" in Sliding Is Fun comes in!

You can see in the photo above that the baby blanket is knitted on a circular knitting needle with a long cable to hold all the stitches. You'll knit (garter stitch) 2 rows with the Juniper Moon Farm Cumulus Rainbow and then without turning your work, slide your stitches to the opposite end of the cable and knit 2 more rows (garter stitch) with the Cumulus Solid and so on alternating yarns until you're near the end of one of them - bind off and you're done!

As a beginner knitter, you want something that builds your confidence but isn’t overwhelming. Basic knitting stitches like garter stitch (knitting every row) are perfect choices and by utilizing the simple "trick" above you'll look like an expert right away!

 

Tips for Beginner Knitters: Setting Yourself Up for Success

As a beginner knitter, it’s important to set yourself up for success before diving into a knitting project. That means choosing the right knitting yarn, getting comfortable with your knitting needles & tools, and embracing the learning process.

Choose the Right Knitting Needle Size

Pairing the right knitting needles with your knitting yarn is key to getting the perfect texture. For this project, the baby blanket pattern recommends US size 8 (5mm) circular knitting needles with a 32" cable. Circular knitting needles are often easier to work with when knitting baby blankets, even though you’re knitting flat, because they can hold more stitches than straight knitting needles. You won’t be knitting in the round for this baby blanket, but circular needles prevent your stitches from feeling too bunched up.

Practice Your Knitting: Focus on Gauge

Gauge is simply how many stitches and rows make up a certain measurement, and it helps ensure your baby blanket will be the right size. You don’t need to stress about this too much for this baby blanket, but it’s a good habit to practice checking gauge, even as a beginner knitter.

Before you start, knit a small swatch using the recommended knitting yarn and needles. You’ll want to measure how many stitches fit into a 4x4-inch square. This baby blanket pattern suggests you have the following gauge: 16 stitches = 4".

If I knit a sweater, I am a stickler for swatching. However with this project, I wouldn't worry too much about the gauge, and I didn't do a swatch myself. A bit larger or smaller wouldn't be a big deal for this beginner knitting project. Our How to Knit a Gauge Swatch article is a helpful resource to learn even more about creating swatches. 

In general, if you're very new to knitting, here are a couple of reasons you might want to knit a swatch.

1. To see if the fabric you create has a nice feel to it - that you're not knitting way too loose or super tight. If you are, now is the time to adjust and use a size larger or smaller needle.
2. To do a tiny practice of the stitch pattern - if you make any mistakes, you can unravel and work it out on shorter rows, not on the full size baby blanket.

If your gauge is close (within a stitch or two), don't worry about it and knit on!

Start Slowly, Stay Relaxed

Knitting should be fun! If you’re feeling overwhelmed or frustrated, take a break, breathe, and remember that knitting is about the process as much as the end result. This is a great project to start with because it’s repetitive, so you can ease into the rhythm of knitting without constantly checking your pattern.

This beautiful baby blanket doesn’t require any complicated techniques. Once you’ve got the basics down, just enjoy the meditative process of knitting row after row. And don’t worry about mistakes—little errors add character!

When finished with your blanket, it's good to freshen up the fibers with a 10 minute soak in cold water with a drop of mild detergent or Eucalan. Gently remove, rinse in  clear water and plop on a towel. Press out the excess water without wringing or twisting and pin onto blocking boards or lay flat on thick towels to dry.

Instead of fully washing mine, I pinned it on some blocking mats and gave it a little steam with a handheld steamer to relax the fibers and open up the rows to show off the pattern a little.

 

Why Quality Matters in a Finished Knitting Project

When you’re finished with your baby blanket, the last thing you want is to feel disappointed by your materials or design. That’s why quality knitting supplies like yarn, knitting needles and patterns matter, especially for beginner knitters. Using premium fibers ensures your blanket not only feels wonderful to the touch but also holds up through years of use. 

Superior Quality Knitting Yarn

With The Dizzy Knitter, our customers consistently rave about the superior quality of the yarn included in our knitting kits. Our high-end yarns have a luxurious feel, but more importantly, they’re durable and come in a range of colorways. That means you’ll be proud of your finished project, knowing that it looks professional and will last for a long time.

How Your Knitted Baby Blanket Feels

Another reason quality matters: How your knitted baby blanket feels. Soft yarn, paired with the right pattern, means that your final piece will feel comforting to the baby and appreciated by the parents. It’s a project that becomes a keepsake—something that will be cherished long after the strollers and car seats are put away.

Final Thought: A Fun, Rewarding Knitting Project

If you’ve been hesitant to start knitting because you’re unsure of your skills, the Sliding Is Fun blanket is the perfect beginner knitting project to boost your confidence. You get to work on something that’s meaningful and functional, without the pressure of a large-scale project.

I'm not a beginner and I absolutely loved knitting Sliding Is Fun baby blanket and would be proud to give one as a gift. The fade of the Juniper Moon Farm Cumulus Rainbow is lovely, and it's such a pleasure to knit something simple as you relax body and mind. 

At The Dizzy Knitter, we’re passionate about helping knitters of all levels succeed. We make it easy for you by providing thoughtfully curated knitting kits designed for every skill level. That means you don’t have to spend time guessing which yarn works best with which design—we’ve already done the work for you.

Plus, if you ever have questions along the way, our friendly community of knitters is here to help. With our active Facebook group and monthly Knit Along sessions, you can get advice, share progress, and connect with others who share your passion for knitting.

So why not get started today? Visit The Dizzy Knitter’s collection of beginner yarn kits and choose the perfect project to begin your knitting journey. You’ll be creating something beautiful, functional, and personal in no time.