Dandelion Baby Blanket

If you have been looking for a baby knit that looks impressive without requiring advanced skills, this Dandelion Baby Blanket might be exactly what you have been waiting for. The dandelion stitch creates a delicate scattered motif across the fabric that looks like little puffs of dandelion seeds caught in the breeze — whimsical and sweet without being fussy. It is a simple 16-row repeat that you will have memorized before you finish the first pattern repeat.

The blanket works up on a US 8 needle in worsted weight yarn, so it knits relatively quickly for a project this size. At roughly 37 by 50 inches, it is a generous baby blanket — big enough to be truly useful through the toddler years, not just for the newborn stage. A simple seed stitch border frames the whole thing, and an optional applied i-cord edge gives it a polished finish that looks like it came from a boutique…IMHO. I knitted this one in the softest blush pink, but it would be beautiful in any color.

Materials Needed For the Dandelion Baby Blanket

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• US 8 (5.00 mm) straight knitting needles or a circular knitting needle, 32 inches or longer.
• Worsted weight yarn, approximately 1,600 yards for the blanket body; I used Berroco Comfort in Pink. See below for additional yarn suggestions.
• An additional 120 yards of worsted weight for the applied i-cord border, if desired.
• Tapestry needle for weaving in ends.
• Any size crochet hook to help with dandelion stitch, optional.
• Scissors
• Stitch markers (optional but helpful)
• This free Dandelion Stitch Baby Blanket is available in this post below and as an ad-free printable PDF for subscribers. You can find the pattern in the Miscellaneous section of the Library (your super secret password is included at the bottom of every Monday’s Newsletter email) or email me, and I’ll send it to you. Not a subscriber? C’mon—we’d love to have you. A subscription costs nothing and gives you access to all our printables and pattern PDFs. Click here to have the Dandelion Stitch Baby Blanket pattern directly emailed to you.

Suggested Yarns

Berroco Comfort/Modern Comfort – I knitted this blanket in Berroco Comfort, which has been my go-to for baby blankets for years. It is soft, machine washable, comes in a beautiful range of colors, and the acrylic-nylon blend gives it just enough durability to hold up to the kind of washing a baby blanket gets. Unfortunately, Berroco has discontinued the Comfort line, but the good news is they have replaced it with Modern Comfort, which is essentially the same yarn with a new name. The fiber content is identical — acrylic and polyamide, which is just another name for nylon — the yardage per skein is nearly the same at 208 yards per 100g, and the recommended needle size is the same US 7-8.

The one thing to note is that Modern Comfort calls for cold water on a delicate cycle rather than the warm water wash that Comfort used, so just keep that in mind when you are giving care instructions to whoever receives the blanket. The color range is lovely and very baby-friendly, with soft shades like Ballet Pink, Mint, and Barely Blue.

Earlier this year, I had a hard time finding the Modern Comfort for a period of time. It seems Berroco has been slowly rolling on the new yarn, my LYS couldn’t get reliable inventory, so I started looking elsewhere. Sometimes you can find it on Amazon. At around $9 per skein, you would need 9 skeins for the blanket plus i-cord, bringing your total cost to around $81.

Universal Yarn Uptown Worsted – Universal Yarn Uptown Worsted is 100% anti-pill acrylic, OEKO-TEX certified, machine washable and dryable, and knitters consistently rave about how unusually soft and squishy it is for an acrylic yarn. It has a very slight halo that gives it a lovely, soft look, and the stitch definition is excellent. At 180 yards per 100g skein and around $7.40 a skein, you would need 10 skeins for the blanket, including the i-cord, for a total of about $74. It comes in a beautiful range of solid colors, and it is honestly one of the better-kept secrets in the worsted-weight acrylic world. You can find a limited selection on Amazon, with a greater selection at LoveCrafts.

Lion Brand Pound of Love – Lion Brand Pound of Love is a classic for a reason. It is 100% acrylic, fully machine washable and dryable, and one skein holds a whopping 1,020 yards — so two skeins cover the whole blanket, including the i-cord, with yards to spare. At $12.49 a skein, the entire blanket runs you about $25. Hard to beat. Find it on Amazon and Walmart.

Premier Anti-Pilling Everyday Worsted – Premier Anti-Pilling Everyday Worsted is another 100% acrylic option worth considering. At 180 yards per skein, it is specially formulated to resist pilling over time, making it a smart choice for a blanket that will see heavy use and frequent washing. It is also OEKO-TEX certified, meaning it has been tested and approved for use against even the most sensitive skin. You would need 10 skeins for the blanket and i-cord. At roughly $4 to $5 a skein depending on where you shop, you are looking at around $40 to $50 total. You can also find it at Walmart.

Malabrigo Rios – If you are open to spending a little more, Malabrigo Rios is 100% superwash merino wool — kettle-dyed by hand in Peru in the most gorgeous colors —and is machine washable on a gentle cold cycle. You do need to lay it flat to dry rather than toss it in the dryer, so just factor that into the care instructions you pass along. The stitch definition is exceptional and the dandelion motifs would look absolutely stunning in one of their rich colorways. Rios runs about $18 for a 210-yard skein, and you would need 9 skeins, for a total of around $162.

Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran – Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran is a worsted-weight yarn worth mentioning if you want something a step above standard acrylic but do not want to go all the way to pure merino. It is a 55% merino wool, 33% acrylic, and 12% cashmere blend — machine washable, incredibly soft, and with really lovely stitch definition that would make the dandelion motifs pop beautifully. The cashmere content gives it a subtle warmth and softness that is hard to describe until you knit with it. The downside is the yardage — at only 98 yards per 50g skein, you would need 18 skeins to complete this blanket with the i-cord border. At around $10.49 per skein, your total comes to roughly $189, making it one of the pricier options on this list. It’s a good one to look for during sales!

Special Stitches

How to Knit the Dandelion Stitch

The dandelion stitch is worked on right-side rows only, with a wrong-side decrease row immediately following to bring the stitch count back to normal. It sounds more complicated than it is, and once you have worked through it a couple of times, it will start to feel natural.

To work the dandelion stitch, insert your right needle down into the loop of the stitch that sits 3 rows below the second stitch on your left needle. Draw up a loop and leave it on your right needle. Knit the next 2 stitches on your left needle normally.

Now go back down into that same stitch below and draw up a second loop. Knit 2 more stitches. Go back down one more time into that same stitch below and draw up a third loop. You have now worked the dandelion stitch.

The third loop is the tricky one, especially at first. Use your finger to hold the stitches already on your right needle so they do not slide off as you reach down into the fabric. Some knitters find it easier to use a small crochet hook to catch that third loop and place it on the right needle — that is a perfectly acceptable workaround and a lot of people stick with it even after they get comfortable with the stitch. The more you do it, the easier it becomes.

Do not worry if your stitch count looks off after working a dandelion row — it will be. The stitch count increases temporarily on the rows where the dandelion is worked and is restored on the following wrong-side row with a series of p2tog decreases. By the time you finish that decrease row, your count will be back to 184, and you can breathe again.

How to Knit the Seed Stitch

All rows: *k1, p1; rep from * to end. (Knit the purl stitches and purl the knit stitches as they face you.)

Knitting the Dandelion Baby Blanket

Cast On & Seed Stitch Setup (Rows 1–6)

• Cast on 184 stitches. (multiple of 10 + 14)
• Work 6 rows in seed stitch across all stitches.

Dandelion Stitch Body (Rows 7–22, repeated)

Work the following 16-row repeat 21 times, beginning on row 7.

• Rows 7, 9, 11 (RS): SS5, knit to last 5 sts, SS5.
• Rows 8, 10, 12 (WS): SS5, purl to last 5 sts, SS5.
• Row 13 (RS): SS5, k4, *make dandelion, k6; rep from * to end, SS5.
• Row 14 (WS): SS5, p6, *(p2tog, p1) twice, p2tog, p5; rep from * to last 8 sts, p3, SS5.
• Rows 15, 17, 19 (RS): SS5, knit to last 5 sts, SS5.
• Rows 16, 18, 20 (WS): SS5, purl to last 5 sts, SS5.
• Row 21 (RS): SS5, k9, *make dandelion, k6; rep from * to last 5 sts, make dandelion, k1, SS5.
• Row 22 (WS): SS5, p1, (p2tog, p1) twice, p2tog, p5, (p2tog, p1) twice, p2tog, p8, SS5.

Repeat rows 7–22 twenty more times (21 repeats total).

Knitting Chart

The chart below shows the 16-row repeat over 24 body stitches. Seed stitch borders are not shown. Read RS rows (shaded) right to left; read WS rows left to right.

Finishing

Work 6 rows in seed stitch across all stitches.

Bind off loosely. Weave in all ends. Block gently by misting with water and pinning to measurements, or steam block if fiber allows.

Applied 3-Stitch I-Cord Border

Using double point needles, pick up and knit 3 stitches along the edge. *Do not turn. Slide stitches to right end of needle. K2, slip 1, pick up and k1 from blanket edge, pass slipped stitch over. Rep from * around all four sides, working 3 i-cord sts into each corner. Bind off. Approximately 120 yards of worsted weight yarn required.

We have a full post that walks through the applied i-cord technique step by step, including how to navigate the corners and graft the ends together for a seamless finish. Head over to How to Knit an Applied I-Cord for all the details — there is even a video if you are more of a visual learner. Once you have done it once, you will want to put it on everything.

Tips for Success

• The dandelion stitch temporarily adds stitches to the rows where it is worked, then removes them on the following wrong-side row. Do not panic when your stitch count looks off after row 13 or row 21 — that is completely normal and will be corrected on the very next row.
• It helps to place a stitch marker every 10 stitches across the row so you can quickly confirm you are on track before working a dandelion row.
• Block your finished blanket. A light mist and pinning to measurements, or a gentle steam block if your yarn allows, will open up the dandelion motifs beautifully and even out the fabric considerably.

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