631 Martius Baby Blanket - Knitting Pattern for Babies in Valley Yarns Valley Superwash

631 Martius Baby Blanket – Knitting Pattern by Kirsten Hipsky

The 631 Martius Baby Blanket is a beautifully textured knitted baby blanket designed by Kirsten Hipsky and published as a downloadable PDF pattern. Worked in Valley Yarns Valley Superwash, this blanket combines classic Aran-style cables with a rhythmic moss stitch background to create a cozy, heirloom-quality piece that is also completely machine washable — an essential feature for busy families with babies. The pattern is rated beginner difficulty, making it an approachable project even for knitters who are just beginning to explore cable techniques.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a square baby blanket available in three finished sizes: 28", 32", and 36" square. The sample shown in the pattern is knitted in the smallest size, 28". The blanket is designed to coordinate with the Martius Baby Pullover, making the two pieces a natural matching set for gifting or a cohesive handmade baby wardrobe. The finished blanket is warm, soft, and structured, with vertical cable panels running the length of the fabric flanked by panels of moss stitch.

Yarn and Materials

The pattern calls for Valley Yarns Valley Superwash, a 100% Extrafine Merino Superwash yarn that comes in 50g/97-yard skeins. The sample is shown in the color Teal. Yardage requirements vary by size:

• 28" square: 8 skeins
• 32" square: 11 skeins
• 36" square: 13 skeins

This is a worsted weight yarn, which gives the blanket excellent stitch definition — particularly important when working cables and textured stitches. The Extrafine Merino Superwash fiber is notably soft against delicate baby skin while also being durable and easy to launder, a combination that makes it ideal for baby items.

In addition to yarn, knitters will need:

• US size 7 (4.50mm) knitting needles, or the size needed to achieve gauge
• 6 (6, 8) stitch markers depending on the size being worked
• A cable needle (cn) for working the cable crossings

Gauge

The pattern gauge is 4.5 stitches and 6 rows per inch measured in Moss Stitch. Achieving correct gauge is important for hitting the intended finished dimensions, especially since the blanket is a square and both stitch and row gauge affect the final shape.

Techniques Used

The 631 Martius Baby Blanket is worked flat (back and forth in rows) and is constructed seamlessly — meaning no seaming is required to finish the piece. The blanket is cast on all at once with stitch markers placed to delineate the alternating panels of moss stitch and cables. This structure makes it easy to track pattern repeats as you work from one end of the blanket to the other.

Key techniques include:

• Cables — The primary decorative technique, creating raised, twisted columns of stitches that give the blanket its classic Aran character
• Worked flat — The blanket is knitted back and forth in rows on straight or circular needles
• Seamless construction — The blanket is worked in one piece with no finishing seams required
• Stitch marker placement — Markers are placed at cast-on to separate cable panels from moss stitch panels, helping knitters maintain pattern alignment throughout

Stitches Used

The blanket uses a combination of three distinct stitch patterns that work together to create a rich, layered texture:

• Moss Stitch — A classic reversible texture stitch worked over both even and odd numbers of stitches. It alternates knit and purl stitches across rows, then shifts the pattern on subsequent rows to create a bumpy, seed-like fabric. The pattern provides both