705 Runa Baby Blanket - Knitting Pattern for Babies in Valley Yarns Valley Superwash

705 Runa Baby Blanket – Knitting Pattern by Kirsten Hipsky in Valley Yarns Valley Superwash

The 705 Runa Baby Blanket is a beautifully soft, square knitted baby blanket designed by Kirsten Hipsky and published by Valley Yarns. Available as a downloadable PDF, this pattern produces a finished blanket in three sizes — 28", 32", or 36" square — making it a versatile project whether you're crafting a snuggly newborn wrap or a generous toddler throw. The pattern is rated beginner difficulty, making it an ideal first colorwork project for newer knitters while still offering enough visual interest to satisfy more experienced crafters.

What Is Being Made

The Runa Baby Blanket is a square knitted blanket designed specifically for babies and young children. Its standout feature is a two-color brioche stitch pattern worked in stripes that creates a charming optical illusion: when the colors interact across the textured fabric, the design appears to form little hearts — a delightful detail that makes this blanket a truly special handmade gift. The finished fabric is described as soft and squishy, a natural result of the brioche stitch's characteristic puffiness and the luxurious fiber content of the recommended yarn.

Techniques Used

• Worked flat: The blanket is knitted back and forth in rows rather than in the round, keeping the construction straightforward and accessible for beginners.
• Two-color stripes: The pattern alternates between two colors throughout, creating the stripe sequence that produces the heart illusion in the finished fabric.
• Brioche stitch (two-color): The core technique of this pattern is a two-color brioche stitch, worked over an odd number of stitches. Brioche knitting involves knitting into the stitch of the row below (k1 in the row below) rather than the live stitch on the needle, creating a deeply ribbed, reversible, and exceptionally plush fabric. In its two-color form, each color is worked on alternating passes, and stitches are slipped to the other end of the needle on certain rows to allow the correct color to be in position — a technique that requires circular needles even though the work is flat.
• Pick-up and knit edging: After the main body is complete, stitches are picked up along each side edge at a rate of one stitch for every two rows, followed by a single knit row and a bind-off, creating a neat, tidy border on all four sides.
• Blocking: The pattern calls for light blocking after finishing, which helps even out the brioche fabric and set the final dimensions of the blanket.

Stitches Used

• Knit stitch (k): The foundational stitch used throughout the pattern.
• K1 in the row below: The defining stitch of brioche knitting, worked by inserting the needle into the stitch one row below the current stitch on the needle and knitting it, dropping the stitch above off the needle simultaneously. This creates the characteristic raised, puffy columns of brioche fabric.
• Slip stitch: Used on specific rows where the work is slipped to the opposite end of the circular needle so that the correct color yarn is in position to begin the next row — a hallmark technique of two-color brioche worked flat.
• Cast on and bind off: The blanket is cast on with Color B and bound off loosely with Color B after the body is complete. A loose bind-off is specifically recommended to maintain the elasticity of the brioche fabric.

Pattern Stitch Structure

The pattern stitch repeats over a 24-row sequence, divided into two 12-row blocks that shift which color leads the brioche sequence. Rows 1–12 establish the first color arrangement, with Color A leading the brioche rows and Color B filling in the alternating passes. Rows 13–24 reverse this relationship, shifting which color dominates each row type. This alternation across the 24-row repeat is precisely what generates the visual heart motif that gives the Runa Baby Blanket its distinctive charm.

Materials – Yarn

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