Baby Merino Dream Blanket in Novita Baby Merino Dream - 20 - Downloadable PDF

Baby Merino Dream Blanket – Free Knitting Pattern by Susanna Mertsalmi and Irina Valtonen for Novita

This Baby Merino Dream Blanket is a beautifully constructed circular knitted baby blanket designed by Susanna Mertsalmi and Irina Valtonen for Novita. The finished blanket measures approximately 105 cm / 41¼ inches in diameter, making it a generous and cosy wrap for a newborn or young baby. The pattern is available as a free downloadable PDF and is rated advanced in difficulty, making it a rewarding project for experienced knitters looking to explore architectural shaping techniques.

Design Overview

The blanket is worked as a series of seven wedges, each constructed using short-row shaping to create a satisfying pie-slice or fan shape. Each wedge features 12 sawtooth shapes along its outer edge, which are formed naturally by the short-row and bind-off sequence used throughout the construction. Once all seven wedges are complete, the cast-on edge and the bind-off edge are seamed together, and the small hole at the centre is closed, resulting in a perfectly circular blanket with a distinctive decorative sawtooth perimeter.

Construction and Shaping Technique

The construction method is the most technically interesting aspect of this pattern. Rather than working in the round from the centre outward, the blanket is built flat in wedge-shaped sections, each knitted back and forth using short rows. This approach is what gives the blanket its circular form and its characteristic textured edge.

• Short-row shaping: Each wedge begins by casting on 117 stitches and immediately entering a short-row sequence. Rows are turned before the end, leaving stitches progressively unworked at one edge while adding yarn-over increases at the turning points. This builds the fan shape organically.
• Yarn-over increases: A yarn over (yo) is placed at each turning point, which both adds a stitch and helps close the gap that short rows typically create, keeping the fabric neat and even.
• Sawtooth edge formation: Each of the 12 sections within a wedge involves binding off 7 stitches at the start of a section, then working a new series of short rows. This repeated bind-off and short-row cycle creates the distinctive pointed sawtooth shapes around the outer circumference of the blanket.
• Wedge completion: At the close of each wedge, a specific decrease row uses a k2tog-drop technique — knitting two stitches together but only dropping the first stitch off the left needle — to return the stitch count to 117, ready for the next wedge to begin.
• Finishing: After all seven wedges are worked, the cast-on and bind-off edges are seamed together. The centre hole is closed, and the blanket is steam-blocked to set the shape and open up the fabric.

Stitches and Techniques Used

• Garter stitch: The entire blanket is worked in garter stitch — every row is knitted, on both right-side and wrong-side rows. This creates a dense, squishy, reversible fabric with horizontal ridges, which is ideal for a baby blanket as it lies flat without curling and provides a soft, cushioned texture.
• Short rows: The primary shaping tool throughout the pattern, used to build each wedge section by section.
• Yarn-over (yo): Used at turning points within short rows to add stitches and prevent holes or gaps at the turns.
• Bind-off mid-row: Partial bind-offs are worked at the beginning of certain sections to reduce the working stitch count and create the sawtooth edge detail.
• K2tog decrease: Used in the wedge-closing row to reduce the stitch count back to the starting number before beginning the next wedge.
• Seaming: The two open edges of the completed circular piece are joined by seaming, and the centre hole is neatly closed during finishing.
• Steam blocking: Recommended during finishing to shape the circular blanket and smooth the garter stitch fabric.

Gauge

The pattern specifies a gauge of 26 stitches and 50 rows in garter st