Free Baby Knitting Patterns

What's inside the baby knitting collection

Matinee coats, cardigans, all-in-ones and rompers, pram and cot blankets, bonnets, beanies, booties and the odd knitted rabbit: this collection covers the whole layette. Traditional designs sit next to modern seam-free knits, so you can choose between a lace-edged heirloom worked in 3 ply and a plain top-down cardigan finished in a weekend. Sizes usually run from premature and newborn through to around two years, and each free PDF states the yarn weight, the quantity needed and the finished chest measurement.

Knitting ahead of the size

Babies famously outgrow the newborn size before the parcel arrives. If you are knitting as a gift and the baby is already born, go a size up; if it is for a due date, aim for three to six months and consider the season the garment will fit in. A cardigan finished in June for a winter baby is best knitted in a size that will land in December. Cuffs turned back are practical rather than sloppy, and a slightly generous body is easier to get over a wriggling head than a close fit.

Choosing yarn for baby knits

• Machine-washable is the kindest choice for new parents. Superwash merino and good acrylics both survive a 30 degree wool cycle.
• 4 ply and DK are the classic baby weights, giving fine fabric with good stitch definition. Aran and chunky knit up faster for pram blankets.
• Cotton and cotton blends suit summer babies and anyone worried about wool next to the skin.
• Avoid heavily haired or mohair-rich yarns for anything worn near the face.
• Check the ball band and note the care symbols down for the gift tag; it turns a lovely knit into a usable one.

Techniques you'll encounter

Baby garments are a genuinely good place to learn garment construction, because the pieces are small, the yarn is cheap by comparison and a mistake costs an evening rather than a month. You will meet raglan and yoke shaping, picking up stitches around a neckband, simple buttonholes, short-row shaping on bonnets and a little lace on traditional edgings. Booties are a compressed lesson in shaping and seaming, which is why they feel disproportionately fiddly for their size. Take them slowly and the same skills scale straight up to adult knitting.

Safety and finishing details

Sew buttons on firmly with doubled thread and choose ones large enough not to be a hazard, or use poppers or a simple tie instead. Avoid long ribbons, drawstrings and loose loops on anything a baby will wear unattended. Weave ends in thoroughly and in two directions so nothing works loose in the wash, and press seams lightly rather than flattening the whole garment. Blocking is worth the effort even on small pieces, as it settles the stitches and makes seaming much easier.

Gifting and quick makes

A hat and booties set is the classic last-minute present and uses well under a ball of DK. A garter stitch blanket, worked corner to corner or in simple stripes, is the safest choice for someone who has not knitted a garment before. If you want to give something a little more considered, pair a cardigan with a matching hat in a contrast colour, or knit a blanket in the same yarn as a baby hat. There are more ideas in the baby blanket knitting patterns and free baby cardigan patterns.

Baby knitting questions

Are these free baby knitting patterns available to download in PDF? Yes, each one downloads free as a printable PDF and stays in your account library.

What's a good first baby make? A garter stitch blanket or a plain hat. Minimal shaping, no seaming to speak of, and finished quickly enough to keep you interested.

How much yarn does a baby cardigan take? Typically two to four 50g balls of DK for the newborn to six month sizes, but always work to the yardage listed in the pattern.

Can I knit these on straight needles? Many are worked flat in pieces and seamed, so straight needles are all you need. Seamless top-down designs will ask for a circular needle instead.

Are there patterns for premature babies? Yes, a number of designs include premature sizes, and charity knitting patterns often start smaller still.