Knitting Pattern for a Whale Themed Baby Blanket

Knitting Pattern for a Whale Themed Baby Blanket

For your next baby shower wouldn’t it be fun to knit a whale or nautical themed baby blanket?

Here is a fun stroller sized baby blanket knitting pattern that features 3 cute whales and sections representing the lush land, white sand and blue waters.  The whales are charted but written instructions are also provided.

I prefer knitting stroller sized blankets that are about 22″ x 28″ because for one thing, they are nice and quick.  For another, they are small and just the perfect size for strollers and carseats.  Often my baby blankets become a cherished ‘lovie’ as the baby grows into a toddler.  I just love it when that happens.

The Whale of a Time Nautical Themed Baby Blanket Pattern is available on ETSY and RAVELRY.

For this project I am using Hobby Lobby’s I Love This Yarn. Choose 4 shades of Blue, Green, White and Gray:

• Dark Country Blue (100 yards)
• Jelly Bean Green (100 yards)
• Antique White (100 yards)
• Grey Beard (75 yards)

Another really nice option for this baby blanket is this Plymouth Encore Yarn on Etsy if you want to nab it now.  It has a bit of wool in it and is soft, easy to wash and makes the most beautiful blankets.

Pattern

The Whale of a Time Nautical Themed Baby Blanket Pattern is available on ETSY and RAVELRY.

Here are some tips and tricks:

Cast on 87 stitches with the grey and knit the border.  On the last row of knitting, place markers after the border, then after each set of 21 stitches.

Switch to your shade of green and begin the lush green portion of the blanket.

In this section you will be knitting M1L and M1R.  Now I used to move along whenever I saw those techniques in a pattern.  But never fear, I wrote out how to do this, and also am recommending this youtube video that explains it beautifully.

M1L
Left needle picks up from front to back
Right needle knits tbl (through the back loop)

M1R
right needle picks front to back
left picks it up from back to front
right needle knits it from front

Here you can see 2 sections of chevron.

Next comes the whale.  Join your blue yarn for this section and knit the chart by following the chart or the written directions below the chart.

2 more chevron sections to go and you are done!

There are going to be some ends to weave in.  I know that when I want more than one color in a knitting project that’s what happens.  For me it’s worth it.  Plus I can usually finish them up while watching something on TV and the time goes by quickly.

Now it’s bath time!  I like to fill up my sink with warm water mixed with a capful of Eucalan.  It’s non rinse so it works great for baby blankets.  It’s organic, it smells good… I love it.  Then after about 20 minutes I wrap the blanket up in a beach towel and throw them both in the dryer.  This really only works with acrylic yarn like Hobby Lobby’s I Love This Yarn.  With yarn that has wool in it, even super wash yarn, I would be more careful and let it air dry.

While it was in the dryer I headed to the Etsy site to order a couple little gifts to accompany the blanket for the baby shower.  First I picked out a craft box from Busy Kids on Etsy. The baby will be joining big brother and I didn’t want to leave him out of the loop!  It shipped out the next day and that was pretty great.

Next I picked out the cutest little tee shirt and onesie set from cupofteestudios on Etsy.  Here it is, how cute is this?

Because it’s a nautical themed shower and I knit the blanket with little whales on this, I couldn’t resist this baby gift from Etsy.  I was looking at the website and there were so many fun ideas!

Another idea that I am considering is this Dolphins and Whales bib and teether.  I have ordered it before and not only is it adorable and handmade, it comes in a cute little box.  Another win for an Etsy seller!

And last but not least, I wanted to show you the baby shower gift for the mom to be that my daughter brought for her gift.  The guest of honor absolutely loved it.  A gift for pampering and relaxation was just perfect for her.  My daughter knew exactly what her bff would like best!

I hope you have enjoyed this post and learned something too – that knitting a baby blanket is a ‘labor of love’.  It’s satisfying and rewarding and people will gasp at the next baby shower when they see your creation!

Here are the Etsy products that I featured in this post. I really like to support Etsy Sellers and it is my hope that you will too.  #StandWithSmall

I hope you enjoyed looking at my ideas for gifting and knitting!

Don’t forget to pin this now so you can refer back to it later!