Q&A for How to Knit a Baby Blanket

There's not necessarily a right blanket size for a baby. The parents are going to need one for the stroller that they won't want dragging the ground, but they'll probably also need one that's a little bigger for their home.

I would do anywhere from 130 to 200 stitches. It really depends on how wide you want the blanket to be. Most call for at least 130 stitches.

If you do 130 stitches on each row, and you do 308 rows, you should have a 26 inch by 28 inch blanket.

That should be fine to use, but how long before the baby outgrows it is another question. I would try to do about 120 stitches at least to give a little more growing room.

Gauge is given in a pattern so that you come up with a product that is close to what the designer made. It is necessary because everyone crochets at a different tension - looser or tighter than someone else. I'd say do a swatch and measure how many stitches you do in an inch then figure out how many stitches you'd need to do across to make a 38-inch blanket.

You can use whatever pattern you want. There are many different patterns out there. If you're at a total loss, ask a fellow knitter for input.

It depends on how much space you want between your stitches, and you can use whatever size you want.

You can use any kind of pattern that you think is best, but personally, I believe that the "basket weave" stitch is a good pattern for baby blankets; you can find it for free online.

There isn't really a set size for baby blankets, so your best bet would be to just start knitting and stop every now and then to check if your blanket is about as long as you want it. You could also try to come up with a measurement for how long you want your blanket to be, and stop every now and then to measure your work and see if it meets your goal.

That depends on the gauge of your yarn and needles. Check the label of your yarn to see how many stitches there are per inch/centimeter when using the recommended needle size. Then, multiply the stitches per inch/centimeter by the total desired width of the blanket.

The needle size is given on the yarn label. However, if your tension is tight, you might want to go a size larger with your needles. If your tension is too loose, you can go a size smaller with your needles.

Yes, it would suit a younger child, more like a knee rug or a rug for sitting on. It can also be given as a keepsake.

You can pick up stitches and make the other side the same width. Use the same stitch that you used for the wider side of the blanket.

Depends on the type of yarn and needles you are using. Thicker yarn and larger needles will allow you to create a blanket of this size more quickly than thin yarn and small needles.

Check the gauge of your yarn and multiply the total number of desired inches/centimeters by the number of stitches per inch/centimeter.

This is because the last stitch is looser than the others, so the tension is different. It isn't that bad, all you need to do in the future is make the last stitch tighter than what you are doing now. Mind though not to make the stitches too tight or they'll be hard to knit forward and it will look tight and stiff in the finished piece. Tension is a hard thing to master and will take time.

The thicker the needles, the chunkier it will be. Go with what feels right to you.