A square blanket adds a stitch on each side of each corner, every other row; this pattern makes a stitch at the end of each section, four times per row. So the squares gradually shift round, making this a quirky shape with slightly rounded corners. It’s all circular stocking stitch (apart from contrast rows) and has no fixed gauge. Use whatever combination of needles and yarn to knit up the way you like. Use the same weight and texture of yarns so that the finished blanket will be consistent, but otherwise… anything from fingering to chunky will give good results so long as you use the appropriate size of knitting needles. If you weave in the ends as you go, there are very few to sew in afterwards. It’s also a good pattern to use up parts of your stash!

I used 4.5mm and 5mm circular needles; the smaller needles make the central section lie flatter. I cast on with the smaller needle, using the magic-loop technique after row 3; then I switch to the larger needles when there are 20 stitches in each quarter, or at the first contrast row.

The yarns here are a mixture of Lion Brand Feels Like Butta and worsted yarns that are also soft, such as Bernat Softee Baby or other worsted/aran weight yarns I had lying around. Everything is acrylic so that the blanket is hypoallergenic and can be washed in the machine (cold, delicate cycle). I didn’t measure or weigh the yarns for the different sections; obviously, you’ll need a lot more for the outer rings than for the inner ones. One way of dealing with this is to make two baby blankets in the same colors, just going in opposite directions. The overall weight is 11 oz in five colors plus contrast rows.

Needles: 4.5mm circular needle, 24-28”, 5mm circular needle, 36” if you have one. I use inter-changeables from Knitpicks because they have a very flexible cord and it’s easy to change tips.

Yarn: Five colors of worsted yarn plus white Feels Like Butta for the contrast rows. For this pattern, we will call these yarns A, B, C, D, and E.

Approximate gauge: 16 stitches and 20 rows = 4” x 4” stocking stitch using 5mm needles with worsted weight yarn (60-70 yards per ounce).