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February 1st, 2019
Bobble Baby Blanket — Free Knit Pattern with Texture
This bobble texture baby blanket is a beginner-friendly knit pattern that gives you all-over dimensional bobbles in a generous car-seat size — the kind of soft, tactile blanket little hands love to play with. Worked in chunky yarn, the texture comes from a simple Make Bobble (MB) stitch repeated across the blanket in alternating rows, with peaceful stretches of stockinette in between. The full free pattern is below.
It’s part of my growing collection of textured knit baby blanket designs — the kind of project that lets the yarn and the stitch do all the visual work while you cozy up with a movie and knit through it. Let’s get into what makes this bobble baby blanket special and exactly what you’ll need to make it.
Why You’ll Love This Bobble Texture Baby Blanket
- Beginner-friendly — only knit, purl, and a simple bobble stitch to learn
- Tactile and playful — the all-over bobbles are perfect for little fingers to explore
- Car-seat sized — 34.5 x 34.5 inches is generous without being bulky
- Works beautifully in ombre or solid — the bobble texture pops in either treatment
- Endlessly resizable — multiples of 6 + 5 mean you can scale up or down to any size
- A thoughtful handmade baby shower gift — looks more advanced than it is
Materials for the Bobble Texture Baby Blanket
- Yarn: Bernat Softee Chunky yarn (#5 super bulky) — approximately 6 balls; shown in an ombre sequence of 6 colors
- Needles: 5.5 mm (US 9) or 6.0 mm (US 10) circular knitting needles with a 29″ cord
- Tapestry needle for weaving in ends
Bernat Softee Chunky is a soft, machine-washable #5 super bulky yarn — practical for baby blankets that will be used and washed often. Any #5 super bulky yarn will work — solid or ombre. Use the needle size that gets you gauge: a 5.5 mm will give a slightly tighter, smaller blanket; a 6.0 mm gives the original 34.5″ size. If you’d like to understand yarn weights so you can substitute confidently, the Craft Yarn Council yarn weight system is a helpful reference.
Pattern Details
- Skill level: Beginner — knit, purl, and a single special stitch (MB)
- Finished size: Approximately 34.5 x 34.5 inches (car-seat size)
- Gauge: 14 sts and 20 rows = 4 inches with 6.0 mm needles
- Stitch repeat: Multiples of 6 + 5 — adjust your cast-on to scale up or down
Pattern Notes
- The bobbles are essential to this pattern — practice the MB stitch on a swatch first to get comfortable with the rhythm.
- After binding off, you may need to gently shape the bobbles with your fingers — it’s worth the effort to get them sitting just right.
- If working in ombre, change colors between rows (never mid-row) as your balls run out for a clean, painterly gradient effect.
- This pattern tends to curl at the edges — a gentle steam or press at the end will pull it flat. Don’t skip this finishing step.
Abbreviations
- K — Knit
- P — Purl
- K2tog — Knit two together
- P2tog — Purl two together
- Yo — Yarn over
- MB — Make Bobble (see special stitch below)
Special Stitch: Make Bobble (MB)
[Yo, k1] three times in the same stitch; turn work so wrong side is facing you and slip 1 purlwise, p5; turn work so right side is facing you and slip 1 purlwise, k5; turn work so wrong side is facing you and [p2tog] three times; turn work so right side is facing you and slip 1 purlwise, k2tog, pass the slipped stitch over.
Free Bobble Texture Baby Blanket Pattern
Cast on 119 stitches.
Work 4 rows of stockinette stitch, ending with a purl row.
Bobble Row A: K5, *MB, k5; repeat from * to end of row.
Work 4 rows of stockinette stitch, starting and ending with a purl row.
Bobble Row B: K8, *MB, k5; repeat from * to last 3 stitches, k3.
Work 4 rows of stockinette stitch, starting and ending with a purl row.
Repeat the sequence above (4 stockinette rows → Bobble Row A → 4 stockinette rows → Bobble Row B → 4 stockinette rows) five more times. You should have 12 total Bobble Rows at this point.
— Midway through this section, change to your 2nd color if making ombre —
Bobble Row A: K5, *MB, k5; repeat from * to end of row. [13 total Bobble Rows]
Work 9 rows of stockinette stitch, starting and ending with a purl row.
Bobble Row B: K8, *MB, k5; repeat from * to last 3 stitches, k3.
Work 9 rows of stockinette stitch, starting and ending with a purl row.
— Midway through this section, change to your 3rd color if making ombre —
Bobble Row A: K5, *MB, k5; repeat from * to end of row.
Repeat the previous block (9 stockinette rows → Bobble Row B → 9 stockinette rows → Bobble Row A) once more. You should have 17 total Bobble Rows at this point.
Work 9 rows of stockinette stitch, starting and ending with a purl row.
Bobble Row B: K8, *MB, k5; repeat from * to last 3 stitches, k3. [18 total Bobble Rows]
— Midway through this section, change to your 4th color if making ombre —
Work 13 rows of stockinette stitch, starting and ending with a purl row.
Bobble Row A: K5, *MB, k5; repeat from * to end of row. [19 total Bobble Rows]
— Midway through this section, change to your 5th color if making ombre —
Work 13 rows of stockinette stitch, starting and ending with a purl row.
Bobble Row B: K8, *MB, k5; repeat from * to last 3 stitches, k3. [20 total Bobble Rows]
— Midway through this section, change to your 6th color if making ombre —
Work 17 rows of stockinette stitch, starting and ending with a purl row.
Bobble Row A: K5, *MB, k5; repeat from * to end of row. [21 total Bobble Rows]
Work 21 rows of stockinette stitch (or continue for desired length).
Bind off loosely and weave in all ends.
Finishing Your Blanket
Lay the finished blanket flat and gently iron or steam along the edges. This pattern tends to curl, but a simple press will pull that right out. For a deeper finish, check out the full How-To Block Work tutorial — it walks you through wet-blocking step by step so your bobbles sit perfectly.
Tips for Bobble Knitting
- Practice first. Knit a swatch with a few bobbles before starting the blanket — once the rhythm clicks, the rest of the pattern flows easily.
- Keep your tension consistent. Uneven tension shows in the bobbles. Aim for even, relaxed stitches throughout.
- Shape after the fact. Bobbles may need a gentle nudge with your fingers once the blanket is complete — totally normal.
- Block at the end. The press or steam at the finish is what makes the difference between a homemade-looking blanket and a polished heirloom.
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Can I make this blanket in a different size?
Absolutely. Cast on any multiple of 6 stitches plus 5 to resize the width. To make it longer, add additional repeats of the bobble + stockinette sequence. Keep in mind you’ll need more yarn for a larger blanket.
What yarn is best for a bobble texture baby blanket?
A soft, machine-washable #5 super bulky yarn is ideal for baby. Bernat Softee Chunky is the recommendation here, but any super bulky yarn — solid or ombre — will work beautifully against the bobble texture.
My bobbles look uneven — how do I fix them?
Gently shape each bobble with your fingers after binding off — and don’t skip the final press or steam. The blanket flattens beautifully and the bobbles settle into shape with a quick block.