Summer Sidewalk Blanket: A customer favorite for baby blanket gifts!
Summer Sidewalk blanket is a very easy knitting pattern designed for DK or worsted weight yarn. This knitting pattern is a great choice for beginners or experienced knitters.
This easy to knit blanket project uses only knit and purl stitches.
The Summer Sidewalk blanket knitting pattern has been one of the best selling patterns in my collection over the last few years!
The knitting pattern includes instructions for six blanket sizes.
Read all the details below… including yardage needed for the project and lots of yarn suggestions!
Pin this image to save it on your Pinterest knitting board! Click here to see my Pinterest page.
INSPIRATION FOR THE PATTERN NAME:
The Summer Sidewalk blanket was inspired by cherished memories of summer days with friends and family:
riding bikes together,
playing hopscotch and jumping rope,
getting ice cream cones at a local shop,
making sidewalk chalk drawings with the kids,
reminiscing on a walk through the neighborhood,
admiring summer flowers at the edge of the sidewalk.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR SIX BLANKET SIZES:
Baby Blanket: 27” wide x 27” long
Small Blanket: 29” wide x 31” long
Medium Blanket: 31” wide x 35” long
Large Throw: 35” wide x 41” long
XL Afghan: 41” wide x 49” long
XXL Afghan: 46” wide x 53” long
Finished size may vary depending on thickness of yarn used and gauge.
Any of the blanket sizes may be made longer by adding pattern repeats. The pattern includes estimates of additional yardage needed make each blanket size longer.
DK #3 WEIGHT YARN:
Baby: 600 - 625 yards
Small: 750 - 780 yards
Medium: 900 - 950 yards
Large: 1200 - 1275 yards
XL: 1650 - 1750 yards
XXL: 2000 - 2100 yards
ADAPT FOR WORSTED #4 WEIGHT YARN: Use the directions for one size smaller than desired finished size. A different weight yarn may require more (or less) yarn than noted.
The blanket will look attractive with a solid color or gently variegated yarn.
This blanket design started with six skeins of Tahki Yarns Cotton Classic that I discovered in my stash. (It’s possible that the yarn was more than 15 years old!) This dark denim blue colorway has been discontinued. However, Tahki Cotton Classic is available in over 125 beautiful colors. Shop for this yarn at local yarn shops and on the WEBS Yarn Store website.
Tahki Yarns Cotton Classic DK #3 weight yarn that I had in my stash from many years ago. This colorway has been discountinued but the yarn is available in a wide selection of colorways.
The pattern will also work great with a wide variety of fibers including cotton, superwash wool, acrylic, or a blend with man-made fibers. And, this pattern works great with worsted #4 weight yarn. See lots of yarn suggestions below!
Two ring style stitch markers are very helpful to clearly identify the spots where the pattern changes from knit to purl. Shop for ring style stitch markers on Amazon, Jimmy Beans Wool or Knit Picks.
If you prefer super bulky yarn… please click here to see my ‘Where the Sidewalk Ends’ blanket knitting pattern.
This chunky blanket is very easy to knit with super bulky yarn. Click here to get all the details on the ‘Where the Sidewalk Ends’ blanket knitting pattern.
CUSTOMER PROJECTS!
My ‘Summer Sidewalk’ blanket pattern has become a huge favorite for baby blankets... and a great choice for novice knitters. I love hearing from beginning knitters who say they really enjoyed using this pattern to make a special blanket!
And, I’m thrilled that as of April 2023, Ravelry knitters have shared 200 projects using the Summer Sidewalk blanket pattern!
This lovely ‘Summer Sidewalk’ blanket was made by Katie - a Ravelry knitter. (photo shared with permission)
Christine (@spendingtheirinheritance on Instagram) shared this beautiful photo of her ‘Summer Sidewalk’ throw made with Berrroco Comfort DK yarn in the ‘Cadet’ colorway. Lovely! (photo shared with permission)
Beehive Wool Shop in Victoria, British Columbia made this attractive store sample using Berroco Vintage DK in the ‘Breezeway’ colorway and US 6 knitting needles. Find more details about this project on Ravelry. And, shop for this yarn on the Beehive Wool Shop website.
Emily in the U.K. sent me photos of the five blankets she made over the course a year. Most were made to send as gifts to friends and family who she has not been able to see in person due to the pandemic. She made this Summer Sidewalk blanket using Knit Picks Brava acrylic yarn in the 'Fairytale' colorway. Her project is simply stunning! Get more details and shop for this yarn exclusively from Knit Picks.
A few other pretty Summer Sidewalk projects include a cute light blue blanket made by Michele on Ravelry and this lovely white baby blanket made by Ravelry knitter @sophiefoofoo.
“This is the second time I am knitting this blanket. It is perfect for “everywhere knitting”! The pattern is so simple, yet I don’t tire of knitting it. LOVE!”
“Making a baby blanket for a friend. Such an easy and user friendly pattern. Love it. Will be back for other patterns for sure.”
I would love to see your Summer Sidewalk blanket project! Share your project on Ravelry and on Instagram with tags: #summersidewalkblanket #fiftyfourtenstudio and @fiftyfourtenstudio.
Summer Sidewalk blanket pattern includes instructions for five blanket sizes. Buy the PDF pattern on my website or Ravelry.
“Absolutely love this pattern. It’s beautiful and simple. Just what I needed in a baby blanket.”
“I love all her patterns! I have made Summer sidewalk twice and have Where the Sidewalk Ends on my needles now.”
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OTHER YARN OPTIONS INCLUDE:
As noted above, I used Tahki Yarns Cotton Classic to make the dark blue blanket shown in the sample photos.
The Summer Sidewalk blanket knitting pattern will work well with many DK, light worsted or worsted weight yarns. The pattern will look attractive with solid color or gently variegated yarns.
Yarn options include: cotton, cotton blend, superwash wool, acrylic, or a blend with man-made fibers.
Here are just a few options of the many DK or light worsted yarns available:
Knit Picks Shine Worsted (60% Pima Cotton / 40% Modal) - This pleasantly soft and silky yarn comes in the cutest little 75 yard skeins. The yarn has just a bit of sheen that gives a polished look. Lovely selection of more than 30 colorways. I did some test knitting with this yarn and love the results! Great stitch definition. Machine washable and tumble dry low. Shop: Exclusively from KnitPicks.com
I’m really impressed with how Knit Picks Shine Worsted knits up. The stitch definition is fantastic! Colorways shown are: Reef, Sky, Green Apple and Peapod. I used US 6 knitting needles and the stitch pattern featured in my Quality Time blanket knitting pattern.
Cascade Ultra Pima (100% Pima cotton) - This mercerized cotton #3 weight yarn is available in more than 100 attractive colorways. If you are searching for a particular shade… this might be the place to start. Rated 4.6 out of 5 stars by Ravelry knitters. Machine washable and dryable. Shop: Jimmy Beans Wool | The Woolery | Local Yarn Shops
Cascade Yarns 220 Superwash (100% Superwash Merino Wool) – More than 117,000 projects have been shared by knitters on Ravelry… making it one of the top 10 most popular yarns. I used this yarn for my Prairie Fields blanket and it knit up beautifully on US 7 knitting needles. Machine washable and dryable. Shop: Jimmy Beans Wool | Local Yarn Shops
Berroco Vintage DK (52% Acrylic / 40% Wool / 8% Nylon) – I used the worsted weight version of this classic yarn for my temperature blanket knitting project. Nice texture and great stitch definition. Great selection of colorways. Raverly knitters give the yarn a 4.5 out of 5 star rating. Machine washable. Shop: Jimmy Beans Wool | Local Yarn Shops
Madelinetosh Tosh Wool + Cotton (50% Superwash Merino Wool / 50% Pima Cotton) - This hand dyed DK #3 weight yarn is available in 55 stunning, gently muted shades. Pretty colorways for a one-of-a-kind baby blanket include ‘Moonglow’, ‘Winter Wheat’, ‘Rose’ and ‘Celadon’. Each skein has 218 yards. Rated 4.8 out of 5 stars by Ravelry knitters. Machine wash cold on gentle cycle. Lay flat to dry. Shop: Madelinetosh.com | Jimmy Beans Wool
Madelinetosh Tosh DK (100% Superwash Merino Wool) - For a nearly endless selection… see the 150 colorway options in this hand dyed #3 weight yarn. Colorways range from light neutrals such as ‘Hepburn’ to vibrant hues such as ‘Grasshopper’ and ‘Blue Nile’. Each skein has 225 yards. Machine wash cold on gentle cycle. Lay flat to dry. Shop: Madelinetosh.com | Jimmy Beans Wool
Lion Brand Truboo (100% Bamboo) - A soft bamboo yarn with a subtle sheen. Lovely selection of cheerful spring & summer colorways along with several attractive neutrals. This #3 DK weight yarn would work perfectly for baby blanket knitting with the Summer Sidewalk pattern. Machine washable. Lay flat to dry. Shop: LionBrand.com | Amazon
Knit Picks Swish DK (100% Superwash Merino Wool) - Machine washable and super soft. Rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars by Ravelry knitters. Available in more than 40 different colorways! Shop: Exclusively from Knit Picks
See more yarn options in my blog post about more than 25 worsted weight yarns for blanket knitting.
This pattern is great for beginners! Experienced knitters will find this is a relaxing, easy project. Buy the PDF pattern on my website or Ravelry.
KNITTING NEEDLES:
The project is worked flat, back and forth on circular knitting needles. Circular knitting needles are necessary in order to accommodate the large number of stitches for a blanket. Click here to read my blog post about this topic!
I used US size 7 knitting needles. My gauge was about 18 stitches to 4 inches. However, exact gauge is not essential for this pattern.
Pick the needles size that gives the best appearance for your yarn and knitting tension.
Do some test knitting with your yarn and knitting needles. The goal is to find the needle size that results in stitches that are not too tight and not too loose.
BLOCKING FINISHED BLANKET:
For best results, I recommend blocking the finished blanket. It really is worth the extra effort! With this cotton yarn it only took about one day for my little blanket to dry.
Click here to read my step-by-step tips for blocking a blanket.
Summer Sidewalk blanket is very easy to knit!
WHERE TO PURCHASE THE PATTERN:
ON MY WEBSITE: Click here to purchase.
RAVELRY: Click here to buy the pattern on Ravelry.
ETSY: Click here to buy the pattern in my Etsy shop.
“Excellent pattern, easy to follow & comprehensive instructions. I absolutely LOVE that in includes all information to make this blanket in multiple sizes.”
ANOTHER PATTERN YOU MIGHT LIKE:
You might also like my easy to knit blanket for worsted weight yarn - On the Porch. This is one of my best-selling blanket knitting patterns for worsted or Aran weight yarn. Read about it here.
On the Porch blanket is also very easy to knit. It’s designed for worsted weight yarn. Click here to get more details and buy the PDF pattern.
Thank you so much for reading!
Happy knitting!
