HINT 1:
Stitch markers are my best friend. Putting a stitch marker at the beginning and end of each set of stitches that make up a design set allows you to identify quickly any miscounts you may have made.

Stitch markers are also handy when casting on a large number of stitches. Placing one after every 50 stitches reduces the number of times the row has to be counted to verify the correct number of stitches on the needle.

HINT 2:
I mark off each row of the pattern on the pattern sheet as I complete it. This makes for a messy pattern, but I always know where to pick up the next time I work on the project. Saving your pattern as computer file allows you to print off a clean copy the next time you want to make it.

HINT 3:
All the patterns shown can be adapted to larger/smaller needles and yarns. Just make a test swatch in the new yarn to determine the finished size,

For a heavier blanket, use 2 strands on Bernat® Baby Softee yarn (4 skeins usually) and size 9 or 10 needles. The blanket will be approximately 30” by 40” in size. For a medium weight blanket, use two plus skeins of Caron® Simply Soft yarn and size 6 needles. The softest, smallest blanket will be knit with one strand of Bernat® Baby Softee yarn (2 skeins), on size 5 needles.

HINT 4:
To increase the length of your blanket, the number of stockinette rows between the design rows can be increased. To increase the width of the blanket, the number of stockinette stitches between the repeated designs can be increased. The increase should be applied equally across the blanket.

HINT 5:
For the inexperienced knitter, I would suggest using the Caron® Simply Soft yarn on the size 6 needles for your first project. The needles are a medium size and you don’t have to deal with double strands of yarn.