Free Knitting Pattern: Easy Triangles Hexagon Blanket Made with Bernat Blanket Yarn
If you have been searching for a free knitting pattern that feels satisfying to make, looks impressive when finished, and works up faster than you ever imagined, you have found exactly the right place. This triangles hexagon blanket made with Bernat Blanket yarn is one of those projects that checks every single box — it is beginner-friendly enough that newer knitters can tackle it with confidence, yet interesting enough that experienced knitters will not get bored somewhere around row forty. The geometric design created by knitting simple triangles and assembling them into hexagons gives the finished blanket a modern, almost quilted appearance that looks far more complicated than it actually is.
Whether you are making this for a baby shower gift, a cozy throw for your living room couch, or a charitable donation to a local shelter, this pattern delivers every time. Let’s walk through everything you need to know, from the materials list to the finishing touches.
Why Bernat Blanket Yarn Is the Perfect Choice for This Project
Before diving into the pattern itself, it is worth taking a moment to talk about the yarn, because the material you choose makes an enormous difference in how a blanket like this knits up and how it feels when it is done.
Bernat Blanket yarn is a super bulky weight yarn (classified as a size 6 by the Craft Yarn Council), and it has become one of the most beloved yarns in the knitting and crochet community for very good reason. The chenille-style texture gives it an incredibly plush, velvety feel that translates beautifully into a finished blanket. When you knit a blanket with Bernat Blanket yarn, the finished product feels thick, cozy, and luxurious without being overly heavy or stiff.
Another reason this yarn is so well suited to geometric designs like this hexagon blanket is that the stitches show up clearly. With some fuzzy or heavily textured yarns, the structure of your knitting gets lost in the fibers. Bernat Blanket yarn has enough visual definition that the triangle shapes in each hexagon will stand out clearly, giving the blanket its signature geometric look.
From a practical standpoint, Bernat Blanket yarn is also machine washable, which matters a great deal for a blanket. No one wants a gorgeous throw that requires hand washing and lying flat to dry. Because this yarn can go right into a standard washing machine on a gentle cycle and tumble dry on low, it is ideal for baby blankets, children’s blankets, and anything else that is going to see regular use and frequent washing.
The yarn comes in a truly impressive range of colors, from classic neutrals like oatmeal, gray, and cream to vibrant jewel tones, soft pastels, and beautiful ombre colorways that shift gradually from one color to the next. For this hexagon blanket, you can use a single color for a clean, minimalist look, choose two or three coordinating colors to give each triangle a different shade, or go all out with a scrappy approach using several colors from your stash.
Materials You Will Need
Getting your materials together before you start is one of the best habits you can develop as a knitter. Here is everything you need for this project.
Yarn: Bernat Blanket yarn in the color or colors of your choice. The amount you need will depend on the size of blanket you are making. For a baby blanket approximately 30 by 36 inches, plan on roughly 300 yards. For a lap blanket around 40 by 50 inches, you will want approximately 600 yards. For a full throw closer to 50 by 60 inches, budget for approximately 900 to 1,000 yards. If you are using multiple colors, divide that total yardage among your chosen shades.
Needles: US size 13 (9mm) knitting needles. Because this yarn is super bulky, you need large needles to give the fabric the right drape and density. Straight needles work perfectly well for knitting individual triangles, though circular needles can also be used if you prefer them even for flat knitting.
Additional Supplies: A tapestry needle with a large eye for seaming and weaving in ends, scissors, stitch markers if you find them helpful for counting, and a measuring tape for checking your dimensions as you go.
Gauge: Approximately 10 stitches and 14 rows in stockinette stitch equals 4 inches on US 13 needles. As always with a blanket, gauge does not need to be exact, but staying close to this will ensure your triangles come out at the right size to assemble neatly into hexagons.
Understanding the Construction
This blanket is built from individual triangles that are seamed together to form hexagons, which are then seamed together to form the finished blanket. Each hexagon is made up of six equilateral triangles. The assembly process is a bit like working a puzzle — deeply satisfying and completely logical once you see how the pieces fit together.
The triangles are worked using a simple increase method. You begin with a small number of stitches at the tip of the triangle and increase at regular intervals on every right-side row until you reach the full width of the base. This creates a clean, symmetrical triangle shape. Because you are working in garter stitch (knitting every row), the fabric lies flat without curling, which makes the triangles much easier to seam together neatly.
If you are using multiple colors, each individual triangle can be knitted in a solid color, or you can change colors partway through a triangle for a gradient effect. Many knitters working this pattern like to give each triangle within a hexagon a different color so that the finished hexagon looks like a pinwheel or starburst. Others prefer to do alternating colors, so half the triangles in each hexagon are one shade and half are another. Both approaches look beautiful and the choice is entirely yours.
The Triangle Pattern
Each triangle begins at its point and grows toward its base. Here is how to work a single triangle.
Setup: Using long-tail cast on or your preferred method, cast on 3 stitches.
Row 1 (Right Side): Knit across.
Row 2 (Wrong Side): Knit across.
Row 3 (Increase Row): K1, make one left (M1L), knit to last stitch, make one right (M1R), K1. You now have 5 stitches.
Row 4: Knit across.
Continue in this manner, working an increase row on every right-side (odd-numbered) row and knitting straight on every wrong-side (even-numbered) row. The increase row is always worked the same way: K1, M1L, knit to last stitch, M1R, K1.
Work until you have 21 stitches on your needle, ending after a wrong-side row. At this point your triangle measures approximately 4 inches along each side when made with Bernat Blanket yarn on US 13 needles.
Bind off all stitches loosely. A loose bind off is important here because a tight edge on the base of the triangle will make seaming more difficult and can cause the hexagon to pucker.
Weave in ends, leaving a tail of at least 6 inches on each end if you plan to use those ends for seaming.
Make six triangles for each hexagon you plan to include in your blanket.
How Many Triangles and Hexagons Do You Need?
The number of hexagons in your blanket determines its final size. Here is a quick reference.
A baby blanket worked in a 3 by 4 arrangement of hexagons (12 hexagons total) will measure approximately 30 by 34 inches before blocking and around 32 by 36 inches after a gentle blocking. This requires 72 triangles.
A lap blanket in a 4 by 5 arrangement (20 hexagons) will measure approximately 40 by 43 inches and requires 120 triangles.
A generous throw in a 5 by 6 arrangement (30 hexagons) will measure approximately 50 by 52 inches and requires 180 triangles.
For a large bed throw you can go up to a 6 by 7 arrangement (42 hexagons, 252 triangles), which will give you a blanket of approximately 60 by 61 inches.
These numbers might look a little daunting at first glance, but remember that each individual triangle knits up very quickly with super bulky yarn. Most knitters find they can complete one triangle in 15 to 20 minutes once they are familiar with the pattern. Making triangles while watching television or listening to a podcast makes the process feel easy and enjoyable rather than tedious.
Assembling the Hexagons
Once you have knitted all your triangles, it is time to assemble them into hexagons. Lay six triangles on a flat surface, arranging them with their points meeting at the center and their base edges forming the outer edge of the hexagon. This arrangement looks like a pie divided into six slices.
If you are using multiple colors, now is the time to decide on your arrangement before you begin seaming. Take a photo of the arrangement you like so you do not have to remember it once you pick up your needle and yarn.
To seam the triangles together, thread a length of Bernat Blanket yarn onto your tapestry needle. Hold two adjacent triangles with right sides facing together and use a mattress stitch or whipstitch along the edge where they meet, working from the center point outward to the outer edge. The mattress stitch gives a nearly invisible seam on the right side of the work and is well worth learning if you have not used it before. Work all six seams joining the triangles of one hexagon, and then carefully open the hexagon flat to check that all the points meet neatly at the center.
If the center point does not lie perfectly flat, do not worry. A small amount of blocking — simply dampening the hexagon with water and pinning it flat to dry — will usually take care of any minor puckering at the center.
Assembling the Blanket
With all your hexagons complete, the final step is joining them into the finished blanket. Lay your hexagons out on a flat surface, arranging them in the layout you have chosen. Step back and look at the overall color arrangement before you commit to seaming anything.
Hexagons join together along their straight edges using the same mattress stitch or whipstitch you used to assemble the individual hexagons. Work row by row, joining hexagons within each row first and then joining the rows to each other.
One thing that makes hexagon blankets so enjoyable to work is that the joins create a natural secondary geometric pattern — the outline of each hexagon becomes part of the overall design, adding visual interest and depth to the finished piece.
Finishing Touches
Once all your hexagons are joined, weave in any remaining ends very securely. Because this blanket will be washed and used regularly, you want to make sure no ends work their way loose over time. Weave each end in at least two directions through the back of the work for maximum security.
If you would like to add a border to your blanket, a simple garter stitch border worked by picking up stitches around the entire perimeter looks very clean and gives the blanket a polished, finished edge. Pick up and knit approximately 2 stitches for every 3 rows along straight edges and 1 stitch at each corner point, then work 4 to 6 rows of garter stitch and bind off loosely.
Blocking your finished blanket will make a noticeable difference in how it looks and feels. Wet blocking — submerging the blanket in cool water, gently squeezing out excess water without wringing, and then laying it flat to dry while shaping the edges — relaxes the stitches and evens out any inconsistencies in tension. The hexagons will lie flatter and the geometric design will look crisper after blocking.
Tips for Success
A few practical tips will help you get the best possible results from this pattern.
Consistency in tension matters more than achieving a specific gauge. Try to knit all your triangles at the same tension so they come out the same size and seam together evenly. If you notice that your tension shifts when you are tired or distracted, it is worth knitting your triangles in dedicated sessions rather than picking up and putting down the work constantly.
Keep your increase rows neat by always working M1L before the knit stitch and M1R after the knit stitch as specified. Reversing these creates a slight twist in the bar you are lifting, and while both methods technically work, consistency gives the cleanest appearance.
When seaming, use a yarn color that matches or blends with both triangles being joined if you are working with multiple colors. Some knitters find it easiest to use a neutral color for all seaming so there is no need to switch colors constantly.
Label your triangles as you knit them if you are working with many colors. A simple sticky note system or small safety pins with loops of yarn indicating color codes can save a lot of time during assembly.
Why You Will Love Making This Blanket
There is something genuinely meditative about this kind of project. The triangle unit is simple enough that you do not need to look at the pattern after the first few, which means your hands can work while your mind rests, wanders, or engages with something else entirely. The assembly process, in contrast, requires a bit more attention and gives you the pleasure of watching the overall design emerge as the hexagons come together.
The finished blanket has a timeless quality. The hexagon shape has been used in quilts, tiles, and decorative arts for centuries, and there is a reason it keeps coming back — it is visually pleasing, geometrically satisfying, and endlessly versatile in terms of color and scale. A version of this blanket in deep jewel tones feels cozy and sophisticated in an adult living space. The same pattern in soft pastels or bright rainbow colors makes an enchanting baby or child’s blanket. In neutral grays and creams, it becomes a classic piece that suits almost any interior.
Share your finished blanket on social media and tag it so other knitters can find this pattern. The knitting community is wonderfully generous and encouraging, and seeing how other people interpret the same pattern — the color choices they make, the sizes they knit, the creative variations they come up with — is one of the great pleasures of knitting in the age of the internet. Happy knitting, and may your yarn never tangle.
