10 Knitted Quilt Free Patterns to Try

There is something deeply satisfying about a knitted quilt. Unlike a crocheted blanket or a traditional sewn quilt, a knitted quilt occupies its own cozy corner of the fiber arts world — it carries the warmth and texture of knitting while offering the generous coverage and visual interest of a quilt. Whether you are a seasoned knitter looking for a new challenge or someone who has just learned to cast on and is already dreaming bigger, knitted quilt patterns are endlessly rewarding projects that result in heirlooms you will reach for again and again.

The best part? You do not need to spend a single dollar to get started. There are wonderful free knitted quilt patterns scattered across knitting communities, yarn brand websites, and fiber arts blogs, and this guide brings together ten of the best ones to inspire your next cast-on. Each pattern here is distinct in style, skill level, and construction method, so whether you love the look of classic patchwork squares, flowing cables, or bold geometric colorwork, there is something on this list for you.

Before diving in, a few notes on terminology. Some knitters use the words “blanket” and “quilt” interchangeably, and that is perfectly reasonable — both describe large, flat, warm fabric meant to cover a person or a bed. In the knitting world, the term “quilt” often refers specifically to projects that are constructed in squares or blocks that are knitted separately and then joined together, mimicking the pieced construction of a sewn quilt. You will find both interpretations here, because they both produce stunning results.

1. The Classic Mitered Square Blanket

Mitered squares are one of the most beloved techniques in all of knitting, and when you join them together into a full blanket, the effect is nothing short of spectacular. Each square is worked diagonally from corner to corner, with decreases running down the center to create a sharp diagonal seam. The result looks almost exactly like a traditional sewn quilt, with crisp geometric lines and a stunning visual rhythm.

This pattern is ideal for using up scraps of yarn, since each square is small enough to be completed with just a partial skein. The pattern typically calls for worsted weight yarn in multiple colors, though some knitters love the look of a two-color version. You knit each square individually and then seam them together, which means this is a very portable project — you can tuck a few squares worth of yarn into your bag and work on it anywhere.

The free pattern is widely available through the Ravelry community and on several independent knitting blogs. Search for “mitered square blanket free knitting pattern” and you will find dozens of variations. The most classic versions use simple garter stitch throughout, making them ideal for beginners who have mastered casting on and binding off.

2. Log Cabin Knitted Quilt

Inspired directly by the iconic Log Cabin quilt block from traditional American quilting, this knitted version recreates the same radiating rectangle design using nothing but knit and purl stitches in two contrasting colors. Each block starts with a small center square and grows outward in strips, alternating between a light and a dark color family to create that beautiful divided-diagonal effect.

What makes the Log Cabin pattern so versatile is its forgiving nature. Because each strip is worked separately and picked up along the edge of the previous strip, gauge inconsistencies matter less than they would in a top-down blanket. This is also a great pattern for exploring color — traditional versions use a bright red center to symbolize the hearth of the home, surrounded by alternating warm and cool tones.

Berroco and Lion Brand both offer free versions of log cabin-style knitted blankets on their websites, and the Purl Soho blog has a particularly beautiful step-by-step tutorial that photographs the construction process in generous detail.

3. Granny Square–Style Knitted Blanket

Granny squares are famously associated with crochet, but knitters have developed their own version that captures the same charming, colorful patchwork look using the needles. Knitted granny square blankets are typically worked in individual small squares using a seed stitch or moss stitch border to mimic the ridge texture of their crocheted counterparts. Each square is then seamed together using the mattress stitch or a three-needle bind-off.

This pattern is fantastic for exploring colorwork without committing to the complexity of stranded knitting. Because each square is worked in a single color at a time, you simply change colors between squares, giving your finished blanket a joyful, scrappy, mix-and-match appearance. This is also one of the best patterns for using up your stash, since the squares are small enough that even the smallest leftover ball of yarn can contribute something to the finished piece.

Many free versions of this pattern are available on Lion Brand’s website under their “Make It Now” collection. Drops Design also carries a free version with a slightly more refined geometric look.

4. Sampler Knitted Quilt

A sampler quilt is a project where every block is different — it is essentially a greatest hits of stitch patterns, all assembled into one coherent blanket. In the sewing world, sampler quilts are used to practice different piecing techniques. In the knitting world, they serve the same purpose, letting you try out cables, lace, seed stitch, basketweave, and textured stitches all within a single project.

Sampler knitted quilt patterns are incredibly popular, and for good reason. They keep you from getting bored, they build skills, and they produce a finished object that looks genuinely impressive. Each block is a self-contained learning experience, and by the time you have finished all twelve or twenty blocks, you will have a knitting vocabulary you did not have before.

A number of free sampler blanket patterns are available through Ravelry, and several yarn brands have published full free pattern collections. The Paintbox Yarns “Learn As You Go Blanket” is a frequently recommended option for beginners to intermediate knitters, and it walks through each new technique in detail so you are never left guessing.

5. Entrelac Blanket

Entrelac is one of those techniques that looks impossibly complex but, once you understand the underlying structure, becomes almost meditative to work. The fabric is made up of interlocking rectangles and triangles, worked at right angles to each other, creating a woven, basketweave-like appearance. A full entrelac blanket looks like a quilt stitched together from dozens of tiny fabric patches.

Despite how intimidating it looks, entrelac uses only basic knit and purl stitches. The technique relies on picking up stitches along the edges of completed rectangles and working short rows, which means you never need to cut the yarn to start a new section. This creates a beautiful, seamless fabric with wonderful drape.

The entrelac blanket is best suited for intermediate to advanced knitters, simply because the construction requires you to hold the overall structure of the piece in your mind while working each individual tile. However, many free tutorials — including excellent step-by-step videos on YouTube by knitters like TinCanKnits and Verypink Knits — make the learning curve much gentler than it would otherwise be. Drops Design carries a free entrelac blanket pattern that is clean, modern, and well-photographed.

6. Patchwork Knitted Quilt in Garter Stitch

Sometimes the simplest approach is the most beautiful. A garter stitch patchwork quilt uses nothing but the most basic stitch in knitting — knitting every row — but by working squares in different colors and orientations and then seaming them together, you end up with a blanket that has real graphic power.

This type of pattern is particularly well-suited to new knitters. Once you can cast on, knit, and bind off, you have everything you need to make this blanket. The squares knit up quickly in chunky or bulky weight yarn, and the join-as-you-go technique used in some versions means you do not have a mountain of seaming to tackle at the end.

Red Heart Yarn offers a lovely free garter stitch quilt-block blanket pattern on their website, and it includes charts for how to arrange color blocks to get different visual effects. This pattern also scales beautifully — work it in fingering weight yarn for a delicate baby quilt or bulky weight yarn for a full-size bed cover.

7. Intarsia Colorblock Quilt Blanket

Intarsia is a colorwork technique where colors are worked in blocks rather than carried across the row, allowing you to create large areas of solid color with clean, crisp edges. An intarsia quilt blanket uses this technique to mimic the look of a sewn quilt — think bold squares, triangles, and rectangles of color arranged in geometric formations, all knitted as a single flat piece rather than assembled from separate blocks.

The most famous example of this approach in the knitting world is the Moderne Log Cabin Blanket, designed by Kay Gardiner and Ann Shayne of Mason-Dixon Knitting. The original pattern is paid, but there are free variations and open-source inspired versions available online that follow similar principles. Working intarsia takes some practice because you use a separate bobbin of yarn for each color block, which can feel chaotic at first, but the payoff is a blanket with beautifully defined geometric color regions.

8. Hexagon Knitted Quilt

Hexagons are having a perennial moment in the quilting world — the English paper piecing technique that produces those gorgeous honeycomb quilts has been trending for years. Knitters have found their own way into hexagons through knitted hex motifs, which are usually worked in the round and shaped by strategic decreases. When joined together, these hexagons create a honeycomb fabric with extraordinary visual interest and a surprisingly good drape.

The challenge with hexagon knitting is the joining. Unlike squares and rectangles, hexagons have more sides to seam and a less intuitive assembly order. However, once you have seamed your first few together, the rhythm becomes clear, and many knitters find the joining process almost as satisfying as the knitting itself.

TinCanKnits, a Canadian design duo known for their free and accessible patterns, has published hex-inspired blanket content on their blog. Several independent designers on Ravelry have also released free hexagon motif blanket patterns, and the “Honeybee Hexagon Blanket” by various independent designers is worth seeking out in the free filter on Ravelry.

9. Striped Block Throw with Contrast Borders

This pattern style takes a different approach to the patchwork quilt aesthetic: rather than knitting separate squares and seaming them, you work a series of striped rectangular blocks in sequence, picking up stitches to add contrast-color borders between sections. The finished result looks like a quilt made from bold striped fabrics divided by solid sashing — a classic quilting layout that translates beautifully into knitting.

This is a pattern structure rather than a single specific design, and there are free versions that use it as their backbone across multiple yarn brand websites. It works especially well in a two-color palette — one for the stripes and one for the borders — which keeps the yarn management simple and the visual effect strong. Lion Brand and Caron both offer free throws that follow this general construction principle, and they are written accessibly enough for confident beginner to intermediate knitters.

10. Tunisian Crochet–Inspired Knitted Quilt Squares

This last pattern is a little experimental, but wonderful. Tunisian crochet produces a fabric with a woven, textile-like appearance that resembles knitted squares with a distinctive gridded texture. Some inventive knitters have developed pure knitting stitch patterns that mimic this woven look — typically through combinations of slipped stitches, yarn-overs, and two-color alternating rows — and have built blanket patterns from those squares.

The result is a blanket that looks like it was woven on a loom, with a subtle checkered or basketweave texture that catches the light beautifully. This type of pattern suits knitters who like a bit of technique without the full commitment of cables or lace. Free versions of slipped-stitch mosaic patterns that produce this effect are available through the Mosaic Knitting category on Ravelry, and Barbara G. Walker’s technique library, widely referenced in free knitting communities, contains many foundational stitch patterns for this style.

Tips for Knitting a Quilt-Style Blanket

Choosing one of these patterns is just the beginning. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you plan your project.

Swatching matters more than you might think for blanket knitting. Because these projects often involve joining multiple pieces, having consistent gauge across all your blocks will make seaming significantly easier and will ensure your finished blanket lies flat. Take the time to knit a proper gauge swatch and wash it before you start.

Yarn weight dramatically affects the scale and drape of the finished piece. Worsted and DK weight are the most commonly used for quilt-style blankets because they give good stitch definition and work up at a moderate speed. Bulky yarns make for a faster knit but a stiffer, heavier fabric. Fingering weight creates a beautiful, drapey fabric but requires significant time investment.

When it comes to joining squares, most knitters prefer the mattress stitch for an invisible seam, while others love the three-needle bind-off for a bold decorative ridge. Neither is wrong — it is a matter of aesthetics and personal preference.

Color planning your blanket before you cast on will save you stress later. Even if the pattern calls for a scrappy, random arrangement of colors, sketching out your intended layout on paper (or using a free tool like Canva or a simple spreadsheet with colored cells) will help you see how the finished blanket will read from a distance.

Finally, blocking makes a transformative difference. A knitted quilt that looks slightly uneven and lumpy fresh off the needles often emerges from a soak and a careful pinning-out looking like something worthy of a museum display. Do not skip this step.

Where to Find These Free Patterns

The best places to search for free knitted quilt patterns are Ravelry (use the “free” filter under patterns and search for “blanket,” “quilt,” or “throw”), the Lion Brand Yarn website under their free pattern section, Drops Design, the Paintbox Yarns pattern library, Purl Soho’s free tutorial section, and the individual blogs of independent designers. YouTube is also an exceptional resource for visual learners — searching for any technique name plus “knitting tutorial” will almost always surface a clear walkthrough.

Many of these patterns have active communities of knitters on Ravelry who have posted notes, modifications, and photographs of their finished objects. Reading those project notes before you begin is genuinely useful — other knitters will have already discovered any errors in the pattern, noted where the instructions could be clearer, and sometimes shared brilliant modifications that improve on the original design.

Knitting a quilt is a commitment, but it is one of the most rewarding commitments you can make with a pair of needles and some yarn. These ten free patterns offer a range of entry points — from pure beginner-friendly garter stitch squares to the more intricate pleasures of entrelac and intarsia — and all of them lead to the same satisfying destination: a warm, beautiful, handmade thing that you created entirely from scratch. That is worth every single stitch.