How to Knit a Colour Block Garter Stitch Chevron Blanket [Free Written Pattern & Video Tutorial!]

If you’ve been searching for the perfect beginner-friendly blanket project that looks absolutely stunning without requiring years of experience, you’ve just found it. This colour block garter stitch chevron blanket is one of those rare knitting patterns that manages to be both achievable and impressive — the kind of finished object that makes people say “you made that?” and genuinely mean it as a compliment. Whether you’re a newer knitter looking to level up your skills or an experienced maker who wants a satisfying, low-stress project for evenings on the sofa, this pattern is going to become a firm favourite.

In this post, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know to knit your very own colour block chevron blanket from start to finish. You’ll find the full free written pattern below, plus a link to the video tutorial so you can watch each step in action. Let’s get into it.

What Is a Garter Stitch Chevron Blanket?

Before we dive into the pattern itself, let’s talk about what makes this blanket so special. A chevron pattern — sometimes called a ripple or zigzag — creates those beautiful V-shaped peaks and valleys that give knitted and crocheted blankets such a timeless, eye-catching look. The great news is that in knitting, chevrons are created simply by working increases and decreases at strategic points across each row. There’s no complex stitch pattern to memorise, no cables, no complicated techniques. Just knit stitches, yarn overs, and a little bit of togethering.

Garter stitch means you’re knitting every single row — no purling required. This makes it ideal for anyone who finds switching between knit and purl stitches frustrating, and it also means the fabric lies perfectly flat, which is exactly what you want in a blanket. Garter stitch has a lovely, squishy, textured quality that looks gorgeous in chunky or DK weight yarn, and it grows surprisingly quickly once you get into your rhythm.

The colour block element is where this blanket really comes alive. Rather than striping colours throughout, colour blocking means working larger sections in one colour before switching to another. The result is a bold, graphic look that feels modern and intentional. You can choose colours that complement each other for a harmonious palette, or go for contrast to make the chevron shapes really pop. There are no wrong choices here — that’s half the fun.

Yarn and Materials You’ll Need

One of the things I love about this pattern is that it doesn’t require a huge stash or specialist materials. Here’s what you’ll need to gather before you cast on.

Yarn: This pattern works beautifully in a chunky or super chunky weight yarn, which means it knits up quickly and feels wonderfully cosy. You’ll want to choose at least two colours for the colour block effect, though three or four colours creates a really striking result. The exact yardage will depend on the size you’re making, but as a rough guide, plan for around 200–300 metres per colour block section for a throw-sized blanket. Wool or wool-blend yarns are ideal because they have great stitch definition and a natural elasticity that makes the chevron shaping look crisp and even. Acrylic or acrylic-blend yarns work perfectly well too, especially if you’re making this blanket for a baby or someone who needs easy-care fabric.

Needles: You’ll need a pair of straight needles or a long circular needle (used flat, not in the round) in a size appropriate for your yarn. For chunky yarn, this is usually a 6mm to 8mm needle. Check your yarn’s ball band for the recommended needle size and go from there. If you’re a tight knitter, you might want to go up a size; if you knit loosely, stick with the recommended size or go down.

Other supplies: A tapestry needle for weaving in ends, scissors, and stitch markers if you’d like to mark the increase and decrease points while you’re getting used to the pattern. A row counter is also handy for keeping track of your colour block sections.

Tension / Gauge

Before you start any blanket project, it’s always worth knitting a small tension swatch. I know, I know — it feels like an annoying extra step when you just want to get started. But for a blanket, where the finished size really matters, checking your tension can save you a lot of frogging later.

Knit a swatch of about 20 stitches by 20 rows in garter stitch and measure 10cm x 10cm in the centre. For a chunky yarn on 7mm needles, you’d typically expect somewhere around 11–13 stitches and 20–22 rows to 10cm in garter stitch, but this will vary depending on your yarn and your personal knitting style. The pattern below is written based on a specific tension — adjust your needle size accordingly if your swatch doesn’t match.

Understanding the Chevron Pattern

The chevron shape in this blanket is created by a repeated sequence of stitches across each row. Here’s the basic principle, so you understand what you’re doing before you start — this really helps when you’re in the middle of the pattern and something looks a bit off.

Each chevron “repeat” includes an increase section (where you work a yarn over or knit into the front and back of a stitch to add stitches) and a decrease section (where you knit two or three stitches together to remove them). Because you’re adding and removing the same number of stitches each row, your stitch count stays consistent, but the fabric angles up into peaks and down into valleys.

In garter stitch, the increases and decreases appear as little directional lines in the fabric, which adds to the visual texture. Once you’ve knitted a few repeats and can see the chevron forming, the pattern becomes very intuitive — you’ll almost be able to feel where the increases and decreases need to go just by looking at the stitches on your needle.

The Free Written Pattern: Colour Block Garter Stitch Chevron Blanket

Finished Size

This pattern is written for a throw-sized blanket approximately 100cm wide by 130cm long. Instructions for adjusting the size are included in the notes below.

Materials

• Chunky weight yarn in 3 colours (referred to as Colour A, Colour B, and Colour C) — approximately 250–300m of each
• 7mm knitting needles (straight or circular)
• Tapestry needle
• Scissors
• Optional: stitch markers

Abbreviations

k — knit
kfb — knit into the front and back of the stitch (increase)
k2tog — knit two stitches together (decrease, leans right)
skpo — slip one stitch, knit one stitch, pass the slipped stitch over (decrease, leans left)
rep — repeat
RS — right side
WS — wrong side
yo — yarn over

Notes

This pattern is worked flat, back and forth in rows. Because it is worked entirely in garter stitch (knit every row), there is no right or wrong side — both sides look the same, which is ideal for a blanket.

The stitch count remains the same throughout the pattern. Increases and decreases are balanced within each row.

To adjust the size of your blanket, cast on in multiples of 18 stitches plus 3 additional edge stitches. Casting on more repeats makes the blanket wider; working more rows makes it longer.

To change colours for the colour block sections, simply cut your yarn at the end of a row, join the new colour, and continue knitting. Weave in all ends when the blanket is complete.

Cast On

Using Colour A, cast on 111 stitches. (This gives you 6 chevron repeats of 18 stitches, plus 3 edge stitches.)

Set-up row (WS): Knit to end. (111 sts)

Chevron Pattern Row

Every subsequent row is worked as follows:

K1, kfb, *k6, skpo, k2tog, k6, kfb, k1, kfb*, rep from * to * to last 19 sts, k6, skpo, k2tog, k6, kfb, k1.

This is your one and only row pattern. You will repeat this row throughout the entire blanket, changing colours as instructed below for the colour block effect.

Take a moment to read through it before you begin. The *k6, skpo, k2tog, k6, kfb, k1, kfb* section is your chevron repeat — the two central decreases (skpo and k2tog) create the valley of the V, and the two increases (kfb, k1, kfb) either side of them create the peaks. The k6 sections on either side of the decreases are the straight “legs” of the chevron that give it its clean geometric shape.

Colour Block Sections

Work the chevron pattern row throughout, changing colours as follows:

Colour A: Work 40 rows.
Colour B: Work 40 rows.
Colour C: Work 40 rows.
Colour B: Work 20 rows.
Colour A: Work 20 rows.

This gives you a total of 160 rows, creating a blanket of approximately 130cm in length depending on your tension.

Feel free to adjust the number of rows per colour block to suit your preference. You might prefer equal blocks of colour, a gradient effect using more shades, or a more asymmetrical arrangement. This pattern is wonderfully flexible.

Cast Off

After completing your final row in Colour A, cast off loosely. It’s important to cast off at a similar tension to your knitting — if you tend to cast off tightly, try using a needle one or two sizes larger for the cast-off row. A tight cast off on a chevron blanket can prevent the edge from lying flat and pull the peaks and valleys out of shape.

Cast off knitwise across all stitches. Do not cast off in pattern (i.e., don’t work the increases and decreases on the cast-off row) — simply knit each stitch and pass the previous stitch over it.

Finishing

Weave in all ends carefully using your tapestry needle. For colour changes, make sure to weave each yarn tail in different directions for at least 5cm to ensure it won’t work its way loose with washing and use.

Because this blanket is worked in garter stitch, it shouldn’t require aggressive blocking, but a gentle wet block or steam block will help even out any tension inconsistencies and encourage the chevron peaks and valleys to sit neatly. To wet block, soak the finished blanket in cool water for 20 minutes, press out excess water (don’t wring), and lay flat to dry on a clean surface or blocking mats.

Tips for Success

Mark your increase and decrease points. When you’re first getting to grips with the chevron pattern row, place stitch markers on either side of the skpo/k2tog pair (the valley) and on either side of the kfb/k1/kfb section (the peak). This makes it much easier to spot if you’ve accidentally drifted off pattern.

Count your stitches regularly. The stitch count should remain at 111 stitches throughout. If it changes, you’ve likely either added an extra increase or forgotten a decrease somewhere. Getting into the habit of counting every 10 rows will mean you catch mistakes early rather than discovering them 30 rows later.

Join new yarn at the beginning of a row. For the neatest colour changes, always cut and join yarn at the start of a new row rather than in the middle. Leave a tail of at least 15cm to make weaving in easier.

Don’t panic about the edge stitches. The first and last stitches of every row are just knitted as normal. They form a neat selvedge edge along the sides of the blanket, which makes the finished piece look lovely and tidy without any extra effort.

Choose your colours thoughtfully. Because the colour blocks are relatively large, the colours you choose will define the overall look of the blanket significantly. Lay your yarn balls next to each other before you start to see how they interact. Deep saturated tones like navy, mustard, and rust create a rich, earthy palette. Soft neutrals with a single accent colour give a more understated, Scandi-inspired look. Bright primaries give a bold, playful energy that’s perfect for a child’s bedroom.

Colour Combination Ideas

If you’re struggling to choose your palette, here are some combinations that work beautifully with this pattern.

A classic trio of oatmeal cream, warm terracotta, and deep forest green feels grounded and cosy — perfect for a living room throw that goes with everything. For something a little more unexpected, try combining dusty pink, slate blue, and ivory for a faded vintage feel that photographs beautifully. If you want something high-contrast and graphic, black paired with a single bright colour like cobalt or chartreuse makes the chevron shape really sing. For a baby blanket version (simply reduce your stitch count and work fewer rows), soft mint, cloud white, and pale lemon is an enduringly lovely combination.

Video Tutorial

If you’re more of a visual learner — and for this kind of pattern, there’s no shame in that — I’ve put together a full video tutorial walking through every step of this blanket. You can watch me cast on, work through the chevron pattern row in real time, change colours for the colour blocks, and cast off. I also show you how I weave in ends and block the finished piece. Head over to the Snufflebean Yarns YouTube channel to find the tutorial, and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss future videos.

The video is particularly helpful for understanding the rhythm of the chevron row — once you can see the hand movements and the way the fabric grows, it becomes much easier to replicate. A lot of knitters find that they need to read and watch a pattern simultaneously to really click with it, so use whichever combination of written pattern and video works best for you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make this blanket larger or smaller? Absolutely. Remember that the stitch count needs to be a multiple of 18 plus 3. So for a smaller lap blanket, you might cast on 75 stitches (4 repeats x 18, plus 3), or for a larger bed throw, you could cast on 147 stitches (8 repeats x 18, plus 3). Adjust the number of rows to suit your desired length.

Can I use DK or Aran weight yarn instead of chunky? Yes, but keep in mind that the blanket will take significantly longer to knit and you’ll need to adjust your needle size accordingly. You’ll also need more yardage. The end result will have a finer, draftier drape, which can be lovely in DK weight for a summer blanket.

I’ve never done kfb before — is it difficult? Not at all. Kfb (knit into the front and back) is one of the most beginner-friendly increases in knitting. You simply insert your needle into the front of the stitch as normal, but before you slip it off, you also insert the needle into the back of the same stitch and knit again. This gives you two stitches from one. I show this clearly in the video tutorial.

Can this pattern be adapted for crochet? This specific written pattern is designed for knitting, but the chevron shape is absolutely achievable in crochet using a different pattern. A knitted garter stitch chevron and a crocheted ripple blanket are cousins — similar in spirit, but different in their technical execution.

What if I run out of yarn partway through a colour block? Join a new ball at the beginning of a row, leaving a long enough tail to weave in. If you’re concerned about running short, weigh your remaining yarn against the amount you’ve already used to estimate how many more rows you have left.

Why This Pattern Is Perfect for Gift Giving

Handmade blankets are among the most treasured gifts you can give someone. There’s something deeply meaningful about the hours of work and intention that go into a knitted piece, and a colour block chevron blanket in particular feels considered and personal — especially if you choose colours to suit the recipient.

Because this pattern is relatively quick to complete (for a blanket, anyway), it’s achievable as a gift project without requiring you to start six months in advance. A chunky yarn version can realistically be completed in a few weeks of regular evening knitting. It’s also a versatile gift — suitable for a new baby, a housewarming, a birthday, Christmas, or simply because someone you love deserves something beautiful and warm.

Let’s See Your Makes!

If you knit this blanket, I would absolutely love to see it. Share your finished object on Instagram and tag @snufflebeany