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| Photo above © Julie Ferguson |
The Little Soldier Blanket, officially published as the Patriotic Soldier Blanket by Julie Ferguson, is a charming knitted blanket featuring classic soldier motifs against a simple textured background.
Originally featured on Amazing Knitting as a free pattern, its availability has changed. The official pattern is now offered through Let's Knit Together membership, so we have updated this guide to reflect the current legitimate source.
Pattern Availability Update
This Amazing Knitting page previously described the Little Soldier Blanket as a free pattern. The official Let's Knit page currently lists the pattern as available to Let's Knit Together members. We have updated this page so readers are not promised a free download that is no longer offered on the same terms.
Little Soldier Blanket at a Glance
Official Pattern: Patriotic Soldier Blanket
Designer: Julie Ferguson
Craft: Knitting
Category: Blanket / Throw
Difficulty: Intermediate
Yarn Weight: DK / 8 ply
Needle Size: US 6 / 4.0 mm circular needle
Finished Size: Approximately 75 × 75 cm
Techniques: Garter stitch, moss stitch, colourwork
Current Availability: Let's Knit Together membership
About the Little Soldier Blanket
Designed by Julie Ferguson, this square knitted blanket combines a practical baby-blanket shape with distinctive soldier motifs.
The official pattern is called Patriotic Soldier Blanket. Its soldier design gives the project a recognizable character, while the surrounding knitted fabric provides texture without making every section of the blanket colourwork.
Finished Size
The official finished measurement is approximately:
75 × 75 cm
This compact square format makes it suitable as a decorative small blanket or keepsake project.
Yarn Requirements
The official pattern uses King Cole Merino Blend DK. The listed yarn quantities are:
- Main colour: six 50g balls
- Black: one 50g ball
- Scarlet: one 50g ball
- Aran: one 50g ball
Other DK-weight yarns may be suitable, but matching the pattern gauge and choosing yarn appropriate for the intended use of the blanket are more important than simply matching the yarn label.
Needles
The pattern calls for:
US 6 / 4.0 mm circular knitting needle
A circular needle is useful for accommodating the large number of blanket stitches even though the project is not simply a small item knitted in continuous rounds.
The Soldier Motifs
The soldier figures are the feature that gives this blanket its distinctive appearance.
According to the official pattern information, knitters can use colourwork techniques, and the soldier details can also be added afterwards using Swiss darning.
Swiss darning, sometimes called duplicate stitch, allows decorative colour to be added over existing knitted stitches. This can be an approachable alternative for knitters who would rather add some motif details after completing the main fabric.
Skills That Help
Useful skills for this project include:
- Casting on
- Knit and purl stitches
- Garter stitch
- Moss stitch
- Following colour placement
- Intarsia or decorative colourwork
- Swiss darning / duplicate stitch
- Binding off
- Weaving in yarn ends
Let's Knit currently categorizes the project as Intermediate, although its official description notes that the basic knitting itself is approachable because the soldier motifs can be added afterwards.
Is the Little Soldier Blanket Still Free?
Not through the current official source.
Older references to this project, including the original Amazing Knitting page, described it as a free knitting pattern. The current official Let's Knit listing states that the pattern is available to Let's Knit Together members.
Because availability can change over the lifetime of an older knitting pattern, we recommend using the current publisher page rather than downloading copies reproduced by unrelated websites.
View the Official Little Soldier Blanket Pattern
Visit Let's Knit for the current pattern details and access information for Julie Ferguson's Patriotic Soldier Blanket.
View the Official Soldier Blanket Pattern →
Looking for a Free Baby Blanket Instead?
If you arrived here specifically looking for a free knitted baby blanket, Amazing Knitting has many currently free alternatives in the archive.
Explore Free Baby Blanket Knitting Patterns →
Before You Start
Check the current Let's Knit pattern page before choosing your yarn. Confirm the current access requirements, prepare the DK yarn colours needed for the soldier design, and read through the colourwork sections before casting on.
Pattern credit: Patriotic Soldier Blanket was designed by Julie Ferguson and published by Let's Knit. The original project image on this Amazing Knitting page is credited to Julie Ferguson. Amazing Knitting does not reproduce the designer's copyrighted pattern instructions or charts.