How to Crochet Baby Blankets

I love making baby blankets so much and have made so many that I somehow don't even have pictures of them all! I love them for all of the bullet point reasons I listed at the top of this post and I can't take pictures of them anymore because I've given them all away. Between big projects, I'll whip up one or two and squirrel them away so that any time I hear of someone having a child, I have a gift waiting in the wings.

In the interest of encouraging others to try new things and grow their skills, I'm including not one but THREE tutorials below: one crochet, one knit, and one sewn. If you both knit and crochet, yes, the sections are very similar because so are the concepts. The sewn blanket is also my first quilt ever (remember how I said these are great for trying something new?). Enjoy!

Important Note: This post was originally very long and came in the 3 parts described above. This makes it difficult to navigate, especially if you're looking for the project all the way at the bottom and extra especially if you're on a phone. Use the buttons below to go to the 3 posts, now separated for ease of reading.

How to Crochet a Baby Blanket

Note: This post is NOT a pattern. If you want a crochet baby blanket pattern, check out the Patterns page (all released after this post was originally written).

The first blanket in a soft yellow yarn was worked in a basic shell pattern, meaning it used mainly double crochets and chains, with some single crochets on the border. You can download the Lion Brand Dreamy Lace Baby Throw pattern here.

The second blanket shown is a sea green rectangle worked using Caron Simply Soft yarn. It was worked using a slight puff stitch (multiple dcs in one space) all the way up and then surrounded in a very simple border (first round sc, second round dc, third round sc)..

The third blanket is an excellent example of an experimentation: worked in white yarn, this blanket has a rose motif at the center, surrounded by several rounds of chained lace, then another round of "petals", two rounds of dc, and repeat the whole thing a third time. This was based on a motif out of a stitch dictionary and was an experiment in lace.

Blanket number four is an assembly of two square motifs in three colors (rose pink, teal, and lavender). The squares were then single crocheted together and given a simple border in dark grey to unify the piece. I choose this pattern because I was doing a lot of travel and assembled blankets work well for that. Squares used here are I Got Rhythm and On the Street Where you Live by Polly Plum.

The fifth blanket was similarly made and was an adventure in working with hexagons. Here I used a simple flower hexagon motif from one of my stitch dictionaries, working in blue and yellow for some color work. Hexes were then stitched together in single crochet using dark grey yarn and given a dark grey border.

Finally, one of my favorite and yet very simple blankets: a color work dragonfly in mint green on a baby blue background and a bobble stitch border. This blanket was done entirely in double crochets, changing colors where appropriate to make the picture. You can do something similar by following filet crochet patterns and swapping the solid "pixels" for a color and switching the background to all dc instead of dc with chains. I used this Dragonfly chart from Nezumiworld.

To choose the right shape for your next project, consider your goal(s) and what you think you'll enjoy most!

Step 2 - Choose your Stitch(es)

This will relate back to your goals. Some examples and suggestions:

• Beginners - choose one stitch or stitch pattern from your stitch dictionary. You might choose something like a ripple stitch or a puff stitch.

• Learning to work in the round - granny squares and their variations are the classic choice here, but you can also branch out and choose a circular motif

• No longer a newbie, but not sure where to go next - sampler blankets are a great option here. Choose a handful of stitches to learn (or more, you can always make each square unique) and plan to sew or single crochet them together at the end.

Step 3 - Get Started!

Here's where we get tricky - stitch dictionaries don't put the pattern together for you, they tell you something like "Multiple of 8 sts plus 4" (Basketweave crochet stitch on New Stitch a Day). What does that mean???

There are two pieces at work here - the first is the "multiple of 8 sts." This means that the actual pattern, after you get past the foundation row, will have some multiple of 8 stitches. In this particular example, you FPdc 4 sts, then BPdc 4sts all the way across. So we're repeating those 8 stitches over and over. That's the multiple of 8.

The second is "plus 4." Why 4?

In this example, there are two plain double crochets at the beginning and end of the rows. The remaining plus 2 chains are to provide the "height" to turn and begin the first row.

Let's look at another example using the soft moss stitch. Here, the foundation is "chain a multiple of 2 + 1." The pattern is alternating sc and dc, so that's the multiple of 2. Why do we need the plus 1? We again need a border stitch at the ends. In this case, it's a hdc. So then why is it +1 and not +4 like in the last example? The hdc which counts as the first border stitch here is represented by a chain 2, so it rolls right into that "multiple of 2," meaning we only have to account for the border stitch space on the other side, hence the +1.

*It's OK if that doesn't make a lot of sense just yet,* you really only need it if you decide to try writing your own patterns.

*To start,* chain your foundation row as a multiple of whatever until you decide it's the right length, then add the "plus x" on to the end and you're on your way! If you're not sure what length to make it, crochet a gauge swatch, measure, and then do a little division to figure out how many repeats you need to get the right size.

Step 4 - Work the Project & Join the Pieces

Once you've gotten started with your foundation row, continue to follow your stitch dictionary for the motif or stitches you want to use. I definitely recommend using a tracker like Row Counter to keep you on pace with the pattern until you have it memorized.

If you're doing a sampler project with multiple pieces, you'll need to create enough squares/hexes/rectangles to sew together at the end and get the size blanket you're looking for.

When all your pieces are bound off and have been blocked (because you always block your pieces, right?), pin and sew or sc together.

To sc together (shown in two blankets above), hold the pieces wrong sides together. Join your yarn to the first stitch with a slst. Ch 1 then sc across, working the sts into BOTH pieces so the sts line up. Don't be too worried if you end up with an odd stitch here or there, you can always sc2tog through one piece to sort of blend it in and no one will notice!

To sew together, place the right sides of each piece facing up on a flat surface. Use a tapestry needle to join the pieces, weaving from one piece to the next with a long piece of yarn, picking up yarn on either side. Be sure to keep your stitches aligned as you work and pull tight every few inches. Pinning the pieces together using crochet stitch markers is helpful to keep everything lined up when working with large pieces or trying this for the first time.

There are several methods to do the stitching depending on whether you're joining at the sides or the top - here's a nice summary of three ways from Red Heart Yarns.

Step 5 - Finish Off Your Project with a Border

There are a TON of borders out there, so find one that suits your fancy! My go-to border is as follows:

Finish your last row but don't bind off and don't turn. (If you will change colors, DO bind off, then join the new yarn anywhere that's not a corner).

R1: Ch 1, sc around, putting 3 sc in each corner st. Join to the first sc with a slst.

R2: Ch 2, dc around, putting 3 dc in each corner st. Join to the first dc with a slst.

R3: repeat R1. Bind off. Weave in end.

I hope you've found something useful, helpful, or entertaining in this rather lengthy post. I encourage you to try something new and grow your skills - comment below or tag me @craftematics on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook!  Be sure to follow me here on the blog by filling out the form at the bottom of the page so you never miss a post. Until next time, friends - have a happy Thanksgiving!*

*You know, separately...and in your own homes.

Originally published November 20, 2020.