Crochet Fast Easy Crochet Baby Blanket -- Free Beginner-Level Crochet Pattern

Crochet
Fast Easy Crochet Baby Blanket -- Free Beginner-Level Crochet Pattern
By Amy Solovay
Related Resources: Free Crochet Baby Blanket Patterns1 | How to
Crochet a Blanket2 | Free Baby Patterns3 | Free Crochet Patterns for
Beginners4
Project Description:
As far as crocheted baby blankets go, this one is a fast, easy crochet
project. It took me somewhere between 11 -12 hours to make my
sample blanket. I'm a pretty quick crocheter; if you're a total
beginner, it will probably take you longer than that; also allow more
time to make the larger sizes.
Fast, Easy Crocheted Baby
Blanket -- Free Crochet Pattern
for Beginners (Or Anyone Who
Wants a Quick Crochet
Project.)
Photo © Amy Solovay
This blanket is crocheted using only two stitches: single crochet5 and
chain stitch.6 It's made using a larger-than-usual hook size, which
gives added drape to the blanket plus helps the work to go a little faster than it would otherwise.
More (And Larger) Blanket Pictures:7 I've posted a photo gallery with additional large pictures of this baby blanket, including some close-ups of the
crochet stitches. If you'd like to see how this blanket looks when made in other colors, be sure to check the gallery.
Skill Level: Beginner
This pattern is easy enough for beginners, but I recommend this pattern to crocheters of all skill levels who want a quick and easy project8 to work on.
Blanket Sizes:
I've included three blanket sizes for you to choose from: preemie, newborn and toddler. Instructions are written for the smallest size, and changes for the
larger sizes are noted in parentheses.
Materials and Finished Blanket Sizes:
Light Weight Baby Yarn: The yarn I used is Bernat Softee baby yarn. I made sample blankets in a couple of different colors.
My preemie-sized sample was crocheted using the color called "Pink," which is perfect for a baby girl. My newborn-sized blanket was crocheted using the
"Antique White" color, which works well for either baby boys or girls. Feel free to use a different color; if crocheted in a boy-friendly color, this blanket
would also be ideal for baby boys. If you aren't sure of the baby's gender, pick a neutral color that could work either way -- the mint green color would be
a nice choice, as would the white color. For best results, make sure all skeins are from the same dye lot.
This yarn is rated as a "3" on the Craft Yarn Council's yarn weight system.9 This weight is also known as "light worsted," "DK," or "Double Knitting."
According to the yarn label, the manufacturer also labels it as "Sport DK," "Tricot Léger," and "Jersey Ligero."
Preemie Size: My sample blanket measures about 26 inches wide by 34 inches long. This measurement was taken without any edging; if you wish to
add an edging, your finished blanket will be a bit bigger.
You will need 2 balls / 10 oz / 280 g of yarn for the blanket itself, plus more for crocheting your gauge swatch. So if you crochet your blanket using
Bernat Softee, you'll need to get 3 5 oz skeins of yarn. See pictures of the pink baby blanket for an example of how this blanket looks.
As far as yardage goes, you'll need about 724 yards / 662 meters for the blanket itself, plus more for your gauge swatch.
Newborn / Receiving Blanket Size: My sample blanket is 30 inches square. You could make yours a bit longer -- around 34 inches long -- if you
prefer.
You will need 2-3 of the 5 oz balls of Bernat Softee for this size. My sample blanket measures about 30 inches square, and I used exactly two balls with
none left over. If you'd like to work a gauge swatch, or make your blanket longer, you'll need a third ball of this yarn.
Toddler Size: Finished size is about 36 inches by 44 inches.
I estimate that you'll need 4 of the 5 oz balls of Bernat Softee to crochet this size.
Crochet Hook:10 I used a size I crochet hook to make my sample baby blankets. You might need a different size hook to achieve the correct gauge.
11
Tapestry Needle:11 You'll use this for weaving in ends when you are finished crocheting your blanket.
Safety Pin: You'll need a stitch marker12 or safety pin for temporarily marking a stitch at the beginning of your work.
Abbreviations13 Used in This Pattern:
ch14 = chain15
ch-1 sp = chain-1 space, the space formed when you crocheted a chain stitch in the previous row
rep = repeat
sc16 = single crochet17
st = stitch
Gauge:
Stitch gauge: 4 stitches = 1 inch when crocheting the stitch pattern as instructed below.
Row gauge: The row gauge is not important for this pattern.
Crochet a Gauge Swatch:
To check your gauge, you'll want to crochet a gauge swatch as follows: Work a starting chain of 25 stitches and crochet using the blanket pattern
instructions until your piece is square. End off. Measure your swatch to see how many stitches per inch you are crocheting. Compare your gauge against
mine. If you are crocheting fewer stitches per inch than I did, you might want to consider starting over with a smaller crochet hook; if you are crocheting
more stitches per inch than I did, you might want to start over using a larger hook.
The swatching process is necessary because you want your baby blanket to be a useable size. If your gauge is drastically different than mine, your baby
blanket could turn out to be way too large, or way too small. Another worry: if your blanket is significantly wider than the suggested size, you risk running
out of yarn before you are finished crocheting.
Design Notes:
In the pattern directions you'll be instructed to crochet into the ch-1 spaces. If you have difficulty finding these -- sometimes they seem to vanish -- try
carefully poking your finger at the row of stitches from back to front. It can be easier to locate the spaces by touch than it is by sight.
Baby Blanket Pattern Instructions:
Ch 105 (121, 145).
Row 1: Place a safety pin or other marker18 in the first ch from your hook. sc in 3rd ch from hook. [ch 1, skip next ch, sc in next ch.] Rep across entire row.
Ch 1, turn.
Row 2: [sc in the next ch-1 sp, ch 1.] Rep the sequence in brackets across the rest of the row. At the end of the row, work a sc st into the st where you
placed the marker; you can remove the marker before working the stitch. Ch 1, turn.
Rows 3 and Up: The rest of the rows are all exactly the same as row 2, with one minor difference: at the end of the row you'll work your last sc st into the
turning chain of the previous row. Rep this row until the baby blanket is the length you want it to be.
Finishing the Baby Blanket:
When you are satisfied that the baby blanket is the length you want it to be, cut the yarn leaving an extra long length of yarn (around six inches long or
more.) Thread your tapestry needle using this end of yarn and use the needle to weave the loose end of yarn into the blanket. Repeat with any other loose
ends you may have hanging from the blanket.
I think this pattern is nice without any edging at all, especially if you are making a blanket for a baby boy. Either way, the design is chic and simple, and an
edging is not a necessity. However, you can feel free to add an edging if you want to. If you decide to add an edging, here are some free patterns you can
look at. Please note that these edgings may need some adapting to work well with this blanket; the stitch pattern used for the blanket pulls in a bit more
than usual.
Free crochet baby blanket edgings19
Free crochet edging patterns20
This About.com page has been optimized for print. To view this page in its original form, please visit: http://crochet.about.com/od/babypatterns/a/fast-easy-crochet-baby-blanket-forbeginners.htm
©2014 About.com, Inc. All rights reserved.
Links in this article:
1. http://crochet.about.com/od/babypatterns/tp/Baby_Afghan_Patterns.htm
2. http://crochet.about.com/od/learntocrochet/ss/how-to-crochet-a-blanket.htm
3. http://crochet.about.com/od/babypatterns/tp/Baby-Patterns.htm
4. http://crochet.about.com/od/beginner-patterns/tp/free-crochet-patterns-for-beginners.htm
5. http://crochet.about.com/od/learntocrochet/ss/Single_Crochet.htm
6. http://crochet.about.com/od/learntocrochet/ss/Chain_Stitch.htm
7. http://crochet.about.com/od/easy-crochet-patterns/ig/Easy-Crochet-Baby-Blanket/
8. http://crochet.about.com/od/tipstroubleshooting/a/Quick_Easy_Crochet.htm
9. http://www.craftyarncouncil.com/weight.html
10. http://crochet.about.com/od/crochethooks/tp/Crochet-Hooks.htm
11. http://crochet.about.com/od/needlework/tp/tapestry-needle.htm
12. http://crochet.about.com/od/crochetsupplies/g/stitch-markers.htm
13. http://crochet.about.com/od/crochetabbreviations/a/Crochet_Abbreviations.htm
14. http://crochet.about.com/od/crochetabbreviations/g/Ch.htm
15. http://crochet.about.com/od/learntocrochet/ss/Chain_Stitch.htm
16. http://crochet.about.com/od/crochetabbreviations/g/sc.htm
17. http://crochet.about.com/od/learntocrochet/ss/Single_Crochet.htm
18. http://crochet.about.com/od/learntocrochet/g/place-marker.htm
19. http://crochet.about.com/od/edgings/tp/baby-blanket-edgings.htm
20. http://crochet.about.com/od/edgings/tp/crochet-edging-patterns.htm