Ever find yourself having to make a quick baby blanket in a short period of time? That seems to happen quite often doesn’t it?! When I want to make a quick blanket that I know will be super soft and full of colors, this is my go-to crochet pattern – and its free!
Where did this blanket come from?
Husband: “Hey Jen, we were invited to our friend’s house next weekend. Can you make 2 baby blankets for their kids?”
Me: *Pause* SURE! I know just what I’ll make! *Another pause* Oh yayyyy, I have a reason to go to Michael’s tonight!!
And so this blanket came to life 🙂
A favorite pattern
This is truly one of my favorite patterns because it’s very repetitive and calming to work on, but I never get bored of it. If you think you’ll get bored of the pattern since its the same repeat over and over, add some color!
I typically use chunky self striping yarn, so even though this pattern is very straightforward, those color changes bring it to life a bit! The chunky yarn weight also helps move this blanket along quite quickly!!
What yarn to use?
Basically, there is no right or wrong answer. Any yarns will work with this crochet design.
So far, I’ve made 3 baby blankets with this pattern. The first time, I used Lion Brand Mandala for my son’s blanket, and for the last two I used Caron Chunky Cakes for my friends’ children’s blankets.
Let’s start with the chunky baby blanket first
I personally LOVE using Caron Chunky Cakes yarn because their color ways are cute and bright and the #6 weight “super-bulky” yarn works up very fast. If you’re looking for a soft baby blanket, with cute colors, that won’t take weeks to finish, this yarn is 100% for you!
Using this yarn, it took about 7-9 days to finish the blanket. But I should note that I made a point to work on the blanket each day. Usually, blankets take much, much longer because….well, life 🙂
Now onto the lightweight version
My son’s blanket took a bit longer to make, mainly because Lion Brand Mandala is thinner (it’s #3 ‘light’ weight – here’s a yarn weight conversion chart if you aren’t familiar with that term). Plus, I was not under a time crunch, so it sometimes took a backseat to other projects.
This blue and grey beauty wasn’t as quick, but, it truly is so beautiful. It isn’t as “squishy” as the Caron Chunky Cakes but definitely has a softness to it that is perfect for kids or babies. I highly recommend the Lion Brand Mandala yarn.
Lets go!
First, pick out a soft yarn brand.
Secondly, pick your color palette. Do you want soft colors, something vibrant, or maybe 1 solid color?
Tip: If you’re looking for a baby blanket with lots of color, have a look into self-striping yarn. This brings a ton of color into your project (colors that the experts matched together), without having to change yarn every couple rows! How perfect is that! Goodbye to all those ends to weave in.
Although, there some crocheters love picking out the color palettes on their own. Whatever works for you!
Lastly, print out the pattern below and lets get stitchin!
Now, onto the details about the pattern.
Difficulty level
- Easy
Heads up: If you don’t know how to crochet, or maybe just want to brush up on the basics, we have a great resource for you.
Hop over to the Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Crochet.
This breaks down the basics of what you need to learn, in what order, and links you directly to some great resources! And best of all, it’s free on the blog. You can also purchase the inexpensive ad-free printable PDF of that Guide from my Etsy Shop. Enjoy 🙂
Supplies
- 2 balls of Caron Chunky Cakes (I used ‘Sweet and Sour’)
- 8mm crochet hook. I love the ergonomic hooks by ‘Loops & Threads’ and ‘Boye‘, but here is a similar one (in 8mm) by Clover.
- Yarn needle, scissors, and 2 inches of scrap paper to weave in ends
Stitches (US terms)
- ch – chain
- dc – Double crochet
- sl st – slip stitch
- hdc – half double crochet
If needed, refer to my Beginner’s Guide to crochet. Those stitch tutorials will walk you through how to complete the above stitches. If you need to convert from US to UK terms, have a look at this chart.
Other useful crochet references
Pattern
The pattern can be found below, however if you are looking to purchase this baby blanket as a finished product, you can find it in my Etsy Shop!
This pattern is Lion Brand’s ‘Whitby Baby Blanket‘, Pattern Number: L70006. Please use the link above for the free pattern from Lion Brand.
This blanket is worked as 1 piece, and you’ll turn at the beginning of every round. Its incredible that 1 type of yarn and 1 main stitch can result in such a stunning blanket, isn’t it?
Variations
This time, I didn’t follow the pattern 100%.
Variation #1
I didn’t do the rows where you *ch 1, sk next ch-1 sp, dc in next dc*. Basically the blanket was all double crochets around; there were no rows with the holes/openings.
The first time I used this pattern though, I did follow it exactly as it was written. You can see that project here.
Variation #2
Also, this time I tried a different border. I used the picot stitch, which is:
*single crochet in the next 5 stitches, chain 3, HDC in the 1st chain* all around.
In the corners, I worked: 1sc, 1sc with a picot, 1, sc, 1sc. So there were 4 single crochets in each corner and the picot was right in the middle.
This border gives it a “frilly” and fancy finish, fit for a princess.
Finished Measurement
Since this blanket is a square, you can really make this as big or small as you want, with no need to plan ahead of time (except to make sure you have enough yarn)!
I stop when I feel my blanket is just the right size – around 30 to 33 inches wide and long.
I hope you enjoyed following along! If you make a baby blanket using this information, make sure to tag #LionBrandWhitbyBlanket as well as #CrochetInTheSun – I would love to see what you made!!
Happy crocheting,
Jen
Pin for later
