Best Crochet Stitch for Baby Blanket

Crochet baby blankets are one of the first projects many take on, especially when expecting a baby or having a relative who is expecting. The beauty of crochet baby blankets is that they are small, require little yarn, rectangle in share and are not too intimidating. But, with so many different stitches out there, what is the best crochet stitch for a baby blanket?

A crochet stitch that is basic and easy to make, and produces the crochet fabric that is dense with smallest holes possible like Single Crochet and Half Double Crochet is the best choice for a crochet stitch for a baby blanket. You want a stitch that will also make crocheting the blanket a breeze and will create a blanket that stands the test of time.

As much as it is possible to make a baby blanket with whatever crochet stitch your heart desires, you also need to keep in mind that this blanket will be used by a child with tiny fingers and will be washed over and over again. Because of that, some crochet stitches are better than others.

At the same time, since baby blanket is one of the first projects many take up, you don’t want the stitch to be so complicated that it makes the project a chore, you want to have fun and joy making it. Let see which ones are better suited for a blankie baby will use and keep.

What is the easiest crochet stitch for a baby blanket?

Since the crocheted baby blanket is an enjoyable fun project and a great baby shower gift, using basic crochet stitches will make it a great first project, fun to work on, and easy to get through. You can make it using a solid color yarn, especially while you are still learning the stitches or different colors for a more fun look. Picking and learning an easy stitch is a great way to start with baby blankets.

The easiest crochet stitches for such a project are Single Crochet (SC) and Half Double Crochet (HDC). Both single crochet and double crochet stitches are basic stitches that build on each other and can be used in an amazing variety of projects.

Learning SC and HDC stitches are one of the first things you would do when you learn how to crochet and they happen to be excellent for baby blankets!

Both SC and HDC are stitches that produce the crochet fabric that is dense, squishy with really small holes (especially when made out of thinner yarn). By using these 2 stitches (by themselves or in combination with each other) you create a blanket that is warm, cozy and will help those tiny fingers not get tangled up in all the holes and loops.

Another advantage of making baby blankets with denser stitches is that when the blanket is used over a long period of time and get washed over and over and such, it will keep its shape and overall condition better because it doesn’t have large holes that skew over time and get misshapen from being pulled on and such.

In addition to creating this sturdy and comfy crochet fabric, these two stitches are super easy to learn and crochet and make the project super simple for the mom-to-be or the one who is making the blanket for the family member.

To learn how to make each of these stitches and see a video tutorial for each, simply go to these posts:

• Single Crochet Stitch
• Double Crochet Stitch

Single and double crochet stitches are the base for a variety of other stitches like a cluster stitch and a shell stitch, so once you master these simple stitches, you can create other pretty blankets like this one.

Using basic stitches lets you breeze through your project without having to look at the pattern all the time and keep track of complicated combinations. Your baby blanket can be a simple pattern of repeat rows but it will still look great and mean a lot to the person you gift it to. This free crochet baby blanket pattern uses only single crochet and double crochet stitches and looks great.

What is the average size of a crochet baby blanket?

Baby blankets, especially lovey and security-sized are super small (compare to a regular blanket) and super quick to make. They make a perfect gift for a little boy or a little girl.

Depending on the age of the baby or the timing/purpose of the gift, baby blankets come in a few sizes. Here is a handy chart you can choose from:

As you can see, there is more than just one size there when we talk about “baby” blankets. When thinking of making one, see how much time you have to make it, how much yarn you have or can afford and of course, how much patience you have to crochet a baby blanket.

How many stitches do you need to crochet a baby blanket?

Depending on the size of the baby blanket you decide to crochet, the number of stitches will change. The number of stitches will also change depending on the yarn, hook and stitch you use. Single crochet stitches are shorter than double crochet stitches, for example, and you would need more of them to make the same size of the blanket.

If you are making a blanket from a pattern, it will give you the number of stitches in each row and the number of rows in the blanket, so can just multiply the number of stitches by the number of rows to get the count.

If you are making a blanket without a pattern, the easiest way to figure out how many stitches you will need is to look at the yarn you are using. A worsted weight yarn will need a different number of stitches than bulky yarn, for example.

On the label of each ball of yarn (major store/major yarn brand, anyway) you will find the number of stitches and rows for a 4” sample if you use the hook size they suggest. You can find the same information online when looking for yarn, like this:

So, for example, you are making a Receiving Blanket that is 40” X 40”.

Let’s say we chose Low Tide yarn by Lion Brand. On the ball of yarn/online it says that a 4×4 inch square would have 14 sc X 19 r on I-9 (5.5mm) – that means if you use single crochet stitch, you will have 14 stitches and 19 rows to create a 4X4 inch square using 5.5mm hook.

Since you have 14 stitches that make up every 4 inches, that means 14/4=3.5 stitches make up 1 inch of width.

If the blanket you want is 10” X 10”, that means it will be 3.5 X 10 = 35 stitches wide.

And, since you will have 19 rows that make up every 4 inches, that means 19/4=4.75 rows make up 1 inch of height (or length if you will).

If the blanket you want is 10” X 10”, that means it will be 4.75 X 10 = 47.5 (round up to 48) rows long.

To get all the stitches in the whole blanket multiply 35 stitches X 48 rows = 1680 stitches.

140 X 190 = 26,600 stitches to make the whole blanket.

You can do this for any size blanket as long as you know how many stitches/rows of yarn make up 4 in square and what is the size of blanket you want.

What size crochet hook do I use for a baby blanket?

If this is your first blanket project and, since blankets are simple rectangular projects, I would make your life easier and just go with the hook size that is suggested on the label of the yarn you are buying for the blanket.

If you find that when you crochet, your stitches come out really tight (you are having hard time inserting your hook into a stitch of the previous row), you might want to choose a hook one step up, so instead of 5.5mm you would choose 6mm.

If you feel like your stitches are too loose (you have big uneven holes in your work), you might want to go one size down, so instead of 5.5mm you would choose 5mm.

Different yarn weights require different hook sizes. A worsted yarn will need a smaller hook and a bulky weight yarn needs a large hook.

To read more about matching hook size to yarn you have, check out a post on my blog.

By using a bulky weight and a large hook size you can often make a really quick blanket, especially when you are short on time.

How many balls of yarn do you need to crochet a baby blanket?

If you are using a pattern to crochet a baby blanket, it will tell you how many balls of the yarn are used in the instructions you will need.

On some of the balls of yarn, a pattern is provided on the inside of the ball wrapper. On it, as well, it will tell you how many skeins of yarn you will need for that particular pattern.

If you have a bunch of yarn already and you wonder if it will be enough for the blanket, you can figure that out based on the information provided on the label of the yarn ball.

Based on how many stitches and rows can fit in a 4-inch square made with this yarn and how many yards of yarn are in each ball, you can do some calculations to get pretty close count.

I have written a detailed post to cover this process, but to give you a very quick and rough estimate here, assuming that you are using regular worsted weight 4 yarn with 200 yards in each ball with a 5.5mm hook, these are the counts per each blanket size (all of these are rounded up to next ball):

All these numbers are VERY approximate and will vary for yarns and crocheters, but it’s a start.

The best way would be to use the exact formula or make the smallest blanket you can, see how much yarn you used up and from there figure out how much yarn you would use for a blanket that is twice as big, three times as big and so on.

Once you decide on the stitch and the yarn you want to try to make a baby blanket, you can learn how to make Single Crochet and Half Double Crochet stitches with step-by-step instructions (and videos) on this blog.

Once you feel comfortable with these stitches, enjoy a free crochet pattern that uses them all. This free pattern uses a nice, easy to crochet with cotton yarn and lets you practice every stitch.

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