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We all have a friend or family member (or two) who are expecting a baby and what is the best and easiest crochet baby shower gift to make than a baby blanket? Yes, baby hats and booties are cute, but babies grow out of them so fast.
A baby blanket, on the other hand, will stick around for a while, and maybe will even become their beloved blankie, it’s really a perfect gift for a baby boy or a baby girl.
Now, if you don’t have a free pattern for a crochet blanket on hand or if crochet is not your everyday thing, how to you crochet a simple baby blanket for the first time that looks cute and doesn’t cause you a headache?
The best thing about blankets is that they are square or rectangle, meaning they don’t have any complicated changes to keep track of throughout your work or any fancy shaping going on. All you do is crochet same number of basic crochet stitches in every row from beginning to the end.
The best thing about handmade baby blanket is that they are small in size and therefore a) don’t take long to make and b) don’t use a lot of yarn (hello, budget friendly but custom gift).
And, of course, they best thing about crochet baby blankets is that all you need is some yarn and a hook and just a simple stitch or two to make the whole thing for a new baby.
You might disagree, but I think that crochet is so much easier to learn, to start and to make than knitting, it uses just one tool (that is not poke or fall out of your work, unraveling the whole thing) and you can use the most basic of stitches to make a blanket that is so cute.
How do you make a crochet baby blanket
Decide on the crochet baby blanket size
First, before you start, decide on the size of the blanket you want to make. You need to figure that out first because depending on the size of the blanket, the amount of yarn will change, the time it will take you to make it will change and you might decide on a yarn and hook size a bit differently.
Baby blankets come in a variety of sizes, from teeny to ones they can keep on using into their teens, it can be a square blanket (like the receiving blanket) or a rectangular blanket (like the toddler blanket), so give it some thought.
| Baby Blanket Name | Age – Purpose | Size |
| Lovey Blanket | To use for comfort for newborn, often has a toy attached to it like lamb or bunny | 10”X10” |
| Security Blanket | To use for comfort for a newborn to toddler | 14”X17” |
| Stroller/Baby Blanket | To cover baby while in the stroller or car seat | 30”X35” |
| Receiving Blanket | To wrap baby as they come home and used in the first few months | 40”X40” |
| Toddler Blanket | To use in the baby’s first couple years | 42”X52” |
| Swaddle Blanket | Large enough to swaddle baby during first few months | 47”X47” |
| Crib Blanket | To cover baby during their crib occupying age, can later serve as a lap blanket for them | 45”X60” |
If you are not sure what size would be the best, maybe start with how much time, yarn and patience you have.
If all you can manage is a small simple blanket, go with that. After all, the baby will have many more blankets in their life and it’s the gesture that really matters, not the size of the blanket.
Decide on the stitch for the crochet blanket
There are many wonderful stitches you can use to make a blanket, but if you only know a one or two simple stitches, you are still good to go.
Your stitchwork doesn’t have to be elaborate for your blanket to impress.
You can make a totally cute blanket using just a single crochet stitch (SC), half-double crochet stitch (HDC) or double crochet stitch (DC) stitch (or some combination of those).
Decide on the yarn for the baby blanket
Piggy-backing on the point above, the reason you don’t need to know a super-elaborate stitches to create an adorable crocheted baby blanket, is because you can make up with a pretty yarn where the stitches are lacking.
Even with a super simple, basic stitch you can make an amazing blanket if you have a yarn that is soft and has a built-in color variation.
Sometimes these types of yarn are called variegated or self-striping yarns because they will form stripes of color as you crochet without you doing anything special. You can go with a bright colors or muted colors, either way, even the simple blanket will look great.
These yarns come with colors that are picked by designers to compliment and contrast each other in a very lovely way, making any project, even really basic one, look unique and custom as the color changes will never be the same in every stitch pattern.
You can also go with a solid color yarn. These give the baby blankets classic, timeless, heirloom look.
Another consideration you want to give to your yarn choice is its thickness. If you are really short on time, a thick, chunky yarn will help you crochet a blanket fast since every stitch will be large making every row 2-3 times taller than if you used a regular thinner yarn. Bulky weight yarn will usually say size 5 or 6 on its label.
Worsted weight yarn (or medium weight yarn, size 4) is a great choice too as they make a lighter softer blankets. Red Heart Yarns make great medium weight yarns and has a great price for crochet beginners.
Also, while choosing the yarn, pick one that is soft and suitable for the baby. If in doubt, look for the picture of a baby on the label of a yarn ball or for the word “Baby” in the yarn’s name. Any soft yarn with the baby on it will be the best yarn for the project.
Cotton yarn is great for the summer, but can be a bit rough to touch, cotton blend yarns are usually a better choice. On the other hand, wool yarns, especially wool-blend yarns like the ones from Lion Brand, are great for winter times.
Once you decide on the yarn and knowing the blanket size you want to make, figure out how much yarn you need to buy. Read the post here to help you out.
Pick a hook to crochet the blanket
Once you know what yarn you will be using, pick a crochet hook that goes with the yarn.
The easiest way is to pick the hook size that is suggested on the yarn ball’s label but if you want the blanket to be fluffier, go one size step higher.
You can see all about matching the yarn weight and the hook size in the post here.
How to crochet a baby blanket without a pattern
In addition to all great things about a crochet baby blanket I mentioned above, another great thing is that blanket is not a piece of clothing. It doesn’t have to be of a precise size. And it’s an easy project when you are want to gift handmade, but only just beginning to crochet. An easy blanket project is stress free and rewarding.
If your blanket comes out an inch wider or half an inch shorter, it will serve the baby just as well (of course, make sure that the blanket is not a size of a dishcloth, of course!).
Make the starting chain to size
To crochet a baby blanket, first make a crochet chain. Make this starting chain until it is about as long as the width of the baby blanket you decided to make. To be on a safe side, make the chain a bit longer since the length of the chain can get a bit shorter as you are crocheting through it.
Crochet the first row and count the stitches
Once you have your starting chain, begin to crochet the first row using the simple stitches you decided on. Keep in mind that if you are using an SC stitch, you will need 1 extra chain to start the next row, with HDC stitch you will need 2 extra chains to start the next row and with DC stitch you will need 3 extra chains to start the next row.
Crochet the first row and count how many stitches you made all the way till the end of that row. Note that number as this will be the number of stitches you will be making in every row for the rest of this blanket to make it even.
Crochet the next row and mind the stitch count
Once you are done with the first row, turn your work, chain 1, 2 or 3 chains to start the next row (depending on the stitch you are using), then crochet into every stitch of the previous row till the end of the row.
You should have the same number of stitches as the row before to keep your blanket even and rectangle.
Crochet the rest of the rows and add yarn as needed
As you have finished that row, turn your work and repeat the whole process again. Every time you finish the row make sure that the count of the stitches is the same in every repeat row.
Continue crocheting the row after row until the blanket is as long (or about as long) as the blanket size you wanted. Note, throughout your work you might run out of yarn in one ball and need to connect the next ball to continue your work. Check out the post here to see how it’s done.
Cut the yarn and weave in the ends
Once you crocheted all the rows needed, you will cut the yarn (about 6 inches), loop it and tie it (called “fasten”). Once you have fasten the yarn, you will need to hide (“weave in”) all the tails and ends of the yarn that are hanging from your work. To see how to fasten the yarn and to hide all the ends, read the post here.
When everything is done, look your blanket over on both sides, making sure you didn’t leave any loose strings or a yarn needle in there.
And you are done! Now, all you need is to fold and tie the finished blanket with a pretty ribbon, and wrap or box it like a gift that it is.
Now you know that you are giving a new parent a gift that is made with your own hands, from your heart to keep someone cozy and warm. What better baby gifts are there?
For easy and timeless crochet blanket patterns that are friendly for beginner crocheters, see the Crochet Patterns section on this blog or visit my Etsy store.
For a easy beginner-friendly video tutorial on how to make a simple baby blanket, see the video below:
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