Free Crochet Baby Blanket Patterns

Styles of baby blanket to crochet

Granny square blankets, ripple and chevron stripes, plain double crochet rows, corner-to-corner designs, textured bobble and shell fabrics and delicate lacy shawl blankets all sit in this collection. Sizes run from small pram and moses basket covers of around 65cm square, through buggy blankets, up to full cot blankets nearer 90cm by 110cm. Each free PDF gives the finished measurements alongside the hook size, yarn weight and yardage, so you can scale a design simply by adding repeats.

Motif blankets versus row-by-row

The choice affects how the project feels far more than how it looks. Motif blankets, made from squares or hexagons, are portable, easy to pick up for ten minutes and simple to make bigger, but they leave you with a great many ends and a joining session at the end. Join-as-you-go solves most of that. Row-by-row designs such as ripples and corner-to-corner grow steadily with almost no sewing, though carrying a whole blanket around becomes less appealing as it grows. Beginners often get on best with rows; anyone crocheting on a commute will prefer squares.

Choosing yarn, hook and colour

• Machine-washable DK or aran is the practical choice for anything a baby will use daily. New parents will not hand wash it.
• Cotton and cotton blends suit warmer months and summer prams; soft acrylic and superwash merino are cosier for winter.
• A 4mm hook with DK or a 5mm with aran is standard, but going up one size gives a softer, drapier fabric, which is exactly what you want in a blanket.
• Avoid loosely spun or hairy yarns near tiny faces, and skip anything with sequins or metallic thread.
• Buy all of a single colour in one dye lot, as a colour shift halfway down a blanket is very visible. You can also alternate rows as you transition from skein to skein of the same colour to prevent any noticeable join lines.

Stitch choice and keeping it safe

Very open lace looks lovely but can catch small fingers and toes, so for an everyday blanket choose a denser fabric such as double crochet, the moss or granny stripe, or a shell pattern with modest gaps. Save the airy shawl blankets for christenings and photographs. Weave in every end properly, splitting the yarn as you go and travelling in two directions so nothing pulls loose in the wash. Avoid sewn-on embellishments, buttons or long tassels on anything used in a cot.

Borders and finishing

A border does two jobs: it squares up wobbly edges and it hides the different look of row ends against stitch tops. One round of double crochet worked evenly, followed by a round of crab stitch or a simple shell edging, is enough for most blankets. Work three stitches into each corner to keep it flat, and if the edge ruffles, you have added too many stitches; if it pulls in, too few. Block the finished blanket by pinning it out damp to its measurements, which makes a surprising difference to granny squares in particular.

Making it a gift

A blanket is the gift new parents actually use, and pairing one with a hat or a pair of booties from the leftovers makes it feel complete. Write the yarn's care instructions on the gift tag, or tuck the ball band inside the parcel. If you are crocheting for a charity or a neonatal unit, check their size and fibre requirements first, as many ask for specific dimensions and washable acrylic. For more ideas see the free baby crochet patterns, and for adult-sized versions the free blanket and throw patterns.

Baby blanket questions

Is a crochet baby blanket a good beginner project? Yes. It is mostly straight rows or repeated squares, so you build rhythm and even tension without any shaping to worry about.

Can I download the patterns free as PDFs? Yes, every pattern here is a free PDF download that stays in your account.

How much yarn does a baby blanket take? A pram blanket in DK typically needs 600 to 900 metres; a full cot blanket can be double that. Work to the yardage in the pattern.

What size should a baby blanket be? Around 65cm square for a pram or moses basket, and roughly 90cm by 110cm for a cot. Both are easy to adjust by adding repeats.

How long will it take? A chunky pram blanket can be done over a weekend; a DK granny square cot blanket is more likely a few weeks of evenings.