Kitty Blanket in Caron Simply Soft - Downloadable PDF

Kitty Blanket in Caron Simply Soft – Crochet Pattern Summary

The Kitty Blanket is a charming, beginner-friendly crochet blanket designed by Deb Richey and worked in Caron Simply Soft yarn. The finished blanket measures approximately 32 inches wide by 43 inches long (including edging), making it a generous lap or baby blanket size. The pattern is available as a free downloadable PDF and is an excellent project for newer crochet enthusiasts looking to build confidence with colorwork and modular construction techniques.

What Is Being Made

This project produces a soft, colorful blanket constructed from individual crocheted squares that are assembled into a cohesive finished piece. The design incorporates a playful, multicolor palette and a structured square motif layout, giving the blanket a patchwork aesthetic. An edging is worked around the perimeter of the assembled blanket to create a neat, polished finish. The overall effect is a cozy, eye-catching throw suitable for children or anyone who loves a bright, cheerful color scheme.

Construction Technique

The blanket uses a modular crochet construction method, meaning the project is built from individual squares that are later joined together. This approach is ideal for beginners because each square is small and manageable, allowing the crafter to practice and perfect their technique before moving on to the next unit. Working in smaller pieces also makes the project highly portable.

Each square is worked in continuous rounds with the right side always facing. Stitches are not joined at the end of each round, and the work is never turned. A stitch marker is used to track the beginning of each round and is moved up as the work progresses. This continuous-round method creates a smooth, uninterrupted fabric surface on the right side.

Color changes are handled by slip stitching into the next stitch and fastening off the old color, then joining the new color in the indicated stitch. A key technique note instructs the crafter not to work into the slip stitch itself; instead, the slip stitch is worked over and the hook is inserted directly into the stitch immediately below. This keeps the fabric tidy and prevents unsightly bumps at color-change points.

Stitches Used

• Half double crochet (hdc) – the foundational stitch used throughout the squares, providing a medium-height fabric with good drape and density
• Single crochet (sc) – used in specific rounds to create texture variation and shape the square
• Double crochet (dc) – used at corner points to build height and create the characteristic squared-off corners of each motif
• Sc2tog (single crochet two together) – a decrease stitch formed by drawing up a loop in the next stitch twice, then yarning over and drawing through all loops on the hook; used for shaping
• Slip stitch (sl st) – used for color changes and to close rounds where needed

The interplay of single crochet, half double crochet, and double crochet within each round creates gentle shaping that builds the square from a small central circle outward, with corner stitches strategically placed to form right angles. The combination of stitch heights at corners — typically a hdc, dc, hdc or sc, hdc, sc cluster — is a classic granny-square-style technique that gives each motif its defined, geometric shape.

Square Design Details

The pattern includes at least one named square type — Square 1, of which six copies are made. Each square begins with a magic-ring-style start: a chain of 2, with 8 half double crochets worked into the second chain from the hook in Round 1. Subsequent rounds build outward, adding corners and increasing stitch counts in a consistent pattern. Each square measures approximately 5½ inches by 5½ inches (14 cm × 14 cm) when gauge is achieved.

Color changes between rounds introduce the multicolor palette, with different yarn colors assigned to different rounds or sections of each square. This creates the vibrant, patchwork look that defines the blanket's overall character.

Materials

Yarn

The pattern calls for Caron Simply Soft, an aran weight yarn sold in 170 g / 6 oz skeins with approximately