Baby Blocks Baby Afghan in Lion Brand Bundle of Love - M22119 BL - Downloadable PDF

Baby Blocks Baby Afghan in Lion Brand Bundle of Love – Free Crochet Pattern M22119 BL

This free downloadable crochet pattern, numbered M22119 BL and designed by Missy Marshall in collaboration with Lion Brand, guides crafters through creating a charming Baby Blocks Baby Afghan. The finished blanket measures approximately 34 x 36 inches (86.5 x 91.5 cm), making it an ideal size for a baby or toddler. With a skill level rated Easy, this project is well-suited for beginner crocheters who want to produce a visually impressive result without tackling complex construction.

What Is Being Made

The finished project is a baby afghan — a soft, cozy blanket designed for infants and young children. The pattern creates a baby blocks visual effect, giving the surface of the blanket a dimensional, geometric appearance reminiscent of stacked three-dimensional cubes. This classic optical illusion is achieved through careful stitch placement rather than complex shaping, keeping the construction accessible for newer crocheters. The blanket is photographed with optional decorative pom-poms, though the pattern explicitly advises against adding pom-poms if the afghan is intended for a baby or young child, as they present a choking hazard.

Materials Used

• Yarn: Lion Brand® Bundle of Love (Art. #149) in colorway #211 Oasis — 4 balls required. This is a weight 4 (worsted / medium weight) yarn, and the pattern calls for two strands held together throughout, which creates a thicker, loftier fabric and speeds up the crocheting process.
• Crochet Hook: Lion Brand® crochet hook size N-13 (9 mm) — a large hook suited to working with doubled yarn strands, producing a soft and airy drape appropriate for a baby blanket.
• Finishing Tool: A Lion Brand® large-eyed blunt needle for weaving in ends neatly and safely.

Techniques and Construction

The defining technique of this pattern is working with two strands of Lion Brand® Bundle of Love held together simultaneously. Holding double strands is a straightforward technique that effectively doubles the yarn weight, resulting in a plusher, warmer fabric while also reducing the total number of rows needed to reach the finished dimensions. This approach is particularly beginner-friendly because it requires no advanced skills beyond basic tension control.

The baby blocks visual effect is created across Rows 5 through 16 of the pattern, which form the repeating body section of the afghan. The gauge for this section is 9 stitches to approximately 4 inches (10 cm), and checkin gauge is strongly recommended before beginning to ensure the finished blanket reaches the intended dimensions.

Stitches Used

• Spike Stitch (Spike-st): This is the key decorative stitch that creates the three-dimensional baby blocks illusion. To work a spike stitch, the hook is inserted into a stitch in a row below the current working row — rather than into the stitch directly above — and the loop is drawn up to the height of the current row before completing the stitch with a yarn over and draw-through. This elongated stitch spans multiple rows visually, creating depth and the appearance of interlocking geometric shapes on the fabric surface. Spike stitches are a popular technique in colorwork and textured crochet because they add visual complexity without requiring the crocheter to carry or cut yarn between sections.
• Standard crochet stitches form the foundation and structural rows of the afghan, providing a stable base from which the spike stitch pattern emerges.

Pattern Details and Accessibility

Rated as an Easy / Beginner level pattern, Baby Blocks Baby Afghan M22119 BL is an excellent project for those who have mastered basic crochet stitches and are ready to explore simple textured techniques. The spike stitch, while it may sound advanced, is clearly explained within the pattern and is highly repetitive once learned, making it easy to work rhythmically across the rows. The large hook size and doubled yarn also mean the blanket grows quickly, offering satisfying progress for newer crafters.