Summer Baby Blanket in Red Heart With Love Solids - LW2672

Summer Baby Blanket in Red Heart With Love Solids (LW2672)

This Summer Baby Blanket is a beautifully crafted crochet project designed by Katherine Eng for Red Heart. Worked in elegant shell stitch panels that are joined as you go, this blanket makes a heartfelt handmade gift for a new arrival. The finished blanket measures a generous 35½ inches wide by 37 inches long, making it a practical and cozy size for a baby. The pattern is offered as a downloadable PDF and is rated intermediate in difficulty, making it a rewarding project for crocheters who are comfortable moving beyond basic stitches.

What Is Being Made

The project is a baby blanket constructed in multiple vertical panels that are crocheted individually and then joined together during the border process. Each panel features a repeating shell stitch design that creates an open, lacy texture — ideal for a lightweight summer blanket. The pattern notes that the blanket shown is worked in pink, but suggests it would be equally lovely in blue for a baby boy, making it a versatile pattern for any new baby gift.

Construction and Techniques

• Panel construction: The blanket is made up of individual panels, each beginning with a foundation chain of 14 stitches worked loosely. Panels are worked flat, back and forth in rows, with a clear wrong-side and right-side orientation established from Row 1.
• Joined-as-you-go method: Panels are connected using a J4 (join ch-4 spaces) technique, where a chain-2 space is partially worked, the hook is removed and inserted into the corresponding chain-2 space of the adjacent panel, and the loop is drawn through before completing the chain. This creates a seamless, neat join without the need for sewing panels together afterward.
• Panel border: Once each panel is complete, a border round is added using a contrasting color (Color B), working single crochet stitches around all edges and placing (sc, ch 2, sc) corner increases at each corner. This border both finishes the panel neatly and prepares it for joining.
• Row repeats: The main body of each panel is built on a three-row repeat (Rows 3–5), worked eleven additional times plus finishing rows, creating the rhythmic shell pattern that runs the length of the blanket.

Stitches Used

• Single crochet (sc) — used throughout the panel construction and in the border rounds
• Double crochet (dc) — forms the structural columns on either side of the shell panels
• Shell stitch — the central decorative element of each panel, created by working multiple double crochets into a single chain space, producing a fan-like shell shape
• Chain spaces (ch-3, ch-5) — used to create the open lacework between the shell stitches and the double crochet columns
• Join ch-4 spaces (J4) — a specialized joining technique unique to this pattern, used to connect adjacent panels seamlessly as the blanket is assembled
• Corner increases (sc, ch 2, sc) — worked at each corner during the panel border to create neat, square corners

Materials

This pattern is designed for use with Red Heart With Love Solids yarn, an aran weight yarn known for its soft feel and wide range of colors — making it well suited for baby projects. The pattern uses at least two colors, referred to as Color A (the main panel color, shown in pink) and Color B (used for the panel borders and joining). As a crochet pattern, it is worked with a crochet hook in the appropriate size for aran weight yarn. Crocheters are advised to chain the foundation loosely to ensure the correct drape and gauge throughout the project.

Skill Level and Pattern Notes

Rated intermediate, this pattern is best suited for crocheters who are already familiar with working double crochet, shell stitches, and chain spaces, and who are comfortable following multi-row repeats. The joined-as-you-go panel construction is a particularly useful technique to learn, as it eliminates the need for seaming and results in a polished, professional finish. The open shell stitch design gives the blanket