How to make crochet baby blanket from start to finish

This quick and easy beginner crochet baby blanket can literally be completed over a weekend while you binge watch your favorite Netflix series. The pattern, if you really want to call it a pattern, is made up of single crochet stitches in your desired length and width while changing out yarn colors. Now before we even get to making the baby blanket, let me tell you everything that I do when starting a new crochet project. This “how to” from start to finish will be something that you will automatically do every time you start a new baby blanket or any other crochet project.

How to make a crochet baby blanket from start to finish

1. Pick Pattern
2. Yarn Selection
3. Hook Selection
4. Wash It
5. Gift It or keep for your baby!

1. Pick pattern

This quick and easy beginner crochet baby blanket uses a single crochet stitch for the entire blanket. The single crochet is the easiest stitch and the pattern is created when you change yarn colors unevenly thus creating a staggered and uneven look. The finishing touch is a ruffled border. The craft store didn’t have my preferred yarn so I used Lions Brand for the fall colors I was looking for. I had enough yarn from these 5 skeins to make the baby blanket and the border.

Some crochet stitches use up more yarn because of the texture and depth of the stitch. The puff stitch or popcorn stitch are two examples. If you use one of these two stitches in a project, plan on using almost double the amount of yarn. Always buy enough yarn to finish your project.

I always make up my patterns for each crocheted baby blanket. Typically I will use a colored yarn and a bright white yarn to have build blocks of rows and give it character. Generally I will buy 2 skeins of each color yarn and have leftover yarn but this may vary depending on the brand you use and size of the skein. This quick and easy beginner crochet baby blanket will use 5 different colors all using single crochet so 5 skeins.

Free crochet patterns are easily available online, just search for free crochet patterns and be specific. Google “free crochet baby blanket patterns” and just see how many are there. You can also purchase patterns on Etsy and many other online resources. Crochet patterns can also be purchased at most craft stores in the crochet section or book section.

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2. Yarn

Not all yarn is created equal, that’s a fact! Best yarn is the one that has the colors you want, is soft and has enough skeins for your project. This project will take 5 skeins for this pattern. The brand used was Lion Brand Heartland Yarn in Badlands, Olympic, Canyonlands, Rocky Mountain and Hot Springs. This is a medium weight yarn that retails for around $7.00 each but was on sale for $4.89. Heartland Yarn is a 4 or Medium weight yarn. Weight refers to the thickness of the yarn and medium is the perfect weight for baby blankets that will last.

3. Hook

The yarn or skein will have the hook size you need listed on the product. Typically the medium or 4 weight skeins use a size H, I or J hook but it varies by each yarn brand. Do not confuse the crochet hook size with the knitting needle size on the package. You can tell the difference because crochet uses one hook and knitting used two needles. Look for the picture of one hook.

4. Wash It

Machine wash cold on the gentle cycle by itself with a little soap. I just use regular laundry detergent but you could also opt for baby detergent that is allergy free, fragrance free too. Tumble dry on low cycle for about 15 or 20 minutes. Do not add bleach and do not iron. Blanket will be soft and fluffy, ready to snuggle up a baby or for baby to snuggle with it.

5. Gift It

As always, my goal is to make something handmade (with love) and be happy with the finished product so it can be gifted to a friend, family member or really nice co-worker! If you already have a process that you follow, congratulations! Maybe you saw something new above and have decided to incorporate it in your next crochet project. I would love to hear what your process is too, please comment down below.

Staggered Crochet Baby Blanket Pattern

Single stitch to desired height. At the end of the row, chain one and turn, then repeat this process until you have the desired width. For this blanket, the width should measure more than the height. Change out colors as often as you like to obtain the look you are going for.

If you change colors before the end of a row, you can double or triple knot the ends right under the stitch you are about to complete and the knot should stay out of sight. I tried to stitch over my yarn ends but the ends kept peeking through the rows which you don’t want.

To make a colorful blanket without the staggered rows just change your yarn at the end of the rows. In this blanket I really wanted an uneven cut up effect so some colors I didn’t even chain for an entire row. Other colors I did up to 5 rows but no more than than since I was using 5 colors and it’s only a baby blanket.

Ruffled Boarder

To make the ruffled border you will be crocheting around the edge of the entire blanket so on the shorter sides (height) you will have stitches to insert your hook into but you will need to insert your hook on the longer sides (length) into the edge making your own row. Make one single crochet then chain one, single crochet, chain one, repeat until you get to the end then slip stitch. The extra stitch after your single crochet stitch causes the ruffle. Change yarn to a new color but this time you only have to single crochet in each stitch, slip stitch when you get to the first stitch of that color. Change colors and repeat until done. I only used four colors because I didn’t have enough mustard (yellow) yarn to make it all around.

About Sew Nikki

If this is your first time stopping by, welcome! My name is Nikki. I’m a weekend quilter, have a super small sewing space but have completed over 100 finished items in just over two years and taught myself how to sew and quilt by watching YouTube videos! Read more about me here.

Check out my log cabin block post that has written and step by step picture instructions here.

Don’t know how to set yet but want to make a quilt, then check out my beginner quilting tips here.