Making a baby blanket for newborn babies and toddlers can be one of the favorites and dearly cherished gifts. You can make a handmade baby blanket for newborn babies with a suitable size, and patterns with cool and beautiful colors.
Baby blanket project is easier and faster to make, which makes many crocheters love the project more than the afghan and throw blanket projects.
The 9 Best Crochet Pattern for Baby Blanket Explained
There are different and numerous crochet patterns for baby blankets, but let’s discuss the best pattern you can use when you intend to make one. Below are the list of best, easy, unique, and fun-making crochet patterns for baby blankets.
1. Half Double Crochet (HDC) Pattern
HDC is one of the easy and time-saving crochet patterns for making a baby blanket. The complete design is made up of repeated beautiful rows.
2. Blanket Stitch
This pattern looks complex, but you find it easy to make as you crochet. You will arrive at this beautiful crochet pattern by joining two different crochet stitches together. It is an easy-to-learn pattern.
3. Shell Stitch
With the combination of double crochet stitch and single crochet stitch, you will make this crochet pattern. This pattern is shell-like, and it is a beautiful and simple pattern for a baby blanket.
4. Single Crochet (SC) Stitch
This crochet pattern deals with working back and forth rows. SC is one of the basic crochet patterns and is much simpler and easier to learn. You can make a simple and beautiful baby blanket with the SC stitch as a crocheter who is just starting crochet work.
5. Granite Stitch (also called Sand stitch or Miss Stitch)
The entire design is tightly woven together. And it involves using a single crochet stitch and chain stitch, which look beautiful when finished. Make a baby blanket with this pattern, and you will love your work as a beginner.
6. Double Crochet Stitch
This classical crochet pattern is achieved by joining or combining a double crochet stitch in groups or clusters. This crochet pattern is beautiful. You can make the granny ripple baby blanket and give it out to your loved one.
7. Cluster Stitch
Using a group of stitches or clusters, you arrive at the cluster stitch. This crochet pattern makes a beautiful baby blanket for a baby.
8. Waffle Stitch
You can make a warm baby blanket with this crochet pattern. It is a preferable baby blanket for warm cold weather
9. V-shape Stich
This is also a good pattern that you can use to make a baby blanket. This pattern is good for warm weather, because it is open and lighter.
What Are The Best Yarns for Crocheting Baby Blankets?
There are several yarns readily available for crocheting a baby blanket. Crocheters usually want to buy the best yarn, as they will make crocheting baby blankets interesting and enjoyable. There are 2 qualities to look out for when you want to get the best yarn for your baby blanket project; the softness of the yarn and washability of the yarn.
Baby skins are usually sensitive, so if you want to make a baby blanket, the yarn should be perfect to prevent a reaction on the baby’s skin. And also, since the baby blanket needs to be washed severally, you must ensure you get a washable yarn to make the baby blanket.
1. Acrylic Yarn
You can affordably get this quality of yarn in different colors to make baby blanket projects. We have the Brava yarn, which is 100% acrylic yarn that you buy with little amount. It is available in many colors of your choice, and it is best for making a baby blanket. In each skein of brava yarn, the yards are 218 and are less expensive.
Vanna’s Choice yarn and Softee baby yarn are other acrylic yarns that you can get at a cheaper rate. Vanna has 171 yards in each skein, and they come in different beautiful colors too.
Baby blanket yarn is also good for crocheting a baby blanket. This yarn is 100% polyester and has lightweight, which makes your crocheting work easy. They also come in beautiful different colors.
Another 100% acrylic yarn is the baby soft step yarn, which you can get in multiple colors to crochet a baby blanket.
2. Cotton and cotton yarn
This quality of the yarn is washable, soft, and lightweight. They are perfect and cozy for baby blankets. An example of cotton yarn is the Comfy cotton blend, which is a mixture of polyester and cotton. Each skein of comfy cotton has 392 yards.
Comfy worsted yarn is another example of cotton yarn that is washable, dryable, and soft because it possesses 75% Pima cotton. Comfy worsted yarn can be used for the baby blanket project, as well as other crocheting projects you may think of.
What Are the Steps to Crocheting a Baby Blanket?
Crochet a baby blanket can be captivating. It is actually a small project, which means a beginner can use this project to start. Crocheting a baby blanket is easier and quicker. The single crochet stitch and chain stitch are required.
- First of all, get your equipment, such as a stitch maker, tapestry needle, and crochet hook with your material (either the comfy worsted yarn or any other good yarn) ready.
- To create a foundation, make a slip knot
- Now that you have made a knot, follow the pattern to finish the first row
- Till you get your preferred and desired size, continue the stitches, and when you are done, weave the end to prevent loosening up later.
You see that crocheting a baby blanket is not that hard to project. You can get a perfect yarn and make a beautiful baby blanket.
How Many Stitches Do I Need to Crochet a Baby Blanket?
Well, there are no standard stitches you should use when making you make a baby blanket. Let you have a pattern design you desired to make. Look at the pattern, you can count the number of rows on the particular design. However, to know the number of stitches you need to crochet a particular baby blanket, you should know that it all depends on the size/width of the baby blanket you want to crochet.
The number of stitches also depends on the size of the crochet hook, the yarn, and the crochet pattern you intend to use. The different yarn has their different stitches when you crochet with them. For example, the need to use bulky yarn will differ from comfy worsted yarn.
What Size of Crochet Hook Should I Use for Baby Blankets?
The size of a crochet hook to use for your baby blanket project depends on the yarn you want to use. This is because the yarn has a different texture. You can not use the crochet hook you use to make bulky yarn for worsted yarn.
If it is your first time crocheting a baby blanket, you can go to the yarn label and check for the recommended crochet hook. If you find it hard to pass your crochet hook through a stitch row you have made when crocheting, you can change to another crochet hook for easy and smooth work.
What Size Should a Baby Blanket Be?
Well, when you want to crochet a baby blanket, you can adopt a standard baby blanket, which is 42 by 52 (107 cm x 132 cm), meaning the standard width should be 42 inches and the length should be 52 inches. The size of the baby blanket will vary, as the size of the baby will equally affect it.
How Many Yards of Yarn Do I Need for a Baby Blanket?
Typically, to know the number of yards you need for a baby blankety project, you should determine the size of blanket you want to make. You can use one skein of yarn to crochet a small baby blanket, but when it is bigger, you will need more yarn, like fur skins.
And this also depends on how big the baby is (how big the baby is) and the pattern of stitch you desire to use, because some crochet patterns will require more yards of yarn. Generally, a baby blanket is usually 36 to 40 square.
Between Crocheting and Knitting a Blanket, Which Is Faster and Easier?
Making a blanket is a great project that requires time and creative ability. Now knitting a blanket is easy, as well as crocheting a blanket. But when it comes to which is quicker or faster, crocheting a blanket tends to be faster than knitting.
A crocheter can take weeks to crochet a big blanket, like an Afghan blanket, but when it is knitting, it will take a whole month. However, you should know that some factors will determine the fastness of making a blanket.
Factors like the skill/speed of a crocheter, the pattern you want to use (that is the complexity of the pattern), the size of the blanket you intend to make (either small or big), and the weight of the yarn for the blanket. All these factors will affect the length of time you will spend making your blanket.
Between Crocheting and Knitting a Blanket, Which Is Cheaper?
You will spend more if you want to crochet a blanket, especially if you are thicker, as it will consume more yards (33%) than knitting a blanket. Though knitting is more time-consuming, it does not require many yards of yarn like crocheting.
So your budget will be higher when you intend to crochet a blanket, and less when you want to knit, but be ready to spend longer.
Crocheting or Knitting a Baby Blanket, Which Is Better?
Crocheting or knitting a baby blanket depends on whichever you feel like doing. Crocheting a lace baby blanket will be a good idea, as it will save time and is usually simpler for beginners to learn than knitting.
It will be better to knit if you want your baby blanket solid without holes.
How Long Will It Take Me to Crochet a Blanket?
It will take a casual crocheter week to month to crochet a blanket, but a crocheter who invests his time will use 20 hours to crochet a blanket.
If you are committed to crocheting, you will use less time to make a blanket. This is if you choose a simple crochet pattern, like the single crochet stitch, which involves the repetition of rows till the completion of the design.
A thicker yarn tends to be faster when crocheting, but will still require more time if the pattern is complex and the size of the blanket is bigger.
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Conclusion
Crocheting is a creative craft work that you will derive joy from when you engage in it. Imagine when you crochet a beautiful baby blanket for a newborn or toddler and gift it. It tends to bring a warm feeling of love.
Crochet a baby blanket is a small crocheting project, which you can do within a few hours. You can make a beautiful baby blanket using one of the best crochet patterns, like the single crochet pattern, shell stitch, double crochet, and others. These crochet patterns are easy and quick to learn.
In making a baby blanket, you can use acrylic yarns, cotton, or cotton blend yarn, as they are soft and washable. These qualities of yarns will provide comfort for baby skin. They come in different beautiful colors. Examples include brava yarn, comfy cotton blend, baby blanket yarn, etc.
You can knit or crochet a baby blanket as long as it is what you want to do, but crocheting blankets tend to be faster than knitting.