Baby Crochet Patterns: Blanket, Cardigan, Lovey and Booties
The two baby crochet patterns people search for most, the blanket and the lovey, are the two things the AAP says to keep out of a baby’s sleep area until the first birthday. None of the pages ranking at the top for this search mentions it, so we put it first: make them for cuddles and supervised floor time, and keep the crib bare.
The second thing they skip: a baby garment’s size is often set by the hook, not the stitch count. The six free baby crochet patterns below link to each designer’s page, and every figure was checked against that page and the yarn label.
| Pattern | Finished size | Yarn | Hook | Yarn used |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barclay Baby Blanket | 28 x 28 in | Bulky (5) | K / 6.5 mm | 605 yd |
| Ella Cardigan | chest 16 to 30 in | DK (3) or worsted (4) | G / 4 mm to J / 6 mm | 358 to 1,065 yd |
| Bunny lovey | about 20 in across | Worsted (4) | H-8 / 5 mm | 3 colours, about 150 yards each |
| Easy baby bib | 9.5 x 6.5 in | Cotton worsted (4) | H / 5 mm | about 1.5 oz |
| Sleepy Bunny rattle | 3 in wide, 7 in tall | Light (3) | 3.0 mm | not stated |
| Easy baby booties | sole 3.3 to 4.0 in | Cotton DK (3) | E / 3.5 mm to G / 4 mm | 35 to 40 grams |
Which baby crochet patterns cover the first year?
Six baby crochet patterns cover it: a blanket, a cardigan, a lovey, a bib, a rattle and a pair of booties. The bib and booties are an evening each; the blanket and cardigan are the long projects.
All six baby crochet patterns use the naming convention where sc means single crochet. The other convention calls that stitch double crochet (dc), so check each abbreviation key before the first row. Hats have their own guides: our crochet baby hat sizes from 0 to 3 years and the newborn hat roundup.
The Barclay Baby Blanket: the easiest first baby project
Of all the baby crochet patterns here, the Barclay Baby Blanket by Maisie and Ruth is the one to start with; the designer calls it beginner-friendly. It comes in baby (28 x 28 in), lapghan (36 x 45 in) and throw (48 x 60 in) sizes, in Paintbox Yarns Simply Chunky, a bulky (5) yarn, on a K / 6.5 mm hook at 12 stitches and 8 rows to 4 in.
The multiple. The stitch pattern works over a multiple of 3 + 1, plus 1 extra chain for the foundation. That is why the chains are 80, 110 and 140 for the three sizes: each is a multiple of 3 plus 2. A new width needs a chain on the same rule, or row one will not end cleanly.
Yarn. The designer lists 5 (9, 15) balls for 605 (1,231, 2,191) yd. The Simply Chunky label prints 149 yd and 136 m per 100 g ball. The label suggests a J / 6.0 mm hook; the pattern goes half a size up.
Our number. The Barclay uses 0.77 yd per square inch at baby size (605 yd over 784 sq in) and 0.76 at the other two sizes. So the Barclay stitch at the 36 x 35 in baby afghan size in the Craft Yarn Council’s charity afghan brochure (1,260 sq in) would take about 970 yd. Calculated from the designer’s stated sizes and yardage; we have not made the blanket.
The Ella Cardigan: one chain count, eight sizes
The Ella Cardigan, also by Maisie and Ruth, starts every size with a chain of 57 and 56 stitches in Row 1, from newborn to age 8. Size comes from the hook and yarn alone, so with baby crochet patterns built this way a half-millimetre hook change is a size change.
The four baby sizes run newborn, 0-3, 3-6 and 6-12 months, on hooks of G / 4 mm, 4.5 mm, H / 5 mm and H / 5 mm. The finished chest is 16 (18, 20, 21.5) in to fit a chest of 14 (16, 17, 18) in. That matches the Craft Yarn Council baby size chart: a 16 in chest at 3 months.
The small sizes use Stylecraft Bambino DK at 293 yd and 268 m per 100 g; the bigger ones switch to Caron Simply Soft at 315 yd and 288 m per 170 g. Yardage is given per size, from 358 yd to 1,065 yd. Two gauges are written over 6 in instead of 4 in, for example 27 stitches and 19 rows to 6 in at 0-3 months.
The newborn 4 mm hook is below the Craft Yarn Council DK range but matches the Bambino label. Sew the three 15 mm buttons on hard; see the small parts note below.
A lovey and a rattle with nothing to swallow
Both toys use embroidered eyes, the right choice for baby crochet patterns that will be chewed. The CPSC small parts rule covers products intended for children under 3 and counts parts that break off, which is how a safety eye or button becomes a choking hazard.
Crochet Lovey Blanket: A Bunny to Love
Cheryl Bennett’s bunny lovey is a small blanket worked in rounds from a ring of 4 chains, with a stuffed bunny head and French knot eyes. It takes worsted yarn in 3 colours at about 150 yards each, plus 1 yd of dark brown, on an H-8 / 5 mm hook, and measures about 20 in across or 13.5 in folded, ears excluded.
There is no gauge or skill level, so size follows your tension. The 5 mm hook sits just under the Craft Yarn Council’s worsted range.
Sleepy Bunny Crochet Rattle
Petra Salisbury’s Sleepy Bunny rattle stands 7 in tall and 3 in wide (18 cm by 8 cm) and needs a rattle insert, fibre fill and a wooden ring of 7 cm (2.75 in) outside diameter. The designer warns against safety eyes and buttons under 3.
The pattern prints the yarn as 212 m per 100 g only; the Lion Brand Coboo label gives 232 yd and 212 m, so do not read metres as yards. The page also calls the 3 mm hook a C/2, but the Craft Yarn Council hook chart lists C-2 as 2.75 mm and no letter for 3.0 mm, so buy by millimetres. Instead of a gauge, a flat circle of 6 rounds should measure 2 in.
A bib and booties for the small gifts
These are the fastest baby crochet patterns here, one ball each, both in cotton.
Easy Crochet Baby Bib. The Traverse Bay Crochet bib measures about 9.5 x 6.5 in, starts with a chain of 30, and is worked in half double crochet at 12 stitches and 7 rows to 4 in on an H / 5 mm hook. Yarn is given by weight only: about 1.5 oz from a 2.5 oz ball. The Lily Sugar’n Cream label gives the solid colours as 120 yd and 109 m per 71 g ball. Its 1 in button falls under the small parts note above.
Easy Crochet Baby Booties. Jess Coppom’s booties at Make and Do Crew come in 0-3, 3-6 and 6-12 months, sized by hook: E / 3.5 mm, F / 3.75 mm and G / 4 mm. Instead of a swatch, measure the sole after Round 6: 3.3 (3.5, 4.0) in. They take about 35 to 40 grams of Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton DK, which the label gives as 273 yd and 250 m per 100 g. Our crochet baby shoes guide has more sizes.
Which yarn weight and hook suit baby crochet patterns?
Light (3) and medium (4) yarn cover five of the six patterns; only the Barclay blanket goes bulky. The Craft Yarn Council yarn weight system suggests 4.5 to 5.5 mm hooks for light yarn and 5.5 to 6.5 mm for medium, calling the table guidelines only.
Five of these six baby crochet patterns go below that range somewhere, on purpose: the booties use 3.5 mm to 4 mm in DK, the rattle 3.0 mm, the bib and lovey 5 mm in worsted, the Ella 4 mm at newborn. Denser fabric keeps stuffing in and holds a bootie’s shape, so the pattern’s hook beats the chart.
Where baby crochet patterns go wrong
Running out of yarn on the throw size. Simply Chunky balls leave 140 yd spare at baby size (745 yd against 605 yd) and 110 yd at lapghan (1,341 yd against 1,231 yd). Fifteen balls for the throw hold 2,235 yd against 2,191 yd: a 44 yd margin, or 2%. Loose tension eats that, so buy a sixteenth ball in the same dye lot. Read the label’s 136 m as yards and nine balls look like 1,224 yd, 7 yd short of the lapghan.
A cardigan that fits the wrong baby. Because the Ella uses the same 56 stitches for every size, swapping a 4.5 mm hook for a 5 mm one moves you from the 0-3 month chest of 18 in to the 3-6 month chest of 20 in with no warning. Swatch with the exact hook and yarn for your size and measure after blocking, as the designer did.
A curling bottom edge. A foundation chain tighter than the rows makes flat pieces curl; chain on a hook one size up, then switch back for Row 1.
How to crochet a simple baby blanket, step by step
This is a general method for a plain single crochet blanket in worsted yarn, not one of the baby crochet patterns above. The chain count comes from your own swatch, and we have not made a sample.
- Choose yarn and hook. A medium (4) worsted in a washable fibre, and a hook in the 5.5 to 6.5 mm range.
- Swatch. Crochet a square of single crochet about 4 in wide and count the stitches across 4 in. The Craft Yarn Council range is 11 to 14 sc.
- Work out the chain. Stitches per inch times the width you want, plus 1 for the turning chain. At 12 sc to 4 in, that is 3 per inch; for a blanket 36 in wide, 108 stitches, so chain 109.
- Row 1. Single crochet in the second chain from the hook and in every chain across. Count: you should have 108 stitches.
- Build the rows. Chain 1, turn, single crochet in every stitch. Count every few rows; a lost stitch at each edge is how blankets turn into trapezoids.
- Stop at length. Keep going until the blanket measures 35 in, flat and unstretched.
- Add a border. One round of single crochet all the way around, with 3 sc in each corner so the corners lie flat.
- Finish. Weave in ends through several stitches in different directions, then wash and dry as the label says.
To estimate yarn before buying, weigh your swatch, then multiply by the blanket’s area divided by the swatch’s area. At 36 x 35 in, that area is 1,260 sq in.
Can a baby sleep with a crochet blanket?
No, not in the first year. The AAP’s parent guide on HealthyChildren.org says to keep soft objects and loose bedding out of a baby’s sleep area, up to 1 year. That covers blankets and loveys from any baby crochet patterns.
They still make good gifts for floor play or a lap during a feed, and a lovey can wait for the first birthday. Say so in the gift card, and on sleep, follow the family’s own doctor.
Frequently asked questions
Which baby crochet patterns are easiest for a beginner?
The Barclay Baby Blanket, which its designer calls beginner-friendly, or the bib, which is rows of half double crochet on a chain of 30.
What yarn weight is best for baby crochet patterns?
Light (3, DK) and medium (4, worsted) are the usual choices, and five of the six patterns here use one of them. Use cotton for bibs and booties.
How much yarn do I need for a crochet baby blanket?
Baby crochet patterns vary by stitch and size. The Barclay needs 605 yd of bulky yarn for 28 x 28 in, which works out at 0.77 yd per square inch.
Can I put a crochet blanket in my baby’s crib?
Not before 1 year. AAP guidance keeps soft objects and loose bedding out of the sleep area for the first year.
Are safety eyes safe on crochet toys for babies?
Embroider the eyes instead. The CPSC small parts rule applies to products for children under 3 and counts parts that come off.
Where to go next
- Crochet for Baby: more baby crochet patterns.
- Baby Clothes: baby crochet patterns for hats and shoes.
- Free Blanket Patterns
Sources
- Maisie and Ruth, The Barclay Baby Blanket and The Ella Cardigan
- Crochet 365 Knit Too, Crochet Lovey Blanket: A Bunny to Love
- Traverse Bay Crochet, Easy Crochet Baby Bib
- Cuddly Stitches Craft, Sleepy Bunny Crochet Rattle
- Make and Do Crew, Easy Crochet Baby Booties
- Craft Yarn Council, Standard Yarn Weight System, Hooks and Needles, Baby Size Chart and charity afghan brochure
- Yarn labels: Paintbox Yarns Simply Chunky, Stylecraft Bambino DK, Caron Simply Soft, Lily Sugar’n Cream, Lion Brand Coboo, Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton DK
- HealthyChildren.org (AAP), A Parent’s Guide to Safe Sleep
- CPSC, Small Parts for Toys and Children’s Products
