Using just two skeins you can create this gorgeous Caron Cotton Cakes Baby Blanket with just single and double crochet stitches!
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Design Story and Inspiration for This Caron Cakes Yarn Blanket
I named this crochet pattern the Hydrangea Baby Blanket after the color way I chose for this blanket and it’s really lovely. It just uses basic crochet stitches (chains, single crochet and double crochet!) so that it’s great for any skill level.
This blanket uses very simple construction and is made of only single and double crochets. It uses a stitch called the Lemon Peel Stitch, which is simply an alternating sc and dc.
The border is a simple row of sc followed by dc shells. The written pattern and close up video tutorials (right handed and left handed) will walk you through every step!
Yarn Options for This Easy Crochet Baby Blanket Pattern
This is a wonderful cotton yarn that is a great choice for crochet baby blankets and other summer blankets. You can get this yarn at Michaels stores in lots of great colorways, or you can pick it up online. It’s a worsted weight yarn (category #4) and I used a larger hook than called for to get good drape from the fabric.
If you haven’t checked out Caron Cotton Cakes I really urge you to! One of the things I really loved is that there were no abrupt color changes. I get asked a lot if I cut the yarn when making this blanket and the answer is nope, only for the border! I just continued working and the yarn did all the color work for me.
Pick up 2 cakes and create this blanket with plenty of yarn left to make a hat or other matching item. It’s also amazing for beach bags, market bags and most other projects that cottong yarn is used for.
Of course, one of the best things about baby afghan patterns it that you can use any yarn you like from your yarn stash, so feel free to substitute any kind of yarn you like. Caron Cotton Funnel Cakes, Caron Baby Cakes or other baby yarn are fun choices, too!
You also don’t have to stick to the specific size I made, either! Make it as large or as small as you want!
Find this pattern on Ravelry here! Save to your favorite or buy the ad-free PDF
How to Customize This Simple Crochet Baby Blanket Pattern
- Change up the colors. The best way is to find out the nursery colors and match the colors of the blanket to those. This gives a wonderful custom gift that can be displayed in the baby’s room. You can always make it a solid color, too, if you choose.
- Make it larger or smaller. Don’t want it the small size specified? No worries! Just chain any odd number (the stitch pattern is an even number plus one for the turning chain) and you can make this pattern any size you like. Just chain an odd number around the width of the blanket you’d like and continue working the pattern until it is the desired length.
- Add a different border. I used a simple shell stitch border, but you can use any border you like. I have a link below to more than 27 different border patterns, and any of these would look great with this blanket pattern.
- Personalize it. Embroider the baby’s name or add an applique to your blanket.
- Attach tassels or fringe. While I wouldn’t go crazy on these with a baby blanket if it is going to be used a lot, you can definitely add these to decorative blankets or blankets for a bit older child.
View the Left Handed Close Up Video Tutorial Here
Caron Cotton Cakes Baby Blanket
What You’ll Need
Yarn: Caron Cotton Cakes, 2 skeins Hydrangea (Worsted, Medium Weight #4)
Hook: K/10.5 (6.50mm)
Notions: Yarn needle (tapestry needle), scissors
Skill Level: Easy
Gauge: 13 sts and 13 rows = 4″ in pattern st (sc, dc)
Finished Size: Approximately 25″ x 34″
You’ll Also Love These Other Baby Crochet Afghans
Caron Cotton Cakes Baby Blanket Pattern
Ch 101. (To make this larger or smaller simply chain an odd number of sts)
Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook, dc in next ch, *sc in next ch, dc in next ch; repeat from * to end; turn – 100 sts.
Row 2: Ch 1, *sc in next dc, dc in next sc; repeat from * to end; turn.
Rows 3-72 (or to desired size): Repeat row 2.
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Border
Round 1: Ch 1, sc evenly around, working (sc, ch 1, sc) in each corner. Join with slip st to first st; turn.
Round 2: Ch 3 (counts as dc), 2 dc in ch-1 sp, *skip next st, sc in next st, skip next st, 5 dc in next st; repeat from *, working a 5-dc cluster in each corner until you reach the beginning, 2 dc in same space as t-ch.
Fasten off.
Weave in ends.
If you’d like a different border, be sure to check out this post of 25 crochet border patterns.
**If you want the blanket to have a single color border like mine, you will need to cut the yarn when it gets to a color change and go to the next section of the yarn in that color. I used my ball winder to wind up the other colors and have some super cute mini cakes! This is totally optional.
Final Thoughts on Our Caron Cotton Cakes Baby Blanket
That’s it! Such a simple yet elegant blanket! I hope you’ve enjoyed this tutorial. If you make this blanket, I’d love for you to tag me on Instagram. I love seeing what everyone makes!
Check out the rest of my free crochet patterns here – including a lot more easy crochet patterns and other blanket patterns! See you next time.
Happy Crocheting!
Amanda
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Amanda, Beautiful and looks cushy. You did not tell us what the finished size would be using
initial 100 stitches at the beginning of your pattern.
Thanks for pointing this out to me Wendy! This summer mom brain must be out of it. I went in and added that info plus the gauge. 🙂
I am wondering if I can use bernat baby blanket yarn for this pattern?
Thank you
I think it would work out okay, it would just be a lot bigger. 🙂
You did not state total yardage needed. What size cake? Thank you
Hi! Each of the Caron Cotton Cakes has 530 yards and I used just a little of the second cake. 750 yards should be plenty to make this size.
I’m all about easy and this is just what I was looking for. Thanks.
Amanda, How to I print free crochet pattern? I can’t figure it out.
Can I print the Hydrangea baby blanket pattern?
Beautiful blanket! I would like to make a wider blanket. What are the multiples? Thank you for sharing your pattern.
Hi Dawn! Thank you! This stitch is a multiple of 2 plus 1 so any odd number will work. 🙂
Oh, lemon peel is my favorite stitch pattern!! I love it for blankets, scarves, and just finished a dish cloth in it for my daughter. It makes a beautiful baby blanket. My granddaughter is 11, and I noticed she still has hers, as a lap blanket. Haven’t tried Caron cakes, but oh, give me some Caron Simply Soft!!
How did you get the colors so uniform? Did you cut and change to the next color when you wanted to change? This looks too perfect to use the cake in its entirety.
Is this soft? I’m used to working with baby Bernet yarn.
Hi Toni!
I did not cut the yarn at all – this is straight from the cake. I am too lazy to weave in all those ends. 🙂 This yarn is soft when you use the larger hook with it, making it more drapable. I love it!
Amanda – I so want to thank you for this pattern. I am in late 70’s and a knitter tho had for 55 years never knitted a stitch. I took it up again in last 4 years and also wanted to try to learn to crochet which I had never done. I learned off You Tube and absolutely love it but I get very frustrated and disappointed when doing work and sides are higgelty-pigglety…and uneven. I have tried to hard to improve that aspect of my work …with minor success. This pattern here is the answer….a God send as it precisely instructs to always start with a single and always end with a double………so easy, Brilliant and the results are fabulous.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.,
Maureen in Bermuda.,
Yay!! So glad I could help 😀
You say using a baby yarn would make the blanket a lot bigger–why?
I’m sorry, I’m not sure where you heard that but a baby yarn would definitely not make the blanket bigger. This yarn used for the blanket is a worsted weight yarn.
On April 20, 2020, you replied to Julie Morris that Bernat Baby blanket yarn would make a bigger blanket. You may have miss-spoken or I’ve misunderstood what you wrote. Could you please clarify as I will be using Lion Baby Soft yarn and, like Julie, am wondering about using baby yarn for this pattern too. The colors in your Hydrangea blanket are the most beautiful I’ve ever seen in a baby blanket.
Also, can you please give me an estimate as to how many hours it will take a person with medium experience crocheting to crochet this blanket? Thank you for sharing this pattern.
A heavier weight yarn will most definitely make a bigger blanket if you use the same stitch count. The yarn used here is worsted weight (category #4). The Bernat Blanket yarn is a super bulky yarn (category #6), so it will make a larger blanket. Even though it says “Bernat Baby Blanket” it is still a heavy weight yarn.
This blanket works up fairly quickly. I’d say it could be done in a couple of weekends. Not sure about how many hours it would take. I made mine here and there working on it on car rides and in the school pick up line getting my kiddos. 🙂
Hi love this pattern, please can you tell me stitch to use for edging.
Jan from Australia
Hi Jan, the border instructions are in the pattern, and there is also a video tutorial. 🙂
Amanda, I’m anxious to try making your hydrangea baby blanket and am just wondering whether you follow a pattern for the number of rows you crochet per color. Also, do you coincide your color changes with the end of the rows?
Hi Pat! I made this blanket straight from the cake and did not worry about color changes or how many rows per color, I just used the cake as it was and I love the way it turned out 🙂