Soft baby blanket pattern

Size

76 × 90 cm

Gauge

22 stitches and 26 rows in 10 cm

Rows

234

Single crochets

19656

You will need

• DK (3) yarn in the colours listed
• 3 mm crochet hook, or the size that matches your swatch
• Yarn needle and scissors
• Ruler or tape measure
• A: Light pink
• B: White
• C: Light grey

Before you start

• Make a small test piece first. If it comes out larger than the gauge, try a smaller hook. If it comes out smaller, try a larger hook.
• A number in brackets at the end of a line, such as (24), is how many stitches you should have. Count them before moving on.
• Made a mistake? Pull the yarn gently to undo the stitches back to the mistake, then carry on from there.
• This piece is worked flat, back and forth in rows, not in a spiral.
• Moss stitch alternates 1 sc and 1 ch. Each row has 84 sc and 83 chain spaces, and starts with 2 turning chains.
• Choose a soft, washable yarn that does not shed and will not irritate a baby's skin.
• Use yarns of the same weight, from the same range if you can. Yarn use varies, so to estimate it, crochet a 20 × 20 cm swatch, weigh it, multiply by 17.1 and add 10 to 15% extra.

Abbreviations

ch	chain. Wrap the yarn over the hook and pull it through the loop on the hook.
sc	single crochet. Put the hook in a stitch, wrap the yarn, pull up a loop (2 loops on hook), wrap again and pull through both.

Foundation chain

Colour A (Light pink).

1.	With the yarn end, make a slip knot and put it on the hook.
2.	ch 168, keeping the chains even and not too tight.
3.	Count them without the loop on the hook. You should have 168 chains.

Rows 1 to 6

Colour A (Light pink).

Row 1	1 sc in the second chain from the hook, (ch 1, skip 1 chain, 1 sc in the next chain) × 83	(84 sc + 83 ch)
Row 2	ch 2, turn, skip the edge stitch, 1 sc in the first space, (ch 1, 1 sc in the next space) to the end, ch 1, last sc in the first stitch of the row below	(84 sc + 83 ch)
Rows 3–6	ch 2, turn, skip the edge stitch, 1 sc in the first space, (ch 1, 1 sc in the next space) to the end, ch 1, last sc in the turning chain space	(84 sc + 83 ch)

Every row starts and ends at the edge, with stitches going into the spaces of the row below, not on top of stitches. From row 3, the last stitch goes into the space made by the 2 turning chains.

Changing colour

Make the change in the last stitch of row 6, not in the first stitch of the new row. It gives a cleaner line.

1.	Put the hook in the last stitch and pull up a loop in the old colour, so you have 2 loops on the hook.
2.	Stop there. Take the new colour and pull it through both loops to finish the stitch.
3.	ch 2 in the new colour, turn and carry on.
4.	Cut the old colour leaving 12 to 15 cm. You will hide the ends at the end.

Stripe order

Every row is the same: ch 2, turn, skip the edge stitch, 1 sc in the first space, (ch 1, 1 sc in the next space) to the end, ch 1, last sc in the turning chain space. Change colour every 6 rows.

Rows 1–6	Colour A (Light pink)	(84 sc + 83 ch)
Rows 7–12	Colour B (White)	(84 sc + 83 ch)
Rows 13–18	Colour C (Light grey)	(84 sc + 83 ch)
Rows 19–24	Colour A (Light pink)	(84 sc + 83 ch)
Rows 25–30	Colour B (White)	(84 sc + 83 ch)
Rows 31–36	Colour C (Light grey)	(84 sc + 83 ch)
Rows 37–42	Colour A (Light pink)	(84 sc + 83 ch)
Rows 43–48	Colour B (White)	(84 sc + 83 ch)
Rows 49–54	Colour C (Light grey)	(84 sc + 83 ch)
Rows 55–60	Colour A (Light pink)	(84 sc + 83 ch)
Rows 61–66	Colour B (White)	(84 sc + 83 ch)
Rows 67–72	Colour C (Light grey)	(84 sc + 83 ch)
Rows 73–78	Colour A (Light pink)	(84 sc + 83 ch)
Rows 79–84	Colour B (White)	(84 sc + 83 ch)
Rows 85–90	Colour C (Light grey)	(84 sc + 83 ch)
Rows 91–96	Colour A (Light pink)	(84 sc + 83 ch)
Rows 97–102	Colour B (White)	(84 sc + 83 ch)
Rows 103–108	Colour C (Light grey)	(84 sc + 83 ch)
Rows 109–114	Colour A (Light pink)	(84 sc + 83 ch)
Rows 115–120	Colour B (White)	(84 sc + 83 ch)
Rows 121–126	Colour C (Light grey)	(84 sc + 83 ch)
Rows 127–132	Colour A (Light pink)	(84 sc + 83 ch)
Rows 133–138	Colour B (White)	(84 sc + 83 ch)
Rows 139–144	Colour C (Light grey)	(84 sc + 83 ch)
Rows 145–150	Colour A (Light pink)	(84 sc + 83 ch)
Rows 151–156	Colour B (White)	(84 sc + 83 ch)
Rows 157–162	Colour C (Light grey)	(84 sc + 83 ch)
Rows 163–168	Colour A (Light pink)	(84 sc + 83 ch)
Rows 169–174	Colour B (White)	(84 sc + 83 ch)
Rows 175–180	Colour C (Light grey)	(84 sc + 83 ch)
Rows 181–186	Colour A (Light pink)	(84 sc + 83 ch)
Rows 187–192	Colour B (White)	(84 sc + 83 ch)
Rows 193–198	Colour C (Light grey)	(84 sc + 83 ch)
Rows 199–204	Colour A (Light pink)	(84 sc + 83 ch)
Rows 205–210	Colour B (White)	(84 sc + 83 ch)
Rows 211–216	Colour C (Light grey)	(84 sc + 83 ch)
Rows 217–222	Colour A (Light pink)	(84 sc + 83 ch)
Rows 223–228	Colour B (White)	(84 sc + 83 ch)
Rows 229–234	Colour C (Light grey)	(84 sc + 83 ch)

Finishing

1.	After the last stitch, cut the yarn leaving about 15 cm, pull it through the last loop and tighten gently.
2.	With a yarn needle, take each end a few centimetres through stitches of the same colour on the back, then a few stitches in another direction to secure it. Cut the extra.
3.	There is no separate border, so the piece is finished after the last row.

Washing and shaping

1.	Check the care label and wash the piece gently at a suitable temperature.
2.	Press out the extra water with a towel instead of wringing it.
3.	Lay it flat, straighten the edges and corners and leave it until fully dry. Do not hang it, as wet yarn is heavy and stretches.
4.	The target is about 76 × 90 cm. Yarn can shrink or stretch a little, so check the size after the first wash.

If something looks off

•	It gets narrower: you may be skipping the last edge stitch. Each row needs 84 sc.
•	It gets wider: you may be working extra stitches in the spaces or adding chains.
•	The texture looks uneven: put the stitches in the spaces, not on top of the stitches below.
•	The colour changes look uneven: change colour on the last pull-through of the last stitch.
•	The first edge is too tight: chain more loosely, or use a hook half a size larger just for the chain.
•	The shape is off: check your gauge, as a different yarn or hook changes the size.
•	The edges ripple: check that the stitch count has not grown and keep the same tension in both colours.

Stitches used in this pattern

• How to chain stitch in crochet
• How to single crochet for beginners