Free Crochet Pattern Easy Baby Blanket (With Optional Owl Applique)

Free Baby Blanket Crochet Pattern. this really is an easy and quick-to-make blanket and can be made with an optional owl applique. Or simply left plain as a cozy warm, wrap.

 Crocheting a simple easy babies blanket is a delightful way to welcome a new arrival into the world, something you have created with love.

You need not be a crochet expert to create something of a masterpiece as we recently found out when I was teaching someone to crochet. 

Their goal as a beginner was to learn how to Crochet a simple Baby Blanket.

The blankets is beginner friendly as it uses the one stitch Double Crochet (US) and is a repetitive stitch,.

Remember that crochet is pretty much pushing the hook through the next stitch, working through it by looping (yarn over) and pulling through (pulling the yarn through the stitch).

Once this basic technique is mastered a lot of the stitches are just repeats of this method.

If when starting out you find a stitch you like just keep working on it. Once you have mastered a stitch, the rest seems to come much more easily.

In crochet there are three main BASIC stitches:

Fun Crochet FACT: A cool way to know instantly IF a crochet pattern is US or UJ is to check if they Use single crochet 

US Single Crochet (sc). Single crochet stitch term does not appear in UK crochet patterns!

US Double Crochet (dc) = UK Treble Crochet (tr).

My friend and I are both from the UK but for this blanket, we will be using US crochet terminology. 

Please note: My friend was diagnosed with MS and has limited use of her right hand, so this is a specially-created page for those who also may find crocheting difficult and wish to still continue their much-loved craft.

She also believed herself to be a left-handed crocheter, however, on trying several ways we ended up:

A. Needing a brandy
and
B. Realizing she is actually right-handed for crochet.

When you are learning how to crochet never give up. It is just repetition of the same couple of steps over and over. My very first blanket has more holes than a tea bag, but I am still very proud of it.
So lets get started.

Time required: Total time will vary

Difficulty: Easy. 

Cost: Cost of 5 x 100g of Baby Yarn (aran weight) and a 4.00mm or 5.00 mm hook. 

Materials:5 x 100 grams Redheart Soft Baby Steps

Tools:Yarn

Hook – 4.00mm
Measuring tape
Needle to weave in loose ends
Ribbons to finish if you wish

Red Heart Baby Soft – Gorgeous and SOFT yarn 

Pattern is written in US TERMS We used a Double Crochet (dc) stitch (US) or a Treble Crochet (trc) (UK)

The finished size is 30 x 35 inches (great for a pram blanket, stroller or car seat blanket)

For the purpose of this pattern, I will use the US Crochet terminology.

Easy Baby Blanket Free Crochet Pattern Ch 110 + ch4, turn
Ch110 + ch4 or (ch until work measures 30 inches)

Row 1: insert hook at 4th chain from hook and create a dc, dc to end, turn. (110 stitches)
Row 2: Ch3 (counts as 1st stitch throughout pattern) dc in each st to last st, turn

Row 3: Ch3, dc in each stitch to last st, turn
Row 4: Repeat row 3 until work measures 35 inches long.
fasten off and weave in ends.

You can use the same color here or you could use a nice contrasting color.
Join Yarn and work sc evenly along sides and 3sc in each corner stitch (this helps to keep the corners from curling)
Once all 4 sides are completed in a Sc Finish off and weave in ends.

Adding appliques to your blanket.
Now if your happy with your blanket and do not wish to add appliques then that’s fine however I love to finish off some blankets with different finishes and embelishments.

I created this beautiful crocodile stitch owl applique, after seeing something on pinterest I thought it would look lovely .
I have never written a pattern for the crocodile stitch. And have only learned how to make it from The Crochet Crowd (Watch the video below to see how this is done)
The owl was made with starting 1st row with 3 ‘scales’ and then adding 1 more for the following 7 rows
instead of staggering the crocodile scales I worked them on top of each other.

For the owls head I single crocheted evenly along the top of the last row created (20 stitches)
worked 5 rows,

ch1,  singe crochet, turn {repeat)
Chain 4, treble crochet in next stitch, double crochet in same st as trc, dc, hdc, sc to last 4 stitches, hdc, [dc, tr  in next stitch,] ch 4 in last stitch.
slip to join, fasten off.

Eyes (2)
In White working in the round
15dc into magic circle
OR
Ch 4 slip to join, work 15 dc into the circle created. slip to join to top of ch 4.
Ch3, 2dc in each stitch around, slip to join into the top of ch3. Fasten Off.

Sew eyes onto the top of owl’s head. and using a darker color to create the eyelashes.

Simple Tree Branches

They are simple lengths of chain, with double crochet, or single crochet. Worked along and fastened off. Arrange as you wish.

Small Basic Flower Crochet Pattern (Make as many as you want.)

Magic circle 10.
{ch1, 2dc in next stitch,ch1 slip stitch in next} Repeat{} around. (5 petals created)

Make sure when you are sewing the appliques onto the blanket you insert your needle horizontally through the stitches of the blanket so they do not show on the wrong side of your blanket.

As with any appliques please ensure everything is securely fastened and finished off.

Inspiration for the owl on the blanket was drawn from the “whos a cutie” Owl blanket pattern from Redheart by Michelle Wilcox which I have seen around the web on my travels.

Although the blanket is actually round and the owl is not made with crocodile stitch I think its such a cute owl blanket pattern

Happy Hooking Lisa