I was so thrilled when a box of almost every color in the new Red Heart With Love Better Half showed up at my door from Yarnspirations.com. Each color was so bright and pretty, my first thought was that they might make a really nice blanket. Later, as I tried out different color combinations and stitches, I thought they might make a really cool patchwork! And I think it worked!

Luckily, I had two of the Snow Drop (white) since I used that every other block of color, but one of each of the other colors was just enough to make this darling baby blanket!

If you have never made any of our Gingham Baby Blankets, I’m going to encourage you to watch the video tutorial for this pattern (it’s linked after the pattern section) so you can learn the tips and tricks for carrying yarn along the row and how to switch colors mid-row without the yarn twisting on you. It’s a game-changer to learn a few tips in order to make this blanket work up with ease.

I added a little ribbed border to finish this blanket off, using the color I had the most of left over: Mint and Snow Drop. You can make this any combination of colors. I think that if you have coordinating colors, a patchwork is just all sorts of fun scraps put together however you wish.

I will recommend this yarn, however! It is a nice 50/50 cotton acrylic blend. It’s so nice to make baby blankets with just a bit of cotton and acrylic. They wash up incredibly well and have a nice, matte, heirloom-quality finish.

The stitch I’m using is a slight variation of the griddle stitch. Instead of alternating one SC and one DC, I paired them up and work 2 SC then 2 DC. On the next row, DC will be worked into the top of SC and SC into the top of DC. I love the texture it created, and it did a nice job of disguising the little bits of color you can see of the yarn being carried along the row.

Enjoy! (The free printable version will be linked at the very end of the post.)

Materials

Red Heart With Love Better Half (tap name of yarn to shop on Yarnspirations.com)

1 ball of each color: Hibiscus, Sweet Pea, Lilac, Hydrangea, Mint

2 balls of Snow Drop

Size H 5.mm hook, scissors, tapestry needle.

Stitches

Single Crochet (SC): Insert your hook, YO and pull up a loop, YO, pull through two loops on hook.

Double Crochet (DC): YO, insert your hook, YO and pull up a loop, YO, pull through two loops, YO, pull through remaining two loops.

Front and Back Post Double Crochet (FPDC & BPDC): A front post double crochet means you insert your hook from front to back around the post of the next DC and work a DC. A back post double crochet means you insert your hook from back to front around the post of the next DC and work a DC.

Size

approximately 28 x 28 inches

gauge: 2 inches = 8 sts and 6 rows taken from blanket

Pattern

Chain 111. (Pattern repeat is 10 x any odd number plus 1.)

Row 1: Begin in the second chain from the hook with SC. SC into the next chain. *DC into each of the next 2 chains, SC into each of the next 2 chains. Repeat from * across the next 4 chains for a total of 10 sts. Pull through with next color on the tenth st. Continue with alternating 2 DC and 2 SC across the next 10 chains carrying color not in use along the row and working stitches over it. On the tenth stitch, pull through with original color on last step of the stitch, continue alternating 2 SC and 2 DC (pattern) carrying color not in use along the row. Continue pattern and alternating colors every 10 chains. CH 1 and turn.

Row 2 through 8: Wrap color not in use around the end of the work and carry along the row as you work SC’s into DC’s and DC’s into SC’s of the previous row. Always switching colors every 10 sts. CH 1 and turn at the end of each row.

Tip: to keep the yarn from twisting, keep one color to the front of your work and one to the back. Place the color to the front or back of your work before pulling through with the new color.

Cut colors after 8 rows. Begin next section of new colors by pulling through on the last step of the stitch in row 8, then chain and turn. Introduce the second color on the 10th stitch.

Each block of colors is 8 rows. Make 9 blocks or 72 rows for size 28 x 28. Mix and match the colors to your liking or follow color placement in the photo here:

Block 1: Hibiscus and Sweet Pea

Block 2: Snow Drop and Lilac

Block 3: Hydrangea and Mint

Block 4: Sweet Pea and Snow Drop

Block 5: Lilac and Hibiscus

Block 6: Snow Drop and Hydrangea

Block 7: Mint and Sweet Pea

Block 8: Hibiscus and Snow Drop

Block 9: Hydrangea and Lilac

Border:

Tie off and weave in all ends.

Round 1: With Snow Drop, pull up a loop around the post of the first double crochet in the upper left-hand corner. CH 2. Work 3 DC around the post. *Skip the row that ends with SC, work 3 DC around the post of next row that ends with DC. Repeat from * for the sides, work [DC, CH 2 DC] for each corner. Work 3 DC, skip 2 sts, across the bottom and top. Join with a SL ST the first DC of the round, pulling through with Mint. CH 2 and turn.

Round 2: Work FPDC around DC of corner st, [DC, CH 2, DC] around the ch 2 spaces, FPDC of next DC of corner. Alternate BPDC and FPDC around each DC. Join with a SL ST to the first DC of the round, pulling back through with Snow Drop. CH 2 and turn.

Round 3: Repeat round 2, making sure you are working FPDC around FPDC and BPDC around BPDC keeping the posts popping in the same direction of the previous row. Always work [DC, CH 2, DC] for each corner. Join with a SL ST to the first DC and tie off and weave in all the ends.

Please watch the following tutorial if you have any questions at all:

I love gifting blankets with a cute book, and Hannah has put together a list of some of her kids’ favorite books that are a hit with the toddler crowd!