Hi there, Hannah here with a new simple baby blanket pattern! 

One of my good friends here in Denver is expecting a baby girl in the next few months and I wanted to make her a baby blanket for her baby shower, but since my crochet time is more limited these days with my busy toddler I needed something that would be easy and work up fast, so I decided to make a one color blanket using one of our favorite stitches – the even moss. 🙂

The even moss stitch is a combination of alternating slip stitch and half double crochet that makes a beautiful wavy texture on both sides of the blanket.

The only tricky thing about this stitch is that each row starts and ends with a slip stitch, which can sometimes make the sides super tight, but if you can just remember to keep your first and last stitches a little bit looser than your normal tension, then it will make it a bit easier to insert your hook at the end of each row. 

I made this blanket with Bernat Softee Cotton yarn, which is a cotton/acrylic blend that I love to use for baby blankets because it is easy to wash and makes a nice lightweight blanket that is great to have for babies on the go. 

I’ve made several blankets with Bernat Softee Cotton, and even though the label of the yarn calls for a size G/4.00mm hook, I have also used a 4.5mm hook or a 5.00mm hook depending on the stitches I used for that particular blanket.

For this Simple Sandstone Blanket I used a 4.5mm hook, but I would definitely suggest working up a practice swatch with this yarn before you get started to see if you need to go up or down a hook size for your personal tension.

Before her baby shower my friend told me that she is really loving rainbow themed baby things for her girl, so I was excited when I found these super soft and darling rainbow jammies from Caden Lane that came in the perfect colors!

Here is a quick video tutorial of the even moss stitch if you’d like to watch before you get started!

Materials

Bernat Softee Cotton (60% cotton, 40% acrylic, 120 g/4.2 oz, 232 m/254 yds)

5 skeins Sandstone 

Size 4.5mm hook, tapestry needle, scissors

Size

Finished size 27 in x 27 in

Gauge 4 in = 19 st and 22 rows

Stitches

Slip Stitch (SL ST): Insert your hook, yarn over (YO), pull up a loop and pull directly through loop on hook. 

Half Double Crochet (HDC): YO, insert your hook, YO and pull up a loop, YO and pull through three loops on hook. 

Half Double Slip Stitch (HDSS): YO, insert your hook, YO, pull up a loop and pull directly through two loops on hook.

Pattern

Chain 120 (or any even number). 

Row 1: Starting in the 2nd chain from the hook, work 1 SL ST. *Work 1 HDC in the next stitch, then 1 SL ST in the next stitch. Repeat from * across the row. CH 1 and turn. 

Row 2: Work 1 SL ST in the first stitch. *Work 1 HDC in the next stitch, then 1 SL ST in the next stitch. Repeat from * across the row. CH 1 and turn. 

Repeat row 2 until your blanket measures appx. 26 inches or your desired length. 

Border

After your last row, you can either tie off and pull up a loop in the corner to start the border, or you can CH 1 and start working the border down the side of the blanket. 

Round 1: Work 1 round of SC around the blanket, working 3 SC in each corner. (On the sides of the blanket, I worked 2 SC in the first space and 1 SC in the next space, and continued alternating 2 SC and 1 SC down each side. On each end of the blanket I worked 1 SC per stitch.)

Round 2: Slip stitch into starting stitch. Continue working in same direction and CH 5. Starting in the 2nd chain from the hook, work HDSS in each of the 4 chains back toward the edge of the blanket. *Slip stitch into the next stitch, and in the next stitch. Turn and work HDSS in the back loops of each of the 4 HDSS you just made. CH 1 and turn. Work back down the HDSS in the back loops only. (Be careful not to miss the 4th stitch, it sometimes pulls tight and is hard to see.) Repeat from across * each side.

Corners: When you reach a corner space, only slip stitch once, before turning and *working HDSS back up to the top of the border. Return and slip stitch once into the corner space. Repeat from * two more times, then resume slip stitching into each of the next two stitches and working across the side.

(If your corner isn’t looking rounded enough, you can slip stitch an additional time into the corner and work up and down an extra time with HDSS, or if it is causing the border to ripple, you can slip stitch into the corner only two times instead of three.)

When you reach the starting corner, work the corner the same way as previous corners. Stop when you get to the top of the border and tie off, then use a tapestry needle to sew corners together. Then weave in that end and any additional ends and enjoy your blanket!

If you’d like to add finishing touches to your blanket, lay it out flat on a towel or foam blocking boards if you have them. Use a spray bottle with water to dampen. Press the blanket into straight lines, massaging the stitches and adjusting your tension. Pin with straight pins and let it dry.

Thank you so much for visiting Daisy Farm Crafts! If you make any projects using any of our patterns please share a picture with us on Facebook or Instagram using #daisyfarmcrafts, we would love to see! Happy Crocheting! xo, Hannah

Click here or on image below for printable pattern