I was looking for a simple baby blanket pattern that would work up quickly for a craft fair I’ll be doing soon, and found this pattern that Donna Laing designed for Project Linus, an organization that makes baby blankets for charity. I modified it just a bit and tried it in various color schemes and love the way it turned out. I also donate blankets to charity and will definitely get a lot of use out of this pattern.
The pattern is similar to a regular shell, but because it is both single and double crochet with chain in between, the shells are leaning so they’re almost sideways. The resulting effect is a nice, wavy pattern – one row leaning in one direction, the next leaning the opposite way.
Donna’s pattern buckled a little for me at the beginning, so I chose to use a hook one size larger for the beginning chain before moving on to the pattern repeat and that worked out well to make it sit flat without puckering at all. I chose colors appropriate for both girl and boy, and named them Neapolitan (or Raspberry Parfait, if you prefer) and Blueberry Hill.
The original baby afghan pattern called for a starting chain of 92, but I like my blankets to be just a little bit wider, so I added one pattern repeat. You could do the same, or add an extra row of border to make it larger as well. As written below, the blanket measures approximately 33” wide.
Waves of Color Pattern
3 (7 oz) skeins of worsted weight yarn in coordinating colors (one of each)
Size I and J crochet hook
For the Neapolitan blanket, I used Red Heart yarn colors:
A = Petal Pink
B = White
C = Café Latte
For the Blueberry Hill blanket, I used Red Heart yarn colors:
A = Light Blue
B = White
C = Coffee
Directions:
With size J crochet hook and color A, chain 95.
Row 1: With size I crochet hook, SC in 5th ch from hook, ch 2, 2 DC in same space, *sk 2 ch, SC, ch 2, 2DC in next ch. Repeat from * across, ending with DC in last ch. Attach color B, ch 3, turn.
Tip: Use this method for joining yarn at the end of a row.
Row 2: SC in first ch 2 sp, ch 2, 2 DC in same space. Repeat across, making the shell in each ch 2 sp of the previous row, ending with DC in last ch. Attach color C, ch 3, turn.
Row 3 – end: Repeat row 2 with color C, then alternate colors A, B, C, until desired length, ending with color C. Do not cut yarn, but work around the remaining three sides of the blanket with the same shell pattern (SC, ch 2, 2DC). Cut yarn, weave in ends.
This blanket works up quickly and is a great go-to pattern for when you need something for that baby shower next weekend that you forgot about. It’s easy enough for a beginner, but pretty enough for someone more experienced who needs a break from more complicated projects.
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