I learned to crochet while I was pregnant with my second son, and of course wanted to make him a blanket. I followed a simple star pattern, in honour of my first son. While I was pregnant and then later, before Lane was the incredibly busy & helpful toddler he is now, I spent a lot of time crocheting. I love making baby blankets for other expecting mothers. A handmade blanket is such a beautiful gift, filled with love. I quickly found, however, that many baby blanket patterns were more suited to girls. Many of my expectant friends had chosen to not find out the gender of their babies, or were having boys too! Even the ‘gender neutral’ patterns I came across seemed frillier than I was looking for. I wanted something different, something more masculine! I designed this tartan blanket as a classic, timeless piece that is also cozy and cute.
Plaid is an impressive design that is actually much simpler than it looks. If you have never tried it, I have a tutorial (video and photos) here.
For this project you will need 3 colours of yarn. I used Bernat Premium, Red Heart Super Saver and Red Heart Comfort yarn. I know they are not baby yarns and some people don’t like to mix brands or types, but we’re in the middle of a pandemic so this is what I had accessible. Lane is a toddler now so I wasn’t as concerned about his sensitive skin, but if you are making this for newborn it can easily be adapted for any baby yarn of similar weight.
Plus crochet is an art form and you should be able to do what you please! Just keep like fibres with like. These yarns are all acrylic and are all medium (4) weight and recommend a 5 or 5.5 mm crochet hook. I instead decided to size up to a 6.5 mm hook. You may do the same, or adjust based on your tension and own personal preferences.
Now I absolutely love blue, it is just my colour and always has been. So of course I am partial to blue for this pattern, as well as for a little boy. But this design would look adorable in pinks, greys, greens, yellows…whatever! The trick to choosing colours for plaid is either a light or dark neutral, and then two different shades of the same colour. This gives the incredible woven illusion where the stripes intersect.
The size of this blanket is great and versatile. It’s a bit larger than I would use for the newborn bucket carseat but is perfect for wrapping around Lane’s shoulders when we run in or out of the car, tucking him up on the couch next to me, or in the stroller. He loves to grab a blanket (one of many!) and drag it around the house, curl up wherever with it, or incorporate it into his play. It is not too thick but not too thin, it is a great all season blanket. And one thing I especially like about the plaid blankets is the added strength from the yarn you carry over - this blanket will hold up to a toddler’s rambunctious lifestyle!
MATERIALS
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3 colours of yarn required (1 ball each, my B ball was giant so you might need two of that depending on your ball lengths - I had about ¼ of each ball left over)
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Colour A – Aran (Red Heart Super Saver 333m)
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Colour B – Denim Fleck (Red Heart Comfort 560m)
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Colour C – Navy (Bernat Premium 329m)
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Scissors
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Tapestry needle
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Crochet hook (6.5 mm and 5.5 mm)
FINISHED DIMENSIONS: 34 x 44”
Gauge: 5 in. = 14 sts, 11 rows
STITCHES USED IN THIS PATTERN:
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Half Double (HDC), Double Crochet (DC) & Slip Stitch
NOTES:
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You will be working with 2 colours in each row. You will carry along & crochet over the colour you aren’t working with (sometimes called “tapestry crochet”).
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To change colours, pull through a loop of the next colour to finish the last half double crochet of the active colour. Give the colour you carried over a small tug first to keep it flat along your row.
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Keep one colour to the front of your work, and one colour to the back to keep the yarn from twisting.
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You can find a photo & video tutorial for changing colours in plaid here.
This listing is for a printable PDF pattern & includes a chart.
You can find other patterns on my blog www.callistafaye.ca
All patterns are in English, using US crochet terms. Please don't be shy if you have any questions as I am new to crocheting and even newer to explaining a pattern! I will do my best to answer your queries. Take a look at my other crochet posts and YouTube channel for helpful tips & tutorials.
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