Crochet, Pattern

Sweet Dreams Baby Blanket – Free Crochet Pattern

In this post you find the free pattern for my My Sweet Dreams baby blanket. The original blanket uses soft powder blue or pastel pink with white, but you can use any soft pastel shade you like.

Resources

Materials

  • Color A – 2 x Scheepjes Eliza Pink (233) OR 2 x Scheepjes Eliza Baby Blue (231)
  • Color B – 3 x Scheepjes Eliza White (218)
  • 4.5mm (7) and 5.0mm (8/H) hook

Scheepjes Eliza is a 100% polyester hypoallergenic yarn. Scheepjes Eliza is/was available from Caro’s Atelier (NL/EU) or your local Scheepjes Stockist.

Size

The final blanket is approximately 75cm (30″) x 90cm (37″).

Abbreviations

This pattern uses US crochet terms. If you are more familiar with UK crochet terms, please see this conversion table for the most common terms.

  • ch – chain
  • ss – slip stitch
  • sc – single crochet
  • hdc – half double crochet
  • dc – double crochet
  • tr – trebble crochet
  • st(s) – stitch(es)

Sweet Dreams Baby Blanket – Free Crochet Pattern

First you make 20 squares, 10 of each colorway, followed by a slip stitch join and a border.

Square

The square shown here is for Color combination I. See the table for Color combination II.

Round 1 With a 4.5mm hook and Color A, ch4 and close with a ss to form a ring. Ch3 (counts as dc here and further), 11dc in the ring. Close with ss on first st. [12 dc]

Round 2 Ch3, 1dc in same st, 2dc in next st to end. Close with ss on first st. [24 dc]

Round 3 Ch3, 2dc in next st. *1dc in next st, 2dc in next st; repeat from * to end. Close with ss on first st. Fasten off. [36 dc]

Your work will look something like this at this point.

Round 4 With Color B, attach in any st with a ss, ch1 (does not count as a st), in same st *1sc, ch5, skip next 3 sts, 1tr in next 2 sts, ch5, skip next 3 sts; repeat from * 3 more times. Close with ss on first st. [4sc, 8tr, 8 ch5-spaces]

Round 5 Ch3, *5dc in next ch5-space, 2dc in next tr, ch2, 2dc in next tr (this is the new corner made), 5dc in next ch5-space, 1dc in next sc; repeat from * 3 more times omitting last dc on final repeat. Close with ss on first st. Fasten off. [15 dc per side]

Round 6 With Color A, attach with a ss in any ch2-corner space, ch3, 1dc in same space, ch2, 2dc in same space. *1dc in each st to corner, (2dc, ch2, 2dc) in ch2-space; repeat from * 3 more times omitting the corner on the final repeat. Close with ss on first st. Fasten off. [19 dc per side]

Round 7 Repeat Round 6 with Color B. [23 dc per side]

At this point your squares will look something like this.

Number of squares to work

Work 20 squares in total, 10 squares each with color combination I and 10 squares with color combination II as indicated in the table.

RoundColor combination I Color combination II
1Color AColor A
2Color AColor A
3Color AColor A
4Color BColor B
5Color BColor B
6Color AColor B
7Color BColor B

Joining the squares

Join the blanket using slip stitches and a 5mm hook in the following layout:

Square ISquare IISquare ISquare II
Square IISquare ISquare IISquare I
Square ISquare IISquare ISquare II
Square IISquare ISquare IISquare I
Square ISquare IISquare ISquare II

Make the join using a 5mm hook. I advise to go up a hook size because it will help prevent the slip stitch join from being too tight and rippling. You want your join to be smooth and have a bit of elasticity to easy use and comfort of the blanket.

Arrange the squares according to the layout given above. The joining of the squares is done in continuous rows, square by square until an entire row is finished. Very important: do not cut your yarn after 2 squares are joined but only cut your yarn when you reach the end of a row. First join all the horizontal rows of the blanket and only then join the vertical rows.

Joining is done from right to left for right handed people or left to right for left handed people. One thing that is VERY important, make sure that your squares don’t twist on themselves, particularly when you have only one or two rows joined. You will be so mad at yourself if that happens.

Horizontal join

With Color A make a slip knot on your hook and align the first two squares that need to be joined with their right sides facing upwards, in other words, with their back sides facing each other. Make a slip stitch through the ch2-corner space of both squares, making sure that your yarn is BELOW your work between the squares. You will be joining the squares by catching one loop at a time on each of the two squares directly opposite each other. These are the two most inner loops of the squares as they lay next to one another.

Insert your hook from front to back in the inner loop of the first stitch. Then insert the hook in the inner loop (also from front to back) of the first stitch of the opposite square and pull your yarn through all loops on your hook to complete the slip stitch. Continue to the next stitch and join in the same way till you have joined all stitches.

When you reach the end of the first two squares, make a slip stitch through the ch2-corners of both squares. DO NOT CUT your yarn, but continue on to the next two squares.

Align the next two squares that are to be joined adjacent to the first two. Pay extra attention that you have the squares in the correct order. You will be amazed at how easy it is to get your squares connected in mirror image.
Continue by making a slip stitch through the ch2-corners of the next two squares and then join each each of the 23 stitches with a slip stitch in exactly the same way as the previous square. Continue till all the squares in one row are joined. Now you can cut your yarn.

Continue like this for all the horizontal lines in the blanket. Be careful to ensure your previously joined squares are NOT TWISTED when you move from one row to the next.

Vertical join

Use the same method when joining the vertical joins in the blanket.

A tip: although this is not strictly necessary, I find that my joins are more flexible when I do the following when I reach a crossing. Work a sc through the ch2-corner spaces of the two squares currently at, ch1 to cover the slip stitches from the horizontal join, sc through the ch2-corner of the next two squares. I find that by doing a sc instead of a ss as well as the extra ch1 that the join is more natural looking and does not pull in on itself.

Video for joining

I have a video from the Nuts about Squares CAL in which I used the exact same join as I am using here for my Sweet Dreams blanket. If you find the description about a bit confusion, maybe THIS VIDEO will help you.

Your join will be on top of your work, resulting in a flat, professional finish.

Border

Except for the final round, the border is worked with a 4.5mm hook.

Round 1 With color A, attach with a ss in any ch2-corner of the large rectangle, ch1 (does not count as a st), **(1sc, ch2, 1sc) in the ch2-corner space, *1sc in next 9 sts, skip next 2 sts, 7dc in next st, skip next 2 sts, 1sc in next 9 sts, 1sc in next ch2-space, 1sc in join, 1sc in next ch2-space; repeat from * to next ch2-corner of the large square. Repeat from ** 3 more times. Close with ss on first st.
[long side: 104sc, 35dc (5 shells); short side: 83sc, 28dc (4 shells)]

Round 2 Ss to the ch2-corner space, ch1 (does not count as a st). **(1sc, ch2, 1sc) in the ch2-corner space, *1sc in next 8 sts, skip next 2 sts, 2dc in next 3 dc, 3dc in next dc which is the center of the 7 dc shell, 2dc in next 3 dc, skip next 2 sts, 1sc in next 9 sts; repeat from * to corner omitting the last st on the final repeat. Repeat from ** 3 more times. Close with ss on first st. Fasten off.
[long side: 86 sc, 75 dc (5 shells); short side: 69 sc, 60 dc (4 shells)]

Round 3 Attach color B in any ch2-corner space with a standing **(dc, ch2, dc) in the corner, 1dc in first st, ch3, skip next 3 sts, 1dc in next st, ch3, skip next 3 sts,
*1tr in next st, ch3, skip next 3 sts, 1hdc in next st, ch3, skip next 3 sts, 1sc in next st (this is the top of the shell), ch3, skip next 3 sts, 1hdc in next st, ch3, skip next 3 sts, 1tr in next st, [ch3, skip next 3 sts, 1dc in next st] 3 times, ch3, skip next 3 sts; repeat from * to corner omitting the last dc and ch3 on the final repeat. Repeat from ** 3 more times. Close with ss on first st.
[long side: 18 dc, 10 tr, 10 hdc, 5 sc, 40 ch3-sp; short side: 15 dc, 8 tr, 8 hdc, 4 sc, 32 ch3-sp]

Round 4 Ch3, **(2dc, ch2, 2dc) in the corner, 1dc in first2 sts, *3dc in next 4 ch3-spaces, 3dc in next sc, 3dc in next 4 ch3-spaces; repeat from * to 2 stitches left, 1dc on last 2 sts. Repeat from ** 3 more times omitting last dc on final repeat. Close with ss on first st. Fasten off.
[long side: 143 dc; short side: 116 dc]

Round 5 With color A and a 5mm hook, standing sc in any corner, make 1 crab stitch in each stitch and 2 crab stitches in the corners to end. Omit the final stitch when in the starting corner. Close on the first stitch and fasten off.
[long side: 145 sts; short side: 118 sts]


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Sweet Dreams everyone!

With love,
Esther

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14 thoughts on “Sweet Dreams Baby Blanket – Free Crochet Pattern”

  1. Ohhhh… so sad that you didn’t make a movie:-( It always helped me a lot. But the blanket is addorable.

    Verstuurd vanaf mijn iPhone

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  2. Esther, is there an easy way to print this pattern off, I can’t find a print button? Thank you.

  3. Is the blanket that is the cover pic on your Facebook page? Sorry about the wording. I was just on Facebook and click on your ad about A blanket, it was made with variegated yarn. I will love to do for my local Head Start and donate it for the ones who don’t have blankets. I have baby color yarn, but struggling to find a good pattern. Then I saw that one and thought it would be perfect.

    1. Yes, this is the same pattern. The lady that made that version used variegated yarn where i used pink or blue.
      Feel free to use any colors or yarn you have available. This is a relatively quick make, hope you like it ?

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