How to Make a Crochet Baby Blanket with Granny Squares

Today, let’s dive into the cozy world of crochet to create something extra special: a gorgeous baby blanket made with charming granny squares. There’s something utterly heartwarming about crafting for little ones, isn’t there? Whether you’re expecting, gifting to a friend, or simply looking for your next crochet adventure, this project is perfect for both beginner crocheters and pros alike. So, grab your crochet hooks and yarn stash because we’re about to stitch together a beautiful heirloom piece that’s as snuggly as it is stylish. Let’s get crocheting! I hope you enjoy this free crochet pattern & step-by-step tutorial.

The Inspiration

When looking at vintage-inspired granny square blankets on Pinterest, I fell in love. I especially liked the ones with vibrantly coloured squares surrounded by white or cream stitches. So pretty!

I made it my mission starting last May to crochet a granny square blankie that I could use for my baby girl (or just as a throw in our living room). This project took me a long time (8 months!) but it was well worth the effort. And, honestly – it was a relaxing little project that was easy to pick up any time.

This post was first published in 2013 and has since been updated.

This baby blanket crochet pattern was concocted by staring at a million pictures of blankets I loved, and with the help of my mom who is wonderful at eyeballing crocheted works and duplicating them. I used a really soft and lovely organic cotton sport-weight yarn from Knit Picks. It was nice to work with and also budget-friendly. The yarn has since been discontinued, but check out Knit Picks for other inexpensive yarns in natural fibers. Look for a machine-washable brand of yarn to make this blanket easy to care for which is a must for any gift for new babies!

Here’s how I made this blanket (I’ll divide this tutorial into two parts because it’s quite long)!

Part 1: Making the Squares

The finished blanket has an approximate width of 48″ and a length of 64″. Gauge isn’t really important unless you want the blanket to be exactly this size (if so, the squares should measure about 4″ wide).

You Will Need

• 2 skeins each of 8 different colours of sport weight* yarn (164 yard skeins)
• 8 skeins of white/cream coloured sport weight* yarn (164 yard skeins)
• size J crochet hook (you can experiment with a different hook size for a looser or tighter look to your finished blanket)
• yarn needle or tapestry needle (to weave in the yarn ends)
• scissors

*For a larger blanket that’s slightly easier to make, you could opt for worsted weight yarn and a larger crochet hook. I personally like how delicate and lightweight a sport yarn feels for this granny square blanket.

Baby Blanket Instructions

Need help with basic crochet stitches and techniques? I recommend going to Sarah Maker’s blog to learn some of the basic crochet stitches. For this beginners crochet baby blanket, you’ll need to know how to chain (ch), slip stitch (sl st), and double crochet (dc). (You don’t even need to know how to do single crochet stitches for this easy crochet baby blanket pattern!)

Making the Squares

I made 12 different combinations of granny squares and I mixed up the colours in a way that was visually appealing to me. If you look at this photo, you can see the basic pattern I used. Feel free to copy it, or it’s a lot of fun to come up with your own colour combos with the different colours of yarn.

Plan the colours that will go into each of the 12 different granny squares, and then make them like this:

Chain 4 to make a foundation chain, slip stich into the first chain to form a loop. Chain 3 (this will count as your first double crochet cluster and chain) and then double crochet (dc) into the loop, but don’t do the last step of the dc (leaving 2 loops on your hook). Dc into the loop again, and then on the final step pull your yarn through all the loops on your hook. This forms a double crochet cluster. Chain 1.

Repeat a dc cluster + chain 1 6 more times so that you have 8 dc clusters on your loop. Slip stitch into the 3rd chain of your first faux dc cluster. Pull yarn through loop and cut, leaving a tail.

Adding the next colour

With your second chosen colour of yarn, attach it in a chain one hole. Chain 3 (this will act as your first dc + chain 1).  [dc into the next ch 1 hole 3 times. Chain 1. ] Repeat until you’re at the hole you began with, dc 2 times and slip stitch (sl st) into the third chain you started with. Pull yarn through loop and cut, leaving a tail.

Adding the third yarn colour

With a third colour, attach yarn to one of the chain 1 holes of the previous round. Chain 3 (this will act as your first dc + chain 1). [ dc 3 times into the same hole (this forms a corner of the square), chain 1, dc 3 times into the next hole, chain 1, dc 3 times into the next hole, chain 1 ] Repeat 3 times until you’re at the hole you started on and then sl st into the 3rd chain from the beginning. Pull yarn through loop and cut, leaving a tail.

You will need to make 16 of each of the 12 squares. I used a tin to store them in. This is a great project to do a bit at the time – do a couple of squares each night as you relax!

Part 2: Joining the Squares & Finishing the Baby Blanket

After crocheting what seems like a bazillion little granny squares, this is the fun part – putting them all together and finishing off the blanket!

Joining the granny squares:

With your white/cream yarn, starting with your first square in the first row, attach the yarn to one corner ch 1 hole and then chain 3 (this will act as your first dc + chain 1). [ dc 3 times into the same hole (this forms a corner of the square), chain 1, dc 3 times into the next hole, chain 1, dc 3 times into the next hole, chain 1, dc 3 times into the next hole, chain 1 ] Repeat 3 times until you’re at the hole you started on and then sl st into the 3rd chain from the beginning. Pull yarn through loop and cut, leaving a tail.

Joining the second square

Now, you will move on to the second square in the first row and join it this way:

Attach the white/cream yarn to one corner ch 1 hole and then chain 3 (this will act as your first dc + chain 1).  [dc 3 times into the same hole (this forms a corner of the square), chain 1, dc 3 times into the next hole, chain 1, dc 3 times into the next hole, chain 1, dc 3 times into the next hole, chain 1.] Repeat once and then stop! Poke your crochet hook through one corner chain of the first square. Slip stich through.

Ch 1, dc 3 times in same hole (of second square), chain 1, [dc 1 time in the next hole, then find the middle dc of the adjacent “dc 3” on your first square and slip stich through. dc 2 times, ch 1] Repeat from [ to ]. dc 3 times into the next hole, chain 1, dc 3 times into the next hole, chain 1. Sl st into the 3rd chain from the beginning. Pull yarn through loop and cut, leaving a tail.

You’ll repeat this pattern for the entire first row of 12 squares.

Joining the next rows

On the next rows, when you need to join one square to others, only crochet up one side, and then start attaching it to the other squares.

Here’s a picture showing a slip stitch through the corner chains to attach the square corners together.

The blanket is 16 rows long, so this part takes a while. I would suggest to take a “break” every few rows and weave in the ends on the back of the blanket so that you’re not weaving them ALL in at the end (which is really annoying)!

Once the entire 16 rows of 12 are joined, you’re ready to edge the blanket.

Finishing the blanket:

I chose a very simple bobble edge so that the colourful granny squares were the stars of this piece!

I single crocheted for two rows around the entire perimeter of the blanket, and then I used this lovely pattern to make bobble edging. Isn’t it cute and quirky?

Weave in all of those pesky loose ends by using a yarn needle and you’re done!

I’m totally in love with this crocheted granny square blanket – it’s retro-cuteness at it’s finest. And I’m really proud of how well this beginner crochet baby blanket pattern turned out!

Have you ever crocheted a blanket? Please share your finished projects in the comments below.

Want to make more baby blankets?

I have more cozy blanket patterns right here! You can use a free pattern to make a comfy throw blanket for your decor, or alter it to suit a baby’s size and give it as a gift. Happy crafting!