Crossed Double Crochet Baby Blanket

Every new addition to the family needs a blanket that is uniquely their own. Handmade baby blankets are such an heirloom to have, regardless of their complexity or colors. They’re wonderful to have as the child grows and a lovely nostalgic item once they’re older. This blue crochet baby blanket is perfect for just that. With beautiful texture from the crossed double crochet stitch and an easy two row repeat, this crochet baby blanket pattern will be perfect for any new bundle of joy.

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I have to tell you. I LOVE this crochet baby blanket.

The minute it was “hot off the hook”, as we say, I jumped off the couch, held it up and flashed it around in front of my husband (ends and all). He gave an appreciative “ooh”. Aren’t crochet husbands the best?

This crossed double crochet baby blanket was created specifically with my husband’s boss in mind. He and his wife are expecting their second child and you know I cannot miss an opportunity to design and create a baby blanket.

After some to-do about the style and colors, I got to work and landed on the crossed double crochet stitch. I love this stitch for many reasons, but mainly because it is easy, pretty mindless and creates a gorgeous twisted look to an otherwise plain double crochet.

Adding on to the stitch itself, I think my biggest love of the blanket is the yarn I chose. I chose Baby Bee’s Stork Struck in Baby’s Blue. It is a 50% Tencel and 50% acrylic yarn and it has the same feeling and stitch definition that a Caron Cotton Cake does.

Now… let’s be honest here. The Baby Bee skeins are SMALL. I ended up using just about six and a half skeins! I debated working with a different yarn (meaning a larger skein) at first, but I loved the yarn so much I powered through.

And it was worth it, I mean… I really do love this blanket.

What is Tencel yarn?

Tencel is, essentially, a more eco-friendly and sustainable fiber. It is created with wood-pulp from sustainably harvested trees (like eucalyptus, spruce, birch, etc.). It is even more eco-friendly and sustainable because it uses less-toxic chemicals to produce and these same chemicals are easy to recycle so there is less waste.

The result is a fiber known for it’s softness, durability and absorbency. It also is much less toxic for the workers who make it, so win/win in my books.

I did some digging and found this article by Good House Keeping that explains what Tencel is super in-depth. It’s pretty interesting!

If you prefer a premium, ad-free PDF version of this pattern, you can grab one on either my Ravelry or my Etsy shop by clicking the buttons below.

Ravelry

Etsy

Image shows the crossed double crochet baby blanket draped over a wooden decorative crate.

Now, on the note of sustainability, purchasing seven skeins of yarn to use six and a half of them doesn’t sound economical. So I did some comparison shopping to see if we could drive this price down.

So, for the purposes of this comparison, I am going to compare Baby Bee Stork Struck to Caron Cotton Cake. They have a very similar feel and weight. I feel that Caron Cotton Cake would be the best “dupe” for this Baby Bee yarn.

I spent $24.50 (USD) before taxes on seven skeins of Baby Bee Stork Struck. It is retailed at $4.99, but Hobby Lobby always has a deal for 30% off of their yarn, so it comes out to about $3.50 a skein.

If I used Caron Cotton Cake instead, I would need approximately two and a half skeins for the yardage required. At $9.99 a piece, I would end up spending just pennies shy of $30 (USD) before taxes. Now, Michael’s also runs it’s own sales pretty often so that is up for debate on if you could get it cheaper then. I’m using their whole pricing for reference.

In the end, I decided to continue with Baby Bee’s Stork Struck and I’m happy I did.

That’s not to say that you can’t use any medium (4) weight yarn you prefer. This crochet baby blanket pattern can be created with any type of yarn you prefer. Your dimensions might be a little different, but that’s okay!

Something New Crochet Baby Blanket Pattern Free

SKILL LEVEL

Advanced Beginner – This crochet baby blanket pattern uses basic stitches such as chains, single crochet and double crochet. There is one more advanced stitch, the crossed double crochet. This stitch isn’t too difficult to work and is explained in detail below. If you can work a double crochet and you know how to skip a stitch, you can work the crossed double crochet.

MATERIALS

You will need a medium (4) weight yarn of your preference. You will need approximately 1,400 yards or about 23 oz.

As stated somewhat in depth above, I used Baby Bee Stork Struck in Baby’s Blue (6.5 skeins, approximately 1,352 yards).

TOOLS

5 mm (H-8) hook – Check out my favorite hooks!
Scissors
Tapestry Needle
Stitch Markers

GAUGE

16 stitches x 12 rows in Crossed Double Crochet as written in pattern = 4 inches x 4 inches.

Note: I am a tight crocheter, so my tension is usually tighter than others. Learn more about gauge and what this means here. As long as you’re in the approximate range of gauge, you should be fine.

FINISHED SIZE

34 inches x 34 inches

ABBREVIATIONS

In US terms;

Ch – Chain
Sc – Single crochet
Dc – Double crochet
Sl st – Slip stitch
Cdc – Crossed Double Crochet* See special stitch instructions.

NOTES

The stitch multiple for this pattern is 2 stitches. You can achieve this multiple by chaining any odd number.
If you want a larger or smaller blanket, chain more or less depending on your size preference.
You can easily make the blanket shorter or longer by repeating the indicated rows until your desired size.
Chain 3 to start new rows always counts as a double crochet.
Chain 1 to start new rows does NOT count as a stitch.
Chain 2 in the border does NOT count as a stitch.
You can find the video tutorial here: https://youtu.be/EggBM8NZNUM

SPECIAL STITCH – Crossed Double Crochet (CDC)

In this pattern, you will notice the “special stitch” Crossed Double Crochet which I have abbreviated to “cdc”.

(I searched all over for a standardized abbreviation and there are a ton of different options. The one I saw the most was cdc, so that’s what I’m going with).

Check out the tutorial video, if you’re a video type!

To work a crossed double crochet, you will be working two double crochets close to how you normally would, but you’ll be placing them in different stitches.

Step One: Skip 1 stitch (red dot in image below). Yarn over, insert hook into the next stitch (black arrow points to it). Pull up a loop. Yarn over, draw through two, yarn over, draw through two. First double crochet done.

Image shows the process of how to work the crossed double crochet stitch, as explained in the text of the blog post.

Step Two: Now we want to place a double crochet IN the stitch we skipped (red dot in image above, black arrow points to it). We do not need to chain, go behind the post or do anything fancy here. Simply yarn over, insert your hook into the skipped stitch, pull up a loop. Yarn over, pull through two, yarn over pull through two.

Crossed Double Crochet completed! So, when you see the pattern calling to “work 63 cdc”, you will know to work Step 1 and Step 2 63 times across the pattern. Once you’ve completed this row, every stitch of your row will be worked into.

Image shows the crossed double crochet blanket in blue, folded in half and draped over a wooden blanket ladder.

How to Crochet a Crossed Double Crochet Baby Blanket

Ch 129

Row 1 – Place 1 sc in second ch from hook and 1 sc in each chain across. (128)

Row 2 – Ch 3 (counts as a double crochet here and throughout), place 63 cdc across the row. At the end of the row, 1 stitch will remain. Place 1 dc in the remaining stitch. (128)

Row 3 – Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch here or throughout), turn. Place 1 sc in each stitch across to end. (128)

At the end of Row 3, don’t forget to place a sc in the top of the ch 3 that counts as a dc. If you miss this stitch, you will slowly decrease your stitch count and your work will begin to lean in like this: / .

This image has an arrow pointing to the chain 3 that counts as a double crochet in the crossed double crochet row.

For Rows 4 through 91, repeat rows 2 and 3 in sequence. Row 91 will be a repeat of Row 3.

BORDER

Round 1 – Ch 1, turn. Place 1 sc in each stitch across the row (128 stitches on this side). At the end of the row, ch 2 and rotate the work 90 degrees to work down the side of the blanket.

Down the side, Place 1 sc in the side of each sc, and 2 sc around each dc (136 sts on this side). At the end of this side, ch 2 and rotate 90 degrees to work along the bottom of the chains.

Place 1 sc in the bottom of each chain across to the end (128 stitches this side). At the end of this side, ch 2 and rotate 90 degrees to work up the side of the blanket.

Place 1 sc in the side of each sc, and 2 sc around each dc (128 sts this side). At the end of this side, ch 2 and sl st to the first sc of the round to close. (528 sts, 4 ch 2 spaces)

Round 2 – Ch 2 (does not count as stitch), DO NOT TURN. [Place 1 dc in each stitch across to the ch 2 space. In the ch 2 space, place 3 dc]. Repeat the instructions inside brackets 4 times total. At the end of the round, sl st to the first dc to close (not the chain 2). (540 sts)

Remember: The chain 2 does not count as a stitch whereas the chain 3 did. This means on your first repeat within brackets ( […] ), you will place 1 dc into the SAME stitch as your chain 2 and then 1 dc in each stitch across to the end.

Cut yarn, weave ends. You’re done!

Image shows the crossed double crochet baby blanket folded and tied in wide, dark blue ribbon as a gift.

Ravelry

Etsy

How lovely is this crochet baby blanket? I’m going to have a REALLY hard time handing it off to the baby’s parents when it’s time.

I hope you love your crochet baby blanket and I hope you enjoyed the tutorial. What do you think about using Tencel yarn?

One of my greatest joys is seeing your finished crochet projects from my patterns or tutorials, so when you post to Instagram, don’t forget to tag me so I can show you some love! I’m @theloopholefoxcrochet. You can also share pictures on my recent posts on Facebook or within my Facebook group!

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Shannon | Designer & Editor

Shannon helps crocheters find their next project and build their skills with in depth tutorials and crochet patterns on her blog, theloopholefox.com.

With more than a decade of crochet experience, Shannon knows that understanding why we do something matters just as much as how we do it. She teaches new techniques and crochet stitches in depth so you can crochet with confidence.

Something New Baby Blanket