The Crosshatch Stitch Baby Blanket uses simple stitch pattern to create a delightful chevron without complicated decreases. Carry the unworked yarns up the side and then cover with a border to minimize the number of yarn tails you need to weave in at the end.  The beautiful unisex blanket makes a perfect gift for a baby shower, or as a donation to your favorite children’s charity. This pattern is part of my monthly charity spotlight series, where I highlight a charity that accepts crochet and other handmade donations and share a crochet pattern designed with that charity in mind. This month’s featured charities are the organizations spotlighted through the Friends of Pine Ridge Reservation. I’ve also included a complete video tutorial to walk you through the pattern, step-by-step.

This post contains affiliate links. I may receive compensation (at no added cost to you) if you make a purchase using these links. Yarn for the sample was generously provided by Premier Yarns.

May’s Featured Charities: Friends of Pine Ridge Reservation

For over a decade, the Friends of Pine Ridge Reservation website has helped crafters around the world share their generosity with the people of the Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota, a home to the Oglala Sioux Tribe. This large reservation includes three of the poorest counties in the United States and has about 40,000 residents. This community also experiences harsh weather conditions during the year.

For crafters that want to make a difference, Friends of Pine Ridge Reservation has a special handmade donation page that is regularly updated to let people know which organizations are currently accepting handmade donations. Once you click on a participating organization, you can see a list of its current needs and learn where to send your donations. At the time I was developing this pattern, the Little Singer Community School was looking for handcrafted baby blankets of all sizes.

Tips for Making Great Donations to the Friends of Pine Ridge Reservation

Since the Friends represent several different organizations and needs of these organizations change, be sure to check the website for current needs before starting a project. You can find mailing and shipping information for each organization there, too. The Friends recommend that you package handmade donations with usable items, such as clean garbage bags or new rolls of toilet paper, rather than bubble wrap or packing peanuts. You can also find lots of free knitting, crochet, and sewing patterns on the handmade donation page.

When making handmade donations for Pine Ridge, consider how the project will be used before selecting a fiber. I used Premier Yarns Everyday Baby for my project because it’s an easy care yarn that can be washed and dried in the machine. Since baby blankets are washed frequently, I didn’t want to choose any yarn that requires special care. Everyday Baby is also a light weight yarn, so the finished blanket is much easier to roll up for shipping than a bulkier, medium weight blanket.

If you’d like to make a garment, be sure to check out Naztazia’s T Sweater, a toddler sweater that is perfect for donation to charity. We worked on these patterns as part of a YouTube collaboration. Head over to the Naztazia website or YouTube channel for more information.

If you make your own Crosshatch Stitch Baby Blanket, I’d love to see it! Share your progress and questions by tagging me on Facebook as @Underground Crafter, Instragram as @ucrafter, or Twitter as @ucrafter. Sign up for my weekly newsletter and get a coupon code for your choice of one of my premium patterns and other subscriber goodies. Plus, you’ll never miss one of my free patterns again!

Add the Crosshatch Stitch Baby Blanket to your Ravelry favorites or queue.

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Crosshatch Stitch Baby Blanket

Crochet Pattern by Underground Crafter

This simple stitch pattern creates a delightful chevron without complicated decreases. Carry the unworked yarn up the side and then cover with a border to minimize the number of yarn tails you need to weave in. This beautiful unisex blanket makes a perfect gift for a baby shower or as a donation to your favorite children’s charity.

Finished Size

• Baby Blanket: 31” (79 cm) wide x 32.5” (82.5 cm) height.

Materials

• Premier Yarns Deborah Norville Everyday Baby (Solid) yarn (100% acrylic, 4 oz/113 g/308 yd/282 m) – 2 skeins ea in 101-11 Fog Gray (CA) and 101-06 Green (CC), or approximately 410 yd (375 m) in ea of two colors in any light weight yarn.
• Premier Yarns Deborah Norville Everyday Baby (Multi) yarn (100% acrylic, 3.5 oz/100 g/250 yd/273 m) – 2 skeins in 102-05 Frosty (CB), or approximately 385 yd (352 m) in any light weight yarn.
• US Size G-6/4 mm crochet hook, or size needed to obtain gauge.
• Yarn needle.

Gauge

• 4 sets of (ch-3 sp + 3 dc) x 8 rows = 4” (10 cm) in pattern. Exact gauge is not critical for this project.

Abbreviations Used in This Pattern

• CA – Color A
• CB – Color B
• CC – Color C
• ch – chain
• dc – double crochet
• ea – each
• rep – repeat
• sc – single crochet
• sk – skip
• sl st – slip stitch
• sp – space
• st(s) – stitch(es)
• * Repeat instructions after asterisk as indicated.

Pattern Notes

• A video tutorial for this pattern is available below.

• If you can’t see the video above, watch it here on YouTube.
• Change colors in the last yarn over of last sc at the end of every row. Carry unworked color up straight edge of blanket. You will crochet over these ends with the border.
• For tips on working with a long foundation chain, read Easy Fixes for a Foundation Chain with Too Few or Too Many Chains.

Pattern Instructions

Blanket

• With CA, ch 211 (or any multiple of 7 sts, + 8).
• Row 1: Turn, sk 3 ch (counts as dc), 2 dc in next ch, *sk 3 ch, sc in next ch, ch 3, dc in ea of next 3 ch; rep from * across to last 4 ch, sk 3 ch, sc in last ch, changing to CB in final sc. (120 sts + 119 ch-3 sp)
• Row 2: Turn, ch 3 (counts as dc), 2 dc in first st, *sk 3 st, (sc, ch 3, 2 dc) in next ch-3 sp, dc in next st; rep from * across to last 3 sts, sk 2 sts, sc in last st, changing to CC in final sc.
• Rows 3-68: Rep Row 2, changing color at the end of ea row using the yarn that presents. (Or, continue on until blanket measures 31” (79 cm), or desired length is reached, ending after completing an even number of rows. For symmetry, end after finishing a row in CA.) Fasten off.

Border

• Row 1: (Right Side) With CC, join with sl st to edge of last st at end of last row, ch 1, working over yarn tails on straight edge of blanket, sc in side of same row, starting in same row, *sc in side of next row, 3 sc in side of next row; rep from * across. (Multiple of 4 sts, + 1)
• Row 2: Turn, ch 1, sc in same st and ea st across.
• Row 3: Turn, ch 1, sk first 2 sts, *(sc, dc, ch 2, dc, sc) in next st, ch 1, sk 1 st, sl st in next st,** ch 1, sk 1 st; rep from * across, ending final rep at **. Fasten off.
• Rep Border Rows 1-3 on opposite straight edge of blanket.

Finishing

• With yarn needle, weave in ends.

© 2017 by Marie Segares (Underground Crafter). This pattern is for personal use only. You may use the pattern to make unlimited items for yourself, for charity, or to give as gifts. You may sell items you personally make by hand from this pattern. Do not violate Marie’s copyright by distributing this pattern or the photos in any form, including but not limited to scanning, photocopying, emailing, or posting on a website or internet discussion group. If you want to share the pattern, point your friends to this link: http://undergroundcrafter.com/2017/05/24/crochet-pattern-crosshatch-stitch-baby-blanket-with-video. Thanks for supporting indie designers!