Today I’m sharing a simple preemie crochet pattern as part of the Preemie Crochet Challenge. The Día Soleado (Sunny Day) Blanket is designed using a simple, dense stitch pattern without holes so you don’t have to worry about tangling tiny fingers and toes. A self-striping yarn makes colorwork easy and minimizes the number of yarn tails you’ll need to weave in before donating or gifting.
This post contains affiliate links. I may receive compensation (at no added cost to you) if you make a purchase using these links. Supplies for this project were generously provided by Cascade Yarns and Pastiche Accessories.
As I mentioned in last year’s Preemie Crochet Challenge with Sunflower Cottage Crochet post, I was a preemie and know several friends and co-workers who have brought premature babies into the world over the years. I am joining in with Helen and 28 other designers again for this year’s Preemie Crochet Challenge. (If you enjoy crocheting for charity, check out my Charity Spotlight series of free patterns for organizations that accept handmade donations.)
Visit this roundup on Sunflower Cottage Crochet daily through June, 2022 for the coupon code to download that day’s pattern PDF for free in exchange for your pledge to donate that item to a preemie organization, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), or family of your choice.
The Día Soleado Preemie Blanket is my contribution to the Preemie Crochet Challenge. I knew that I wanted to donate my finished blanket to Knots of Love, a wonderful charity that distributes crochet and knit preemie blankets to NICUs and hats to people suffering from traumatic hair loss through a network of over 500 health care organizations throughout the United States. I’ve written about Knots of Love before and have designed several free crochet and knitting patterns that meet their requirements. Knots of Love has an approved yarn list that takes the guesswork out of choosing the softest yarns. This pattern is designed to meet the sizing requirements for Knots of Love; if you choose to donate yours elsewhere, be sure to check the donation requirements first.
Scroll down for the Día Soleado Preemie Blanket pattern. As I mentioned earlier, this pattern is part of the Preemie Crochet Challenge. Everyday in June, 2022, a preemie crochet pattern will be available for free as a PDF download in exchange for your pledge to make that project to donate to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) or another organization helping preemies. Visit this post on Sunflower Cottage Crochet through June 30, 2022 to get a new coupon code for the ad-free PDF of a preemie pattern each day.
If you make your own Día Soleado Preemie Blanket, I’d love to see it! Share your progress and questions by tagging me on Facebook as @Underground Crafter or on Instragram as @ucrafter. You can also share a picture in the Underground Crafters Facebook group. Sign up for my weekly newsletter and get a coupon code for your choice of one of my premium patterns and private access to my vault of subscriber goodies. Plus, you’ll never miss one of my free patterns again!
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Día Soleado Preemie Blanket
Preemie Crochet Pattern by Underground Crafter
A dense stitch pattern without holes for tiny fingers and toes make this blanket perfect for preemies. A self-striping yarn does the colorwork for you! This blanket meets the donation requirements for Knots of Love, an organization that distributes handmade preemie blankets to babies in neonatal intensive care units. This preemie crochet pattern was designed as part of the 2022 Preemie Crochet Challenge with Sunflower Cottage Crochet.
Finished Size
- Preemie Blanket: 25.5” (65 cm) x 31.5” (80 cm).
Materials
- Cascade Cherub Aran Prints yarn (55% nylon/45% acrylic, 3.5 oz/100 g, 240 yd/220 m) – 4 skeins in 710 Prism, or approximately 960 yd (878 m) in any soft, medium weight, self-striping, acrylic or acrylic blend yarn.
- Pastiche Accessories US Size H-8/5 mm crochet hook, or size needed to obtain gauge.
- Stitch markers.
- Yarn needle.
Gauge
- 16 sts in pattern = 4” (10 cm) across. Exact gauge is not critical for this pattern.
Abbreviations Used in This Pattern
- ch – chain
- dc – double crochet
- pm – place marker
- rep – repeat
- rm – remove marker
- sc – single crochet
- sl st – slip stitch
- sp – space
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- *Repeat instructions after asterisk as indicated.
- [] Repeat instructions between brackets as indicated.
Pattern Note
- When changing skeins of yarn, begin with the next color in the self-striping sequence.
Pattern Instructions
- Ch 101 (or any multiple of 4 sts, + 1 st).
- Row 1: Turn, skip 1 ch, [sc in next 2 ch, dc in next 2 ch] across.
- Row 2: Turn, ch 1, starting in first st, [sc in next 2 dc, dc in next 2 sc] across.
- Rep Row 2 until blanket measures approximately 21” (53.5 cm) long. Do not fasten off.
- Border Round 1: (Right Side)Turn, ch 1, sc in first st and in each st across row, ch 1, pm in ch-1 sp, turn to work along edge (see video below), *sc in side of next sc row, [sc in side of next sc row, 2 sc in side of next dc row]** across to foundation chain, ch 1, pm in ch-1 sp, turn to work along foundation chain, sc in first st and in each st across, ch 1, pm in ch-1 sp, turn to work along edge, rep from * to ** across to final row, sc in side of next row, join with sc (counts as ch-1 sp) to first sc.
- If you can’t see the video tutorial above for working single crochet into the side of rows, click HERE to watch it on YouTube.
- Border Round 2: Ch 1, 3 dc in same ch-1 sp, pm in second (center) dc, [dc in each st across to next marked ch-1 sp, rm, 3 dc in ch-1 sp, pm in second (center) dc] 3 times, dc in each st across to first dc, join with sl st to first dc.
- Border Round 3: Sl st to first marked st, rm, ch 1, 3 dc in same st, pm in second (center) dc, [dc in each st across to next marked st, rm, 3 dc in next st, pm in second (center) dc] 3 times, dc in each st across to first dc, join with sl st to first dc.
- Rep Border Round 3 once more, or until project measures at least 24” (61 cm) x 30” (76 cm).
- Final Border Round: Sl st to first marked st, rm, ch 1, 5 sc in same st, pm in second (center) sc, [sc in each st across to next marked st, rm, 5 sc in next st, pm in second (center) sc] 3 times, sc in each st across to first sc, join with sl st to first sc.
- Fasten off.
- With yarn needle, weave in ends on Wrong Side of blanket.