The Pepita Blanket is a crochet sampler baby blanket pattern. This pattern is forever free on my blog, but you can also grab the PDF version for free with a coupon code through 11:59pm Eastern on June 30, 2024 as part of the 2024 Preemie Crochet Along with Sunflower Cottage Crochet.
This post contains affiliate links. I may receive compensation (at no added cost to you) if you make a purchase using these links. I am a King Cole North American Brand Ambassador and this post is part of our ongoing collaboration.
I’m excited to be joining the Preemie Crochet Challenge with Sunflower Cottage Crochet for the fourth year in a row. (The event has actually been running for five years!) I was a preemie myself and have shared several preemie blanket patterns over the years including the Gentle Stripes and Textures Baby Blanket in 6 sizes from micro preemie blanket through child blanket, the Día Soleado (Sunny Days) Blanket, and the Lucila Preemie Blanket in micro preemie and preemie blanket sizes from the previous Preemie Crochet Challenges, as well as the Lullabies Blanket in small and large preemie and baby blanket sizes and the Intensive Love Blanket. If you’re more into smaller projects, you may also like the Roberta Beanie, which is available in 6 sizes from preemie to teen/adult.
When making projects for preemies, you’ll want to avoid stitches that make the fabric “hole-y” because tiny fingers and toes can easily get twisted up in those. So, when I was designing the Pepita Blanket, I thought about stitches that are still fun to look at and to crochet but which make a relatively dense fabric. Several textured patterns came to mind, but I wanted this to a be a blanket that a preemie could grow into, that would be more interesting than a single stitch pattern blanket.
And, that’s how I got the idea to make this a crochet sampler baby blanket pattern with “stripes” of different textures and flatter areas, so that an infant would have something fun and sensory to touch. Scroll down for the free pattern for the Pepita Blanket.
The Pepita Blanket is the featured pattern for June 6, 2024 in the fifth annual Preemie Crochet Challenge with Sunflower Cottage Crochet. Throughout June, designers are sharing the PDF version of a pattern designed with preemies in mind for free for at least their featured day (many have the PDF version for free throughout the entire month) in exchange for your pledge to donate a project to a neonatal intensive care unit, charity, or a local family with a preemie child.
You can download the PDF version for free on Ravelry using coupon code PEPITA through 11:59pm Eastern on June 30, 2024, or use the Preemie Crochet Challenge Download the Free PDF pattern here button below to add the pattern with coupon code to your cart. Check that your cart is set to zero before checking out as there will be no refunds for accidental purchases.
Don’t forget to head back to the Preemie Crochet Challenge post on Sunflower Cottage Crochet to get the rest of the free patterns in the challenge!
If you make your own Pepita Blanket, I’d love to see it! Share your progress and questions by tagging me on Facebook as @Underground Crafter on on Instagram 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!
Add the Pepita Blanket to your favorites or queue, or buy the ad-free PDF on Ravelry.
Pepita Blanket
Crochet Sampler Baby Blanket Pattern by Underground Crafter
This crochet sampler baby blanket pattern is beginner friendly and includes the lemon peel stitch (also known as the pebble stitch) and a wave stitch. Sections of double crochet provide a flat “plane” to the “relief” of the textured stitch sections.
Finished Size
- Baby Blanket: 34” (86.5 cm) width x 32.5” (82.5 cm) height.
Materials for the Welcoming Blanket
- King Cole Cloud Nine DK yarn (100% acrylic, 3.5 oz/100 g, 328 yd/300 m) – 4 skeins in 5540 Peachy Pink, or approximately 1,365 yd (1,248 m) in any light weight acrylic yarn.
- Cloud Nine DK is available at your local yarn shop or online at LoveCrafts | Wool Warehouse UK.
- US Size H-8/5mm crochet hook, or any size needed to obtain correct gauge.
- Yarn needle.
Gauge
- 14 sts = 4” (10 cm) across in pattern for lemon peel stitch. Exact gauge is not critical for this pattern.
Abbreviations Used in This Pattern
- BL – back loop only – Moogly has a helpful video tutorial for identifying the back loop in crochet here.
- ch – chain
- dc – double crochet
- hdc – half double crochet
- rep – repeat
- Rnd(s) – Round(s)
- sc – single crochet
- sp – space
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- * Repeat instructions after asterisks as indicated.
- + Repeat instructions after plus sign as indicated.
- [] Repeat instructions between brackets as indicated.
- () Work stitches between parentheses into same stitch or space.
Pattern Notes
- Ch 1 at start of rows and rounds DO NOT count as stitches.
- A helpful video tutorial demonstrating how to crochet around the side of your project is available below.
- If you can’t see the video above demonstrating how to crochet around your project, click HERE to watch it on YouTube.
- There are many ways to crochet into chain spaces. I used the first method shown in the video below in this pattern.
- If you can’t see the video above demonstrating how to crochet into chain spaces, click HERE to watch it on YouTube.
- If you have trouble “reading” your stitches, place stitch markers at the start and end of each of the final rows of each 6” (15 cm) pattern section.
Pattern Instructions
Blanket
- Ch 125 (or any multiple of 8 ch + 5).
First Lemon Peel Stitch Section
- Note: A video tutorial for the lemon peel stitch is available below.
- If you can’t see the video above demonstrating the lemon peel stitch, click HERE to watch it on YouTube.
- Row 1: Turn, skip 1 ch, [sc in next ch, dc in next ch] across. (124 sts)
- Row 2: Turn, ch 1, starting in first st [sc in next dc, dc in next sc] across.
- Rep Row 2 for an even number of rows until section measures approximately 6” (15 cm) long.
First Double Crochet Section
- Row 3: Turn, ch 3 (counts as first dc), dc in next st and each st across.
- Rep Row 3 until section measures approximately 12” (30.5 cm) long/6” (15 cm) from end of lemon peel stitch section.
Waves Section
- Row 4: Turn, ch 1, starting in first st [*sc in next st, hdc in next st, dc in next 2 sts,** dc in next 2 sts, hdc in next st, sc in next st] across to last 4 sts, rep from * to ** once.
- Row 5: Turn, ch 1, starting in first st [*scBL in next 2 sts, hdcBL in next st, dcBL in next st,** dcBL in next 2 sts, hdcBL in next st, scBL in next st] across to last 4 sts, rep from * to ** once.
- Row 6: Turn, ch 1, starting in first st [*scBL in next st, hdcBL in next st, dcBL in next 2 sts,** dcBL in next 2 sts, hdcBL in next st, scBL in next st] across to last 4 sts, rep from * to ** once.
- Rep Rows 5-6 until section measures approximately 18” (46 cm) long/6” (15 cm) from end of double crochet section, ending after a repeat of Row 6.
Second Double Crochet Section
- Rep Row 3 until section measures approximately 24” (61 cm) long/6” (15 cm) from end of waves section.
Second Lemon Peel Stitch Section
- Repeat Row 2 for an even number of rows until section measures approximately 30” (76 cm) long/6” (15 cm) from end of double crochet section.
Border
- Rnd 1: Turn to work along side of project (see Pattern Notes), *[2 sc in side of next row, sc in side of next row] across Lemon Peel Stitch Section,** 2 sc in side of each row across Double Crochet Section, evenly work 3 sc across each 2 rows in the Waves Section to the final row of Waves Section, sc in side of next row, 2 sc in side of each row across Double Crochet Section, rep from * to ** once, turn to work along foundation row, ch 2, sc in unworked side of each st across foundation row, turn to work along side of project, ch 2, +[sc in side of next row, 2 sc in side of next row] across Lemon Peel Stitch Section,++ 2 sc in side of each row across Double Crochet Section, evenly work 3 sc across each 2 rows in the Waves Section to the final row of Waves Section, sc in side of next row, 2 sc in side of each row across Double Crochet Section, rep from + to ++ once, turn to work along final row, ch 2, sc in each st across final row, ch 2, join with sl st to first sc.
- Rnd 2: Turn, ch 1, dc in first st, [dc in each st across row to ch-2 sp, 4 dc in ch-2 sp] around, join with sl st to first dc. Fasten off.
Finishing
- With yarn needle, weave in ends.