Basketweave Baby Blanket – Free Preemie Crochet Pattern

This preemie basketweave baby blanket is made especially to provide extra warmth and comfort for these tiny, delicate infants. Holding two strands of soft yarn together offers gentle insulation, helping to regulate their body temperature, which is especially important for premature babies who struggle to stay warm. Its texture is soft to the touch, ensuring the blanket is gentle on sensitive skin while providing extra warmth during those critical early weeks.

This warm baby blanket uses basic stitches combined with post stitches for a great visual texture. Use and 2 colors held together, for a special, unique blanket for your new baby.

The Design Inspiration

A few years ago a good friend of mine delivered a baby at 29 weeks also. I could not find a pattern I liked (I searched for weeks), so I finally decided it was time to design my own. I don’t know why it took me so many years to create my own pattern, but I fell in love with designing. That blanket pattern was the start of a new journey for me, and my friends baby. (who is now 14 years old!)

Basketweave Baby Blanket

Finished Size: 

• Preemie – 21” x 22” (free on blog)
• Baby – 30” x 34”
• Toddler/Small Throw – 42” x 44”

Please Note: The preemie size is free on the blog, with stitch counts available to adjust sizing. When you purchase the premium pattern it will include all 3 sizes.)

Yarn – #3 DK/light worsted weight – 6 oz./358 yds (each skein)
Sample used: Bernat Softee Baby (green & yellow)

• Denim Marl -10 (22, 40)oz/724 (1600, 2896) yds 
• Pale Blue – 10 (22, 40)oz/724 (1600, 2896) yds

Hook: J/10 (6 mm)

Abbreviations:

• BPdc – Back Post double crochet
• ch – chain
• dc – double crochet 
• FPdc – Front Post double crochet
• sc – single crochet
• sl st – slip stitch 
• yo – yarn over

For a full list of abbreviations, visit my List of Abbreviations.

Notes:

• Blanket is worked by holding one strand of each color together.   
• To adjust the size you can add or subtract in multiples of 10 sts.

Special Stitches:

• FPdc (Front Post double crochet) – yo, insert hook from front to back to front around post of the next st, yo, pull up loop, [yo, pull through 2 loops] twice. Click here for tutorial.  
• BPdc (Back Post double crochet) – yo, insert hook from back to front to back around post of the next st, yo, pull up loop, [yo, pull through 2 loops] twice. Click here for tutorial.
• rsc (reverse single crochet/crab stitch) – insert hook in next st to right (most crochet works in next st to left), yo, pull up loop, yo, pull through both loops on hook. Click here for tutorial.

Don’t miss any tutorials or new pattern releases! Be sure to sign up for my weekly updates here!

PREEMIE BLANKET

Ch 79.
Row 1: Dc in 4th ch from hook & in each ch across, turn. (76 dc) 

Row 2: Ch 2, sk 1st dc, FPDC around ea of next 5 dc, *BPDC around ea of next 5 dc, FPDC around ea of next 5 dc*, across to end, dc in 3rd ch of ch 3, turn.

Row 3: Ch 2, sk 1st dc, BPDC around ea of 1st 5 fpdc, *FPDC around ea of next 5 bpdc, BPDC around next 5 fpdc*, across to end, dc in 2nd ch of beg ch-2, turn.

Row 4: Ch 2, sk 1st dc, FPDC around 1st 5 bpdc, *BPDC around next 5 fpdc, FPDC around next 5 bpdc*, to end, dc in 2nd ch of beg ch-2, turn.

Row 5: Ch 2, sk 1st dc, FPDC around 1st 5 fpdc, *BPDC around next 5 bpdc, FPDC around next 5 fpdc*, to end, dc in 2nd ch of beg ch-2, turn.

Row 6: Ch 2, sk 1st dc, BPDC around 1st 5 fpdc, *FPDC around next 5 bpdc, BPDC around next 5 fpdc*, to end, dc in 2nd ch of beg ch-2, turn.

Row 7: Ch 2, sk 1st dc, FPDC around 1st 5 bpdc, *BPDC around next 5 fpdc, FPDC around next 5 bpdc*, to end, dc in 2nd ch of beg ch-2, turn.

Repeat Rows 5-7 until afghan measures approx. 21”

The Basketweave Baby Blanket is part of the Fireside Comforts blog hop and is free 10/18/24 only.

The pattern has been updated to include additional sizes, so if you have the original “preemie” version you will want this new version as well.

The downloadable ad-free PDF is available for purchase in my shops:

ETSY
RAVELRY
LOVE CRAFTS