Free and easy Crochet Baby Blanket Pattern: Full of Beans Blanket

I’m excited to share my latest pattern, the Full of Beans Blanket, designed for the Preemie Crochet Challenge. During a trip to the USA in April, I found some lovely yarn while shopping with Kristine from Ambassador Crochet. It was not the usual type of yarn that I go for. But it was so soft and so pretty. I knew right away that I wanted to make a blanket with it. With the Preemie Crochet Challenge coming up and a few babies expected in our family this year, a crochet baby blanket seemed like the perfect project.

After trying out a few stitch combinations, I settled on the bean stitch. It worked up beautifully, resulting in the Full of Beans Blanket. This pattern is simple to follow and comes in five sizes, from a small security blanket to a throw. Whether you’re making it for a preemie or as a gift for a new baby, this free crochet baby blanket pattern is sure to be a favorite.

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Inspiration behind the design

Usually, when I design a pattern, I start with an idea and then choose the yarn to bring it to life. However, the Full of Beans crochet baby blanket was different. This time, I found the yarn first while shopping with Kristine from Ambassador Crochet during my trip to the USA in April. I was immediately drawn to its vibrant, variegated colors and knew I wanted to create a special crochet baby blanket that showcased its beauty. Designing with variegated yarns can be challenging, as the colors can sometimes overshadow the stitch pattern. I needed a design that would highlight the yarn’s colors while adding texture and interest.

The aim was for a stitch combination that was unisex and had an easy-to-remember repeat, ensuring it would be both versatile and simple to crochet. I experimented with several stitch patterns for the crochet baby blanket, but none seemed to work well with the yarn. Then Kristine suggested trying the bean stitch, and it was a genius idea! The texture and rhythm of the bean stitch perfectly complemented the variegated yarn. Within a couple of hours, I had half of the crochet baby blanket made up, and I knew I had found the perfect pattern to bring my vision to life.

Construction of this Crochet Baby Blanket design

The Full of Beans Blanket is simple to construct. It is worked in rows with a straightforward stitch repeat. After the foundation row, you alternate between three rows of bean stitch and three rows of half double crochet. This creates a nice texture and shows off the yarn beautifully.

To keep the edges neat, I start each row with a chain 1. This helps maintain a clean edge, so there’s no need for a border unless you want to add one. The pattern is easy to follow and makes for a relaxing crochet project.

The Yarn

For this crochet baby blanket pattern, I used Baby Bee Soft and Snuggle in the shade Later Gator. It is a thinner 4 weight (aran) yarn, with 236 yards per skein, and is made of 100% polyester. However, it is much more like a 3 weight!

The yarn has a velvety texture, similar to chenille. I usually avoid chenille-type yarns because they tend to come apart easily and make it difficult to sew in the ends. However, this one is different. The chenille-like yarn stays intact even when teased, and it passes through a yarn needle easily. Even while working with it there was no plumes of dust or fibres flying around. I felt confident that this yarn was a good choice for a baby blanket.

You can use any 3 weight (DK) yarn you may have in your stash if it is suitable for a baby project. If you are unsure whether it is suitable you may want to check out my Guide to Choosing the Best Yarns for Baby Projects.

Other yarns I would recommend are Paintbox Simply Aran and Caron Simply Soft.

Get the PDF pattern!

You can find the ad-free PDF Pattern for this one in all of my shops:

Preemie Crochet Challenge 2024:

As mentioned above, this pattern was designed for the Preemie Crochet Challenge in 2024. It is my 5th year hosting this event and it means a lot to me, as my daughter was also a preemie. You can find out more about our story here.

You can find out what other patterns were featured in this event (and get the links to check them out) by clicking the button below.

Tester Appreciation:

As always, my testers did a wonderful job with this pattern! And they enjoyed working it up. Check out their versions below.

The pattern specifics:

Materials:

Any 3 weight yarn of your choosing – I used Baby Bee Soft and Snuggly in colour Later Gator 4mm hook  Scissors Tapestry Needle Stitch Markers, optional to mark first or last stitch of the row. Measuring Tape optional.

Gauge:

Let’s face it, this is a blanket so it really does not matter as long as your tension is consistent and you are happy with it. For reference my gauge was 14 sts and 12 rows of hdc per 4”.

Sizing:

	Width (inches)	Height (inches)	Approx yardage
Security	14	17	250 yards
Baby Blanket	30	35	700 yards
Receiving	40	40	975 yards
Crib	45	60	1300 yards
Throw	52	60	1700 yards

Abbreviations used:

Ch(s) – chain(s).              ·      St(s) – stitch(es)              ·      SC- single crochet           ·      HDC – half double crochet ·      BS – bean stitch ·      Sp(s) – space(s) ·      YO – yarn over ·      FO – Fasten off

Other notes:

– Written in US terms – Chain 1 does not count as a stitch unless stated otherwise. – Chain sts following a bean stitch ALWAYS count as a st. – Where the counts differ for each size within the pattern sizing will be indicated as security (baby, receiving, crib, throw) – The stitch multiple for this one is 2+1 for a chain start

Special Stitches:

Bean stitch: insert hook into next st to be worked, YO and pull through *YO, insert hook into same st, YO, and pull through*, Rep from * to * twice. YO and pull through all 6 loops on your hook.

You can find my video tutorials for the bean stitch below:

The Full of Beans Crochet Baby Blanket Pattern:

** This is a free pattern on the SunflowerCottageCrochet.com blog. If you are reading this anywhere else it is stolen content. Please do not copy and paste any part of it or print this pattern out. Please bookmark this page and use the website to work up your pattern. This helps my small business greatly as it provides a little bit of ad revenue which will in turn will allow me to continue to create free content for you!**

Row 1:           CH 49 (105, 141, 159, 183), hdc in second ch from hook and each ch across (48 (104, 140, 158, 182)

OR foundation hdc 48 (104, 140, 158, 182)

Row 2:        Turn, CH1 (doesn’t count as a st), dc in first st, *BS in next st, ch1, sk1,* Rep from * to * until you have 1 st remaining. DC in last st. (2 dc and 23 (51,  69, 78, 90) BS)

Rows 3-4:    Rep row 2 

Note: remember that the ch1 sps from row 2 count as a st.

Rows 5-7:    Turn, Ch1, hdc in each st across. (48 (104, 140, 158, 182)

Rows 8 on: Rep rows 2-7 until your blanket is approximately 17 (35, 40, 60, 60)” tall.

FO and weave in ends.

Don’t forget to tag me in your crochet baby blanket makes on Facebook and Instagram!