Winding brick paths disappear into strong boxwood hedges. My children skip along them, calling out the colors of the many blossoms that line the path. “Look, a pink one!” My daughter squeals. “I like the blue.” Says my son. “Boo. Boo.” My one year old has to get in on the action - excitedly pointing at whatever his siblings point at. They dance down the path toward the towering domed greenhouse. We wander through the maze of orchids and succulents, amazed at the size and splendor displayed before us. The brick path whisks us away to the rambling rose garden. Pink explosions of happiness burst from the trellises. Roses are my favorite!

Meet the Ginter Baby Blanket - inspired by the bright bursts of colorful blossoms, the brick paths, and the crisp white structures of the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden here in Richmond, Va.

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Ginter Crochet Baby Blanket: Free Crochet Pattern

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The Yarn

With a new baby on the way, I knew I needed to make a special blanket just for my new sweet girl! It needed to be soft, huggable, and small - the perfect size to tuck around her in a carseat. I wanted simplicity punctuated by stunning texture - so the yarn choice seemed as obvious. For my main color (Color A) I chose a basic worsted weight acrylic yarn, Lion Brand Pound of Love. I’ve used this yarn for many blankets and consider it a perfect blanket yarn - the softness is there, so is the value! You can get so much yarn for such a deal! For the small size that I made, I ended up with plenty left over for more projects. Of course, if you decide to make a larger size, the Pound of Love is fantastic, since you get so much yarn in one ball. I chose white to really set off the accent color.

Lion Brand Yarn 550-100 Pound of Love Yarn, One Size, White Buy on Amazon

Color B needed to contast the Pound of Love in both color and texture. Naturally, I chose the ever popular Lion Brand Homespun. This yarn is technically a heavier weight yarn that the Pound of Love, but we basically ignore that fact. The differnt in the stitches we use will cover the fact that we used two different weight yarns. I chose a color that was feminie and sweet, Mixed Berries. However, with the amazing array of colorways availble in this stunning yarn, you could make it for a boy, gender nuetral, or to match any decor.

Lion Brand Mixed Berries Homespun Yarn (411) Buy on Amazon

Lion Brand Yarn Lion Brand Homespun Yarn (406) Ocean Buy on Amazon

The Stitches

I chose two contrasting stitch repeats for this project: a thick, textured one for Color A, and a simple one for Color B. The Color A section features a raised shell stitch that seems to mimic the bursting buds of spring - not quite in full bloom, but well on their way. This deceptively simple stitch is created by alternated rows of shells, but the shells are all worked in the back loop only to create that depth of texture.

The Color B section is made with a simple moss stitch - single crochet, chain one, skip one. The strict, measured stitches minimc the precisely laid bricks of the winding paths. Of course, the moss stitch is also a very easy one to make with the Homespun yarn, since you work in the chain spaces instead of in the stitches - this makes the yarn easier to work with.

The Possibilities

Of course, you don’t need to be confined to the dimensions I made this blanket in. It is a simple pattern, easily made in any size you wish. Choose the size, and use the following instructions to make this beautiful blanket to measure!

Car Seat or Stroller Blanket: 30” x 35”

Crib: 36” x 54”

Throw: 52” x 60”

You will need to chain a number divisible by 4, then add two chains. Continue with the pattern as written, understanding that the stitch counts at the end of each row will chainge as you change the foundation chain.

To increase the length, just repeat Rows 21-54 as often as needed to get your desired length.

The Pattern

Materials:

Lion Brand Pound of Love

Lion Brand Homespun

6.5 mm Hook

Yarn Needle to weave ends

Stitches and Terms:

Ch—Chain

Sc—Single Crochet

Sl St—Slip Stitch

Sk—Skip

Dc—Double Crochet

Shell—Three dc in the same stitch

St—Stitch

BLO—Back Loop Only

Ea—Each

Fch—Foundation Chain

Gauge:

8 rows of 3 repeats in Color A pattern repeat = 4”

Fch 18

Row 1: Sc in second ch from hook, *sk 1, shell in next ch, sk 1, sc in next ch* repeat to end.

Row 2: Ch 2, 2 dc in first sc, *sk dc, sc in center dc, sk dc, shell in blo of next sc,* repeat until one shell remains, sk dc, sc in center dc, sk dc, 2 dc in last sc.

Repeat Row 1-2 until you have 8 rows.

Notes:

U.S. Terms

Stitches between *stars* are repeated. Stitches in (parenthesis) are made in the same stitch or space.

The Ginter Blanket can be made to measure. Size customizations are included to help you find the size you want to make.

The pattern is written in carseat size. Additional sizes can be made using the chart and customization instructions.

The amount of yarn you will need varies based on the size blanket you choose.

Car Seat: 1 ball of Lion Brand Pound of Love, 1 skein of Homespun

Crib: 1 ball of Pound of Love, 2 skeins of Homespun

Throw: 2 balls of Pound of Love, 3 skeins of Homespun

Purchase the Ginter Blanket on Ravelry

Click to go to Ravelry

In Color A

Fch 86

Row 1: Sc in second ch from hook, *sk 1 ch, shell in next ch, sk 1 ch, sc in next ch,* repeat to end of the row.

Row 2: Ch 1, but pull it up a little higher than usual, 2 dc in first sc, *sk 1 dc, sc in middle dc of shell, sk 1 dc, shell in blo of next sc, * repeat to the end, 2 dc in last sc.

Row 3: Ch 1, sc in first dc, sk 1 dc, *shell in blo of next sc, sk 1 dc, sc in middle dc of shell, sk 1 dc* repeat to end, sc in last dc.

Rows 4-14: Repeat rows 2-3.

Change to Color B

Row 15: Ch 1, sc in first dc, *ch 1, dc in next sc, ch 1, sc in middle dc of shell, * repeat across, ch 1, dc in next sc, ch 1, sc in last dc.

Row 16: Ch 3 (counts as sc + ch 1), sc in next ch 1 sp, *ch 1, sk next st, sc in next ch 1 sp,* repeat across. (you should have a sc in each ch 1 space, but nothing made in the sc or dc of Row 15)

Rows17-20: Repeat Row 16.

Change to Color A

Row 21: Ch 1, sc in first sc, *sk ch 1 sp, shell in next sc, sk ch 1 sp, sc in next sc,* repeat to end.

Rows 22-34: Repeat rows 2-3.

Rows 35-54: Repeat rows 15-34. Fasten off. Weave in ends. Continue to The Edging.

The Edging

The Edging is worked in the same manner as Rows 15-20 of the pattern in Color B.

Pick up Color B at the end of Row 54 and turn.

Round 1: ch 1, sc in first dc, ch 1, sk 1, *sc in next sc, ch 1, sk 1, sc in next dc, ch 1,* repeat to corner, (sc, ch 2, sc) in corner, ch 1, *sc, ch 1, sk 1,* repeat down the side until you get to the corner, (sc, ch 2, sc) in the corner, ch 1, working in the foundation ch, *sc in the same ch as the sc of Row 1, ch 1, sc in the same st as the shell of Row 1, ch 1* repeat to the corner, (sc, ch 2, sc) in the corner, ch 1, sc, ch 1, sk 1,* repeat down the side until you get to the corner, (sc, ch 2, sc) in the corner, ch 1, join with sl st to first stitch of the edging.

Round 2: Ch 1, turn, sc in ch 1 sp, *ch 1, sk sc, sc in ch 1 sp,* repeat around, working (sc, ch 2, sc) in each ch 2 space for the corners. Join with sl st to first stitch of this round.

Fasten off. Weave in ends.

Ginter Baby Blanket Free Crochet Pattern

This pattern is written by Rebekah Haas. I hold the copyright to this pattern. It should not be published, shared, or sold without direct permission of the designer. You are, of course, welcome to sell any items you make using this pattern. If you post pictures of your item on Instagram or Facebook, please credit me with the design by linking to my Instagram account or website. Thank you for choosing to make my pattern! I hope it inspires you!