The Wee One Lovey crochet pattern is a beginner friendly project for the smallest of preemies.

The Wee One Lovey Blanket

I love making baby blankets. They’re such satisfying projects to work on because of their size and portability. Baby blankets are wonderful handmade gifts for expectant parents.

But, what if the baby receiving the blanket is premature? Many times, a preemie will spend time in the hospital in an incubator. That environment can be cold and stressful for both the babies and the parents.

A lovey is a smaller version of a full-sized baby blanket. For the smallest babies, ones who might be experiencing distress in the NICU or babies newly arrived home from the hospital, a lovey is the perfect size. They provide a bit of comfort and calm in the incubator or crib and don’t take up a lot of space.

Inspiration + Design for the lovey

My inspiration came from Helen of Sunflower Cottage Crochet who hosts an annual event called “Preemie Crochet Challenge”. All of the crochet featured in this event is meant for premature infants appropriate for use either in the hospital or at home. You’ll find more details about this event below.

Traditional sized baby blankets are often too large for babies at this stage. So, the lovey size provides all the comfort and calm without taking up a lot of space. Loveys make a great transition piece from hospital and home and can grow into a baby’s favorite snuggly once she begins to move about.

This small baby blanket is a quick project, only 12” square in this case, so it’s an ideal last minute gift. Because it doesn’t take much yarn to make, you can shop your stash.

Many times a small snuggly like this will include an amigurumi animal head as part of the design, making it more of a toy. For the Wee One Lovey, I’ve chosen a simple blanket design.

As the main stitch pattern, I chose the 3-dc cluster, alternating with a row of single crochet for an easy 2-row repeat. The 3-dc cluster, a beautiful stitch, provides enough coverage without creating large holes for little fingers and toes.

About the yarn

I’m always on the lookout for a new (to me) yarn so I decided to give Hobbii’s “Acacia Print” a try. Here’s what I found:

The yarn is so soft, something that’s so important for a preemie’s delicate skin. It’s easy to work with. “Acacia Print” comes in beautiful muted colors with vivid stitch definition, bringing out the charming qualities of the 3-dc cluster.

The cotton ensures that the yarn feels soft against your skin and has good breathability, while the acrylic makes the yarn lighter and extra flexible. The yarn is OEKO-TEX® certified.

Any DK weight yarn will work as long as it’s soft and hypo-allergenic. You might try one of the following:

• Lion Brand “Mandala Baby”
• Lion Brand “Baby Soft”
• WeCrochet “Shine Sport”

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Sizes Available

When I originally designed this lovey, the pattern only included one size. I’ve now updated the premium PDF to include the following sizes:

• Security Blanket: 16″ x 16″
• Standard Baby Blanket: 36″ x 36″
• Crib Blanket: 40″ x 6o”

The premium PDF includes all the modifications you’ll need to make any of the 4 sizes of the Wee One Lovey Blanket.

The Wee One Hat – the perfect companion

For the 2024 Preemie Crochet Challenge, I designed the Wee One Hat to coordinate with the Wee One Lovey. The premium PDF includes instructions for 3 sizes. Visit the blog post for the free preemie version and all the information you’ll need about this gorgeous little hat.

The Preemie Crochet Challenge 2022

I’m honored that the Wee One Lovey is featured in the Preemie Crochet Challenge 2022, hosted by Helen of Sunflower Cottage Crochet.

This challenge is now over. If you’d like to visit the post to see all the designs available for donation, click the button below.

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The Wee One Lovey free crochet pattern

Materials

Yarn

Hobbii “Acacia Print” 51% acrylic, 49% cotton DK weight (3.5oz/273yd; 100g/250m)
Color #14 – Candy Store (approx. 2oz)

Any DK weight yarn that’s appropriate for babies will work.

Hook

US size H-8 (5mm) or size needed to achieve gauge

General Information

Finished size: Approx. 12” square with edging

Gauge: Approx. 5 repeats of Rows 2-3 x 8 3-dc clusters = 4”

Skill level: Confident beginner

Abbreviations – US crochet terminology

• beg – beginning
• ch – chain
• dc – double crochet
• pm – place marker
• rep – repeat
• rm – remove marker
• rnd – round
• sc – single crochet
• sk – skip
• sp – space
• st(s) – stitch(es)
• RS – right side
• WS – wrong side
• YO – yarn over

Repeats

• (…) – Work everything within the parentheses in the same st or sp.
• […] – Repeat everything within the brackets the indicated number of times.
• {…} – Repeat everything within the braces the indicated number of times.

Special Stitches

3-dc cluster (referred to as ‘cluster’ in the instructions) – [YO, insert hook in indicated st, YO, pull up a loop, YO, pull through 2 loops] 3 times, YO, pull through all 4 loops on hook.

Find the video tutorial here: https://youtu.be/ztF99eMPI98

5-dc shell – 5 dc in the same st

Pattern Notes

1. A ‘ch-3’ may be substituted for any STsc throughout. If it’s too tall, work a ‘ch 2’ instead.
2. A ‘ch-1’ at the beginning of any row or round does not count as a st.

Written Instructions

Body

Ch 42.
Row 1 (WS): Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across, turn. < 41 sc >
Row 2 (RS): STsc, dc in next st, (ch 1, sk 1 st, cluster in next st) to last 3 sts, ch 1, sk 1 st, dc in last 2 sts, turn. < 4 dc, 19 ch-1 sp, 18 clusters >
Row 3: Ch 1, sc in same st and in each st and ch-1 sp across, turn. < 41 sc >
Rows 4-25: Repeat Rows 2-3 11 times.
Row 26: Repeat Row 2.

Do not turn; proceed to Edging.

Edging

Note: To make the shell pattern of Rnd 2 work correctly, 39 sts must be worked along each edge between the corner sts. When working in the ends of the rows of the Body, place 2 sc at the end of a cluster row and 1 sc in each sc row. In Rnd 1, a marker is placed in the 1st and last sts of the top and bottom to mark where the 7-dc shell of each corner will be worked in Rnd 2.

Rnd 1 (RS):

• Rotate the blanket 90^o, ch 1, work 39 sc evenly spaced along the side.
• Rotate the blanket 90^o, sc in each of the 41 ch along the bottom edge. Pm in the 1^st and last sc to mark the corners.
• Rotate the blanket 90^o, work 39 sc evenly spaced along the side.
• Rotate the blanket 90^o, sc in each of the sc and ch-1 sp along the top edge. Pm in the 1^st and last sc to mark the corners. < 41 sc >
• Join with slip st to 1^st st.
• DO NOT TURN.

Rnd 2: Slip st in the next st, ch 1, sc in the same st, sk 1 st, [5-dc shell in the next st, sk 1 st, sc in the next st, sk 1 st] across to the marker, 7-dc shell in the st with the marker (corner made), rm, {sk 1 st, sc in the next st, sk 1 st, [5-dc shell in the next st, sk 1 st, sc in the next st, sk 1 st] across to the marker, 7-dc shell in the st with the marker, rm} 3 times, join with slip st to beg sc.

Fasten off and weave in ends.

Find other baby blanket patterns in all my shops.

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