This modern granny stitch baby blanket is a free crochet pattern. You’ll want to make one for your next baby shower!

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Baby blankets make the most generous, most thoughtful gifts at baby showers. The new parents receiving the gift of a baby blanket will have a lasting treasure to cherish as their newborn grows. The oohs and aahs will abound when this very special gift is opened.

I love all the things that go into making a baby blanket – the soft yarn, the beautiful colors, the simple stitches that make it a great mindful project. The Floryn Baby Blanket, a modern granny stitch baby blanket, was such a satisfying crochet project and the results are stunning.

Inspiration + Design

The inspiration for this modern granny stitch baby blanket came from A) the need for a special handmade gift and B) the discovery of a wonderfully soft baby yarn.

This particular baby blanket will be gifted to a dear friend of my daughter. She, her husband and her two-year-old live in London and they’re expecting their second child any day now.

For their first child, I designed the Blissful Blocks baby blanket, a unique construction blanket with a lightweight feel and elegant look. You can find it here.

I wanted this one to be equally special.

Construction

The overall look and feel of this modern granny stitch baby blanket is delicate and cozy. Baby blankets don’t need to be heavy which is why I always choose lighter stitches and yarn.

I discovered the modern granny stitch (more on this below) and knew it would provide a perfect balance of lightweight coverage and cozy warmth. Plus, I love granny stitches!

I’m especially in love with the border. The little picots that sit atop each shell give the border the look of rows of delicate flower petals.

All of the elements – the modern granny stitch, the picot shell border, the beautiful yarn – combine to make this a very special baby blanket.

The Modern Granny Stitch

The Modern Granny Stitch is an easy to remember and easy to work two-row repeat. Once the foundation row is set up, the stitches of one row simply work logically into the stitches of the row before.

The first row of the stitch pattern is the traditional granny stitch. If you aren’t familiar with the granny stitch, you’ve certainly seen it. The traditional granny square is round after round of 3 dc worked into the same space. That’s it!

The second row of the stitch pattern is a dc3tog worked into the tops of the 3dc of the granny stitch. It becomes the mirror image of the granny stitch row.

I have a great photo tutorial on the modern granny stitch here.

The Yarn

When I was introduced to Sirdar yarns this past spring, I noticed the Baby Blossom DK and ordered a skein to try. I instantly fell in love with the beautiful color saturation, the fun self-striping and the soft feel of the yarn. I knew I had the perfect yarn for this modern granny stitch baby blanket.

I gravitate toward DK weight yarn for my baby blanket designs because it gives the blanket a more delicate, lightweight feel. However, it still provides plenty of warmth. This modern granny stitch baby blanket is no exception.

This modern granny stitch baby blanket is worked in a lilac color way. However, the other colors available are equally fun and gorgeous.

Here are a couple of alternatives for Baby Blossom DK:

• Lion Brand “Mandala Baby Yarn”
• Paintbox Yarns “Baby DK Print”

Why buy the PDF for this modern granny stitch baby blanket pattern?

• It has detailed written instructions.
• I’ve included a photo tutorial for the modern granny stitch.
• You won’t have to scroll through ads or bookmark this page (although you should).

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What you need to know to make this modern granny stitch baby blanket

Thank you for staying on this post and reading my patterns right here on the blog, without copy/pasting. When you stay here to follow the free version of my pattern, I am compensated for my time and energy. This is a great, free way to support a designer. If you would like to save this for later, bookmark the page to save it in your mobile browser.

Yarn

Hayfield “Baby Blossom DK” 70% acrylic, 30% nylon (3.5oz/362yd; 100g/332m)

Color 0352 (Little Lavender) – 3 skeins (You will need nearly all of the 3rd skein so be sure your gauge is correct.)

Hook

US size G-6 (4mm) or size needed to achieve gauge

Tools

• Removable stitch markers (for Border corners)
• Tapestry needle for weaving in ends

Finished Size

Approx. 36″ x 36″ including border

Gauge

Approx. 5.5 GS x 4 pairs of rows = 4”

Note: This yarn and stitch pattern have a fair amount of stretch, making the gauge a bit difficult to determine. Be sure to lay the piece on a hard surface, not fabric, to get the most accurate measurement possible. You will run out of yarn if your gauge is too loose.

Skill level: Advanced beginner

Abbreviations – US crochet terminology

• beg – beginning
• ch – chain
• dc – double crochet
• dec – decrease
• rep – repeat
• rnd(s) – round(s)
• sc – single crochet
• sk – skip
• sp – space
• st(s) – stitch(es)
• YO – yarn over

Special Stitches

Double crochet 3 together (dc3tog) – (YO, insert hook in next st, YO, draw up loop, YO, pull through 2 loops) 3 times, YO, pull through 4 loops.

Granny stitch (GS) – 3 dc in the same st.

Picot 5-dc shell – (2 dc, ch 3, slip st in the 1st ch of the 3 just made to form a picot, 3 dc) in the same st (This shell is worked along all 4 edges of the blanket).

Picot 7-dc shell – (3 dc, ch 3, slip st in the 1st ch of the 3 just made to form a picot, 4 dc) in the same st (This shell is worked at the corners only).

Pattern Instructions for the Floryn Baby Blanket

Thank you for staying on this post and reading my patterns right here on the blog, without copy/pasting. When you stay here to follow the free version of my pattern, I am compensated for my time and energy. This is a great, free way to support a designer. If you would like to save this for later, bookmark the page to save it in your mobile browser.

Pattern Notes

1. A ‘ch-3’ may be substituted for the STsc at the beg of the row. Be sure the turning ch sits straight and doesn’t bow out. If it does, ch 2 instead.
2. Each row begins and ends with 2 dc. This gives stability to the sides of the blanket and provides a foundation for working the border.
3. The dc3tog is worked in the 3 sts of the GS. The ch sp between each dc3tog is not worked into in the following row but instead creates the distance needed to ensure the row lays flat.

Instructions – Modern Granny Stitch Baby Blanket

Ch 137. (Multiple of 3 + 1)

Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across, turn. (136 sc)

Row 2: STsc, dc in next st, sk 1 st, GS in next st, [sk 2 sts, GS in next st] 43 times, sk 1 st, dc in last 2 sts, turn. (44 GS, 4 dc)

Row 3: STsc, dc in next st, ch 1, dc3tog in 3 dc of next GS, [ch 2, dc3tog in 3 dc of next GS] across, ch 1, dc in last 2 sts, turn. (44 dc3tog, 43 ch-2 sp, 2 ch-1 sp, 4 dc)

Rows 4-69: Rep Rows 2-3 33 times.

Row 70: Rep Row 2.

Do not fasten off. Continue to the Border.

Border

Notes

1. The ‘ch 1’ at the beg of each rnd does not count as a st.
2. Do not turn after any rnd.
3. In Rnds 2 & 3, the corner st is identified as the middle st of the 3 sc worked at the corner in the previous rnd. Place a marker in the middle st of each corner to easily identify it.
4. The picot shells sit very close together. Your border may begin to bunch. That’s OK; it’s meant to look like a collection of flower petals!
5. Carefully count the sc between corners in Rnds 1-3. Accurate st counts means you’ll end up with the correct number of sts for Rnd 4. That’s super important so count often!

Rnd 1

Side 1: Rotate blanket 90 degrees, ch 1, sc in the end of the 1st row of the side, (2 sc in the end of each row) 68 times starting in the 2nd row of the side (137 sc along side).

Bottom edge: Rotate blanket 90 degrees, 3 sc in 1st st of foundation row, sc in next 66 sts, sc dec over next 2 sts, sc in next 66 sts (133 sc between corners), 3 sc in last st of foundation row.

Side 2: Rotate blanket 90 degrees, (2 sc in the end of each row) 68 times, sc in the end of the last row (137 sc along side).

Top edge: Rotate blanket 90 degrees, 3 sc in 1st st of top row, sc in next 66 sts, sc dec over next 2 sts, sc in next 66 sts (133 sc between corners), 3 sc in last st of row, join with slip st to beg sc.

(133 sc across top/bottom edges, 137 sc across each side, 3 sc in each corner)

Remember to place a marker in each middle corner st.

Rnd 2: Ch 1, sc in same st and in each st to next middle corner st, [3 sc in middle st of corner, sc in next st and in each st across to next middle corner st] 3 times, 3 sc in middle st of last corner, sc in last st, join with slip st to beg sc. (135 sc across top/bottom edges, 139 sc across each side, 3 sc in each corner)

Rnd 3: Ch 1, sc in same st and in each st to next middle corner st, [3 sc in middle st of corner, sc in next st and in each st across to next middle corner st] 3 times, 3 sc in middle st of last corner, sc in last 2 sts, join with slip st to beg sc. (137 sc across top/bottom edges, 141 sc across each side, 3 sc in each corner)

Rnd 4: (STsc, dc, ch 3, slip st in 1st ch to form picot, 3 dc) in same st as slip st join (this is the 1st picot 5-dc shell), sk 1 st, slip st in next st, sk 1 st, [picot 5-dc shell in next st, sk 1 st, slip st in next st, sk 1 st] across to next middle corner st, * picot 7-dc shell in middle corner st, sk 1 st, slip st in next st, sk 1 st, [picot 5-dc shell in next st, sk 1 st, slip st in next st, sk 1 st] across to next middle corner st, rep from * 2 times, picot 7-dc shell in middle corner st, sk 1 st, slip st in next st, join with slip st to top of first st of first picot 5-dc shell. (34 picot 5-dc shells along top/bottom, 35 picot 5-dc shells along each side, 4 corner picot 7-dc shells)

Fasten off and weave in ends. Block if necessary.

Your modern granny stitch baby blanket is ready to be enjoyed!

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