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Crochet Shell Stitch Baby Blanket – Free Pattern

Learn how to crochet an easy shell stitch baby blanket with this free pattern + video tutorial. This beginner crochet baby blanket is perfect for all genders.

The latest pattern on the blog is a quick + easy baby blanket. Continue to scroll down for the free pattern or read through some of the details behind this design!

crochet shell stitch baby blanket made with Lion Brand Coboo yarn

Shell Stitch Baby Blanket: Inspiration + Design

Whenever I’m working on crochet designs, I find myself thinking about other design ideas. Not every one of those ideas makes it to the blog, but some do. And that’s exactly how this new crochet pattern design idea came about.

I had recently made a new stitch video for the shell stitch and thought how pretty this stitch would look if it was made into a blanket. Since I don’t have a lot of crochet baby blanket patterns on the blog, I figured I would turn this design idea into a baby blanket.

However, you could easily turn this into a regular size blanket by just increasing your initial stitch count.

So if your into making simple stitches, easy row repeats, and watching your favorite show while stitching, this pattern is for you!

a progress photo showing how to make the shell stitch with a wooden crochet hook

Crochet baby blanket that is perfect for a girl or boy

One thing that I love about this pattern is that it’s perfect for a little girl or boy. So if you don’t know the gender or simply want to give it as a gift, this would be the perfect baby pattern to make.

This pattern is also very simple to work up. I made my blanket in just a few days. The stitch that is used is called the shell stitch and it’s made up of single crochet and double crochet. The double crochets create mini triangles, while the single crochet helps keep everything in place. In turn, it creates mini little shells.

This crochet baby blanket pattern is easy and beginner-friendly because you’re simply following a series of row repeats. Once you have the hang of it, you won’t need to look at the pattern.

a full view of the crochet shell stitch baby blanket pattern

How to add tassels to your crochet blanket

For this baby blanket pattern, I decided to add tassels. Adding tassels to your crochet blanket is very easy. All you have to do is follow these easy steps:

  1. Make a tassel, click here for the quick video tutorial.
  2. Grab a darning needle and insert the yarn (top of tassel) through the needle.
  3. Insert your darning needle through the corner of the blanket and create a knot.
  4. Work in your ends from the tassel and you’re done!

I love adding tassels to my crochet blanket projects. They’re just so squishy and cute!

a crochet blanket with two cotton bamboo tassels on a white surface

Yarn Choice + Color Options

The yarn I choose to work with for this easy crochet baby blanket is Lion Brand Coboo yarn in the color Beige. It’s a beautiful, drapey, number 3, lightweight yarn that is perfect for blankets.

Lion Brand Coboo yarn is made from 50% cotton and 50% bamboo. It’s the perfect blend for a baby blanket!

This yarn line has 16 different color options, so there’s something for everyone. My favorite colors in this yarn line are Taupe, Beige, and Dusty Rose. What colors are your favorite?

Crochet Blanket Size Options

You can easily change the size of this blanket if you want to make it bigger or smaller. All you need to do is adjust the initial stitch count. You also need to take the multiple of the stitch into account.

The multiple for the stitch used in the pattern is 4 plus 1.

another free crochet baby blanket pattern

2 different photos of a cotton striped crochet baby blanket made with the suzette stitch

Another free crochet baby blanket pattern on the blog is the Eta Baby Blanket.

This simple crochet pattern is made with a blend of cotton/bamboo yarn, stripes, and uses only a one-stitch repeat. The pattern uses 2 different colors, but you could easily skip the stripes and make it using one color.

crochet shell stitch baby blanket with two tassels on a white surface

Shell Stitch Baby Blanket Pattern

Description:

Crochet an easy shell stitch baby blanket with this free crochet pattern! This beginner crochet baby blanket is perfect for all genders.

  • Purchase an ad-free, printable, PDF pattern HERE.
  • Add this pattern to your Ravelry queue HERE.

Materials:

Size:

Final size, after blocking: 31″ x 31″ inches

Gauge:

10 rows x 8 stitches = 4 inches in single crochet

8 rows x 8 stitches = 4 inches in double crochet

Abbreviations:

ch – chain: Yarn over, pull through loop on hook.

sc – single crochet: Insert hook into stitch, yarn over and pull through, yarn over and pull through last two loops on hook.

dc – double crochet: Yarn over, insert hook into stitch and pull through, yarn over and pull through first two loops on hook, yarn over and pull through last two loops.

Pattern Notes:

  • Pattern written in U.S Terms.
  • Tassels are optional for this pattern.

Pattern

ch 125

R1: 4 dc in 5th ch from hook, *skip next 3 ch, 4 dc in next ch; rep from * across to within last 4 ch, skip next 3 ch, 3 dc in last ch, turn.

R2: ch 1, sc in each dc across, ending with last sc in top of turning ch, turn.

R3: ch 3 (counts as dc), skip first sc, 2 dc in next sc, *skip next 3 sc, 4 dc in next sc; rep from * across to within last 2 sc, skip next sc, dc in last sc, turn.

R4: Rep Row 2

R5: ch 3 (counts as dc), skip first 3 sc, *4 dc in next sc, skip next 3 sc; rep from * across to within last sc, 3 dc in last sc, turn.

R6-R78: Repeat rows 2-5.

Your last row will be a repeat of row 2 (single crochet).

Cut yarn and weave in ends.

Adding Tassels to Crochet Baby Blanket

You will need a total of 4 tassels. One for each corner of the crochet baby blanket.

Supplies:

Lion Brand Coboo yarn in the color Beige (1 ball/leftover yarn from pattern)

Small book

Scissors

Step 1:

Wrap your yarn around the book 50 times or continue wrapping if you want a chunky tassel.

Step 2:

Gently remove the wrapped yarn of the book.

Cut an additional piece of yarn and put it under the yarn that you just removed from the book ( approx.  1/2″ from the top). 

Once you have the yarn underneath the bunched up yarn, you want to tie a knot to secure it. This will create a loop on top (hole).

Step 3:

Cut all the bottom loops and trim the yarn so it’s perfectly even.

Finally, cut an additional piece of string and loop it through the top of the tassel. This string is used to attach the tassel to the corners of the baby blanket. 

Create a total of 4 tassels. 1 for each corner of the blanket.

Finally attach your tassel to each one of the corners of the blanket.

You’re finished! I hope you enjoyed this easy baby blanket pattern. Don’t forget to share it with me on Facebook, I would love to see how it turned out.

Other Crochet Patterns You Might Like

PIN IT for later

the crochet shell stitch baby blanket Pinterest pin

C

Tuesday 2nd of May 2023

Hi there,

I love this pattern. Is it possible to create a simple border rather than tassels? If so, please provide instructions to attach to the body of the blanket.

P.S. I am a beginner.

Thx, C

Nicky

Friday 5th of May 2023

Hi there, absolutely. I don't have a video tutorial yet for a simple single crochet border. But there's some great tutorials online on how to make a basic border.

shaun kanecke

Wednesday 19th of April 2023

The single crochet row is not really showing as it does in your pic I tried making tighter and looser still just shows shells please help

Nicky

Tuesday 25th of April 2023

Hi there, I would recommend going with a smaller hook size.

Ari

Saturday 8th of April 2023

Hi! Could this be made with size 4 yarn instead of size 3? Thank you!

Nicky

Monday 10th of April 2023

Hi there, you can definitely make it with a worsted weight/number 4 yarn, but the blanket will be slightly bigger. 😊

Margaret

Monday 6th of February 2023

Hi thank you for this beautiful shell pattern. I have a problem though .my work is going askew. It is leaning to the left and I cannot work out what I am doing wrong. Coukd you possibly give me some idea what I could be doing wrong? The diagonal line is perfect. Thank you for your time Kind regards margaret from western australia

Nicky

Monday 13th of February 2023

Hi there, this actually happened to me as well. It was due to my tension. I would start the blanket in the morning and my tension was tight, versus when I would start at night, and my tension was looser. So I would recommend checking your tension (where the blanket is slanting) with a gauge swatcher and seeing if you need to change hook sizes to accommodate the difference.

Echo

Friday 4th of March 2022

Hi there! What a beautiful shell stitch blanket. I'm new to crotching and my question for you is I want to make this in a larger size (afaghan size) do I just double the chain count for the baby blanket? Thank you for your help😊

Nicky

Friday 4th of March 2022

Hi, thank you so much! Yes, you can definitely make this crochet pattern in a larger size you just have to increase the beginning chain by a multiple of 4 + 1. So you want to make sure that the beginning chain is a multiple of 4 and add 1 as the turning chain. Good luck with your blanket! 😊