Newborn Photography Prop Blanket

Today’s pattern release is a little out-of-the-norm for me. If you’re expecting a bundle of joy soon, or if you work with (or sell to) photographers, you might love it!

With the arrival of Baby Boy #3 less than 2 months away, I’m starting to think about what I want to do for his newborn photo session. I didn’t even know how to crochet when my two older (now 4 & 6) boys were born, so this is exciting!

I’m a big fan of the rustic-modern style, so I’ll definitely be incorporating that into the photos. I saw this pin on Pinterest not long ago and decided that a chalkboard crate was the way to go. I figured I’d have to DIY it, so I was really happy when I came across a baby-sized crate at Walmart that already had the chalkboard section built in. It doesn’t get much easier than that!

I decided to crochet a few fluffy blankets for the crate, and have been keeping my eyes open for the perfect yarns to achieve the cozy rustic look I want. I ended up choosing three different yarns, and whipped up some of the coziest looking prop blankets ever! These yarns are all different brands, but their colors and textures will work beautifully together or separately.

As you’ll see below, this pattern isn’t written out as a pattern so much as it is a formula, because it can work for any yarn and any hook size you choose. So instead of giving you detailed chain and stitch counts, I’ll teach you how to determine the right number of stitches for the yarn you choose, to get a beautiful 20″ x 20″ prop-sized blanket.

Since I know you’re probably wondering, here are the yarns that I used, and their accompanying hook sizes:

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Lion Brand Homespun (bulky)

Color: Shaker
Hook Size: K

This is not a beginner yarn, but I will say that this pattern is ideal for it. The crinkly texture of the yarn makes seeing your stitches tough, but the stitch combination we’re using makes it easy to feel where the hook gets inserted, thanks to the little holes that are created when we skip a stitch and put two stitches together in the next. The resulting blanket is really rustic looking.

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Bernat Home Bundle (super bulky)

Color: Not Sure (It was a mix of cream and white, and I can’t find it online anywhere)
Hook Size: N

I’d never noticed this yarn at the store before, but when I saw it at Joann Fabrics, I knew it was absolutely perfect for the look I wanted to achieve. Home Bundle is a supersized skein of 4 different textures of yarn: a faux-fur, Bernat Blanket, a regular super bulky yarn, and a yarn that feels really similar to Lion Brand Homespun. These textures show up in a self-striping pattern, and I did see a few colorways that featured different colors for each texture, but I opted for the all-cream skein because I didn’t want the jagged edges that come with abrupt color changes (which would be especially noticeable in this thick of a yarn). The resulting blanket is incredibly soft and looks just like something you’d want to snuggle around your newborn.

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Charisma Big! by Loops & Threads (bulky)

Color: Taupe
Hook Size: L

The color of this yarn is gorgeous! I’m always a sucker for really natural-looking neutral yarns, and this is a good one. This is the yarn that shows off the actual pattern the best of the three that I chose. I also opted to put a simple, boy-friendly (i.e. not frilly) border on this one, and included the instructions for it in the pattern below.

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NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHY PROP BLANKET

Level: Easy

Size: 20″ x 20″

Yarn: Your choice

Hook: Whatever will work well with the yarn you chose

You’ll also need: Yarn needle, measuring tape

Gauge:
Not important

Abbreviations Used:
   ST (stitch)
SL ST (slip stitch)
SK (skip)
CH (chain)
SC (single crochet)
HDC (half double crochet)
   SC+HDC (this just means to put a single crochet and a half double crochet in the same stitch)

Notes:
(1) This pattern is written in American Standard Terms.
(2) Starting CHs do not count as stitches.
(3) This pattern will work for any size blanket and you can chain any number to start as long as it’s an odd number.

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To begin:
Being sure to chain an odd number of chains, chain until your starting chain is about 19-20″ in length.

Row 1: SC+HDC in 3rd CH from hook. (SK next ST, SC+HDC in next ST) across.

Row 2: CH1, turn. SK first ST, SC+HDC in next ST. (SK next ST, SC+HDC in next ST) across.

Repeat Row 2 until your blanket measures about 20″ in length. Fasten off and weave in ends, or continue on to Optional Edging, below.

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Optional Edging
If you want to give your blanket a nice finished edge without drawing a lot of attention to it (remember, we’re going for the rustic look, not the fancy look), follow these instructions:

Round 1: CH1, turn. SC evenly around the entire blanket, putting 3SC in each corner. (On the sides of the blanket where there aren’t already defined stitches, you can put 1SC in each row.) Join to the first SC with a SL ST.

Round 2: CH1. SL ST in each SC around the entire blanket, putting (SL ST, CH1, SL ST) in each corner stitch. Join to the first SL ST with a SL ST.

Fasten off and weave in all ends.