Crochet Baby Milestone Blanket

The idea for a crochet number blanket stemmed from the popularity of my crochet Alphabet Blanket design! The Alphabet Blanket uses intarsia crochet colorwork to create a block with each letter, that are then assembled into a full blanket. It is truly an heirloom design that will be treasured for a lifetime.

Several months later after the release of the pattern, my audience on Instagram was asking if I had plans to design numbers as well! I immediately promised to design numbers in a similar fashion to the alphabet blanket, Well, here I am, 9+ months later, finally fulfilling my promise!

Not only have I designed numbers to match the alphabet set, but I’ve also compiled them into a blanket design that can serve as a Baby Milestone Blanket! The blanket features numbers 0-12 and a middle panel large enough to lay your baby down on to capture each month milestone in your baby’s first year!

Don’t have a little babe to make the full number blanket for? The number blocks can be useful for so many things! Some of my testers are using them for birthday celebrations, adding them in combination to the alphabet blanket, using them for homeschooling purposes, and more!

FUN FACT: The numbers and the letters from the alphabet blanket are designed with the same number of stitches and rows! So even though I used DK for the numbers and sock weight for the letters, you can use the same yarn weight for both and they would turn out to be the same size! Have fun mixing and matching the two patterns.

You can find the ad-free, print-friendly PDF here on ETSY or RAVELRY

Alphabet Blanket: ETSY or RAVELRY

YARN

For this pattern, I used Cotlin from WeCrochet. Cotlin is a great budget friendly yarn that features cotton and linen fibers. There are 50 colors to choose from, allowing for nearly endless color combination opportunities! I used Swan, Flamingo, Sagebrush, and Planetarium.

Feel free to use any DK-weight yarn of your choosing!

If using Cotlin like my sample, you will need 4 50g skeins of contrasting colors so I recommend choosing 4 colors instead of 3, like my sample. I had to go back for an extra skein of Flamingo.

Find a sample color chart under the Notes section!

YARDAGE

• Numbers 0-9: 110yds of main color (mc), 35yds of contrasting color (cc)
• Numbers 10-12: 120yds of mc, 50yds of cc
• Middle Block: 775yds of mc
• Total Yardage: 1950yds of mc (16 skeins of Cotlin), 380yds of cc (4 skeins of Cotlin)

Yardages for each category are the maximum yardage that you would need, so this is a slight over-estimation. You should have plenty left over for sewing the blanket together.

MATERIALS

• Hook: 4.5mm hook
• Scissors
• Yarn needle 
• Flexible tape measure
• Blocking materials

ABBREVIATIONS

• ch: chain
• slst: slip stitch
• sc: single crochet
• dc: double crochet
• fpdc: front post double crochet
• MC: main color
• CC: contrasting color
• (MC)x5: work single crochet for 5 stitches with the main color
• WS: wrong side
• RS: right side

GAUGE

4” x 4” = 15 sc x 19 rows

Ch 20

Row 1: Starting in the second chain from the hook, sc across.

Rows 2-22: Sc across.

Measure your gauge in the middle of your swatch.

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS

Numbers 1-9: 10” square

Numbers 10-12: 13.3” wide x 10” long

Middle Block: 20” wide x 30” long

Total Blanket: 40” wide x 50” long

NOTES

• Written in US Terms
• Beginning ch 1 does NOT count as a stitch
• You will use single crochet in every single row throughout the pattern
• If you are planning to make the full blanket, I highly recommend testing gauge to ensure that the finished blanket is an appropriate size for taking milestone photos.
• This pattern utilizes Intarsia crochet techniques. If you do not have experience with colorwork/changing colors, read through these notes and refer to the video tutorial linked down below.
• To avoid having open strands stretched across your work, I recommend starting with a new strand of yarn for each section of color. Baby hands may stretch or pull the strands if they are left open on the backside, available to grab.
• Refer to each letter chart to create the design.
• To read the chart: locate the row number on either the left side or the right side. Track the row staring on the side with the row number, all the way across. The following row will start on the opposing side and track the other way. This is to reflect the “turning your work” nature of crochet.
• The ODD rows will be the WRONG side. The EVEN rows will be the RIGHT side.
• You will begin each rows with “ch 1 and turn”.
• Here are the colors I used, based on the chart:
  • MC: white
  • CC: pink

For your convenience, I have included a graphic using 3 colors and a graphic using 4 colors. This is my recommended color placement – feel free to swap in with your own colors!

The PDF version of the pattern has each row written out for each number and grid lines in the charts for easier reading. If you prefer to read rows instead of charts you can purchase the PDF here on ETSY or RAVELRY.

START THE PATTERN

STOP! Are you left-handed? You will need to read the charts upside down, meaning you will start with Row 48 and finish with Row 1. The rows will still be read in the correct direction across the rows. This will allow your color changes to be as clean as possible, similar to the results that right-handed crocheters will get.

Numbers 0-9

With MC, Ch 39.

Row 1 (Row 48 for left-handed): Starting in the second ch from the hook and working into the back bumps, sc across. (38 stitches)

Each row should end with 38 stitches.

Continue on by referring to the number charts below.

After the last row, do NOT fasten off. Scroll past the number charts for edging instructions.

Numbers 10-12

With MC, Ch 51.

Row 1 (Row 48 for left-handed): Starting in the second ch from the hook and working into the back bumps, sc across. (50 stitches)

Each row should end with 50 stitches.

Continue on by referring to the number charts below.

After the last row, do NOT fasten off. Scroll past the number charts for edging instructions.

Middle Panel

With MC (or color of choice), Ch 80.

Row 1: Starting in the second ch from the hook and working into the back bumps, sc across. (79 stitches)

Each row should end with 79 stitches.

Rows 2-148: Sc in each stitch across.

After the last row, do NOT fasten off. Scroll past the number charts for edging instructions.

Number Block Edging Instructions:

All blocks: Ch 1 and rotate to the side of your work. You will be working along the front side of your number block.

Numbers 0-12: Work 38 sc evenly down the side of the work (because there are 48 rows, you will have to skip some rows along the way down – this is not an exact science, so don’t overthink this step too much!).

When you reach the corner, ch 1, rotate to the bottom and sc in the bottom of each chain across (38 for Numbers 0-9, 50 for Numbers 10-12).

When you reach the corner, ch 1, rotate to the next side, work 38 sc evenly up the side (again, not an exact science).

When you reach the corner, ch 1 and slst to the first stitch from Row 48 at the top of the work.

Fasten off and weave in all ends. Continue to Middle Block.

Middle Block Edging Instructions:

Ch 1 and rotate to the side of your work. You will be working along the front side of your number block. Work 118 sc evenly down the side of the work (again, you’ll be skipping some rows).

When you reach the corner, ch 1, rotate to the bottom and sc in the bottom of each chain across (79).

When you reach the corner, ch 1, rotate to the next side, work 118 sc evenly up the side.

When you reach the corner, ch 1 and slst to the first stitch from Row 148 at the top of the work.

Fasten off and weave in ends. Continue to assembly.

Assembly

Refer back to the graphics below the Notes section for the full layout of the blanket.

You may use your preferred seaming method to assemble your blanket. I used the mattress stitch, which provides one of the cleanest invisible seams. Refer to Part 2 of the video tutorial for assembly order and a full tutorial of the mattress stitch.

Fasten off and weave in all ends.

Need the full YouTube video? Part 1 and Part 2 are both linked below!

I’d love to see your beautiful creation! If you share a photo of your work on social media, be sure to tag me so I can see it! You can also use the hashtags #CrochetBabyMilestoneBlanket and #SassAndStitchCrochet