Pattern Release: the Gentle Kisses Baby Blanket

Hi friends!

I am so glad I was able to participate in the Preemie Crochet Challenge again this year. I missed out last year due to scheduling conflicts, so this year I got started early so that I would be sure to finish my design in time to share it with you!

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You probably know that I head to the craft section every time I buy groceries at the Walmart so I can ogle and fondle the yarn. Normally I don’t purchase yarn because I do own a closet full of yarn already, however on occasion a skein or two will hop into my cart and I can’t very well tell a sweet yarn baby to get back on the shelf!

So one day I was ogling the yarns and 2 balls of Lion Brand Mandala Baby in the Echo Caves colorway came leaping off the shelf and landed in my cart. I knew immediately that I would be using them to design a new baby pattern for the Preemie Challenge.

Much like most of my designs, the Gentle Kisses Baby Blanket looks nothing like what I had originally planned in my head. I had actually set out to design a nursing cover that could double as a shawl, but once I started working it up I changed course so I could instead design a gift for a baby rather than a momma.

I will probably revisit the nursing shawl in a few months though because the concept in my brain is rather fabulous!

I love using different stitch combinations to create textures that you can see and feel, but I don’t like to use stitch combinations that are too open for baby designs because I would never want a tiny finger or toe to become entangled in something created from my pattern. Still, I did want a nice unique texture to this blanket and I achieved this with tiny crossed stitches that look like “x” s. Since “x” is a typical abbreviation for kiss, I thought Gentle Kisses was the perfect name for this design!

You can grab a copy of the Gentle Kisses Baby Blanket pattern below:

As I mentioned, I designed the Gentle Kisses Baby Blanket as part of the 2024 Preemie Crochet Challenge. Through the month of June, you can grab patterns designed for this event from over 20 designers. We are offering our patterns to you and asking you to pledge to make and donate at least one item from each pattern you download to your local NICU. Many of the participating designers hold preemies close to our hearts as we have had our lives touched by an early arrival infant.

Visit the Preemie Crochet Challenge post at Sunflower Cottage Crochet to get the discount code and grab the pattern below.

My niece, Kenzie was born at 24 weeks and my first design for the Preemie Challenge in 2020 was named for her. You can read more about Kenzie’s story here.

For more patterns perfect for preemies (and the code to grab the Gentle Kisses Baby Blanket pattern for free through June 30), visit the 2024 Preemie Crochet Challenge post:

I have more patterns coming soon, plus July has a ton of crochet fun in store for you! Be sure to subscribe to the Straight Awesome newsletter to be among the first to know about all of the fun happening here at Straight Hooked (and get some exclusive freebies and discounts too!)

Until next time,

Happy Hooking!

~Malena