13 Best Yarns for Crochet Baby Blankets + Patterns

What is better than crocheting a big blanket?  How about crocheting a baby blanket?  They are smaller and a lot quicker to make than full sized blankets.  Actually, baby blankets are one of my favorite things to crochet.  

You may be wondering what is the best yarn to make a baby blanket with?  In this post I will list some of my favorite yarns for crocheting a baby blanket, along with some free patterns.

Tips For Selecting the Right Yarn for Baby Blankets

Not all yarns are suitable for making baby blankets with.  There are a couple of things that you want to keep in mind when trying to select the best yarn for a baby blanket.

Fiber Content

When choosing yarn for a baby blanket, you want to select a yarn that is both soft and made out of a fiber that is gentle on a baby’s sensitive skin.  Some yarns are too scratchy or may include a fiber content (like wool yarn) that will irritate a baby’s skin, so you want to find the softest yarn possible to make a baby blanket with.

You definitely want to stay away from yarns that include certain natural fibers like wool or superwash merino wool for example.  Your best choice it to go with either synthetic fibers or a natural fibre yarn. 

Natural fibers such as cotton yarn or bamboo yarn are great choices for a baby blanket as they are delicate on a baby’s sensitive skin.  Another great choice is acrylic yarn.  Acrylic is actually hypoallergenic so it’s perfect for making baby blankets with and also less expensive than natural fiber yarns.

Some blends of yarn also work well for making baby blankets with like a cotton blend yarn or an acrylic blend yarn.  

Is The Yarn Washable?

You always want to make sure that you select a yarn that is machine washable.  It’s super easy to know whether any specific yarn can be washed in a washing machine by simply checking the yarn label.  Check out THIS POST for help with understanding how to read a yarn label.

If you have to just hand wash a specific type of yarn, you certainly don’t want to make a baby blanket with it.  As much as babies spit up and make a mess, you need a yarn that can hold up to frequent washing.

Color Availability

You want to make sure that you choose a brand of yarn that comes in many different colors so that you will have options when it comes to selecting coordinating colors.  Different yarns will have different color selections.  Most major brands of yarn will have a wide selection of colors to choose from.

Baby Blanket Yarn Q & A

Is dye lot number important when buying yarn for a baby blanket?

YES!  It’s important when buying multiple skeins of the same color of yarn, especially for a solid colored blanket, is that you want to check the dye lot number on each skein to make sure that they all match.  This will make sure that each skeins matches perfectly and isn’t a shade or two off.

Should you buy extra yarn just in case when buying yarn for a baby blanket?

If you are able to, I always recommend grabbing an extra skein of yarn just to make sure that you will have enough to finish your project.  This is really important if you are making a solid colored baby blanket.  You don’t want to run short and then not be able to find the same dye lot as you started with, so it’s always best to have some leftover than not enough.

​What’s the most inexpensive yarn to crochet a baby blanket?

​The most inexpensive yarn that you will probably find to crochet a baby blanket, will be an acrylic yarn.  Acrylic yarns are typically cheaper than other fiber of yarns and usually come in a bigger skein.  Plus, acrylic yarn is hypoallergenic so it’s gentle and safe for your baby’s skin.

What weight yarn is used for baby blankets?

Depending on the pattern, all weights of yarn from a lightweight yarn to a bulky yarn, are used for baby blankets.  The most common yarn weight that you see crochet baby blankets made with is a #4 worsted weight yarn.  A worsted yarn is always my go to choice for making a baby blanket.

Best Yarns For Crochet Baby Blankets

1. Mandala Ombre

This isn’t specifically a baby yarn, but it is still a perfect yarn for a baby blanket.  This is one of my favorite yarns from Lion Brand and it works up beautifully when using it for a baby blanket.  Mandala Ombre is a worsted weight yarn that is easy to care for.

Shop for Lion Brand Mandala Yarn.

This yarn is perfect for choosing a neat stitch like the wattle stitch or grit stitch and making a blanket with.  Here is a C2C Blanket Pattern that is made with the Grit Stitch and Mandala Ombre Yarn.

2. Brava Worsted

Brava yarn is a good choice for crochet blankets.  It holds up well, comes in lots of colors and is similar in feel and texture of I Love This Yarn.  The yardage on the Brava yarn seems to kinda be smaller per skein than other yarns with only 218 yards of yarn per skein.

Shop for Brava Worsted Yarn.

My striped bobble stitch baby blanket is made with Brava Worsted yarn.

3. I Love This Yarn

One of my favorite places to go is Hobby Lobby and they have one of the best yarns for making baby blankets with!  I Love This Yarn is a super soft yarn and is the perfect choice for making a baby blankets.  It comes in  a lot of different colors and works well for any type of crochet blanket projects.

Shop I Love This Yarn.

My ripple baby blanket pattern is made using I Love This Yarn.

4. Yarn Bee Sugarwheel

This is a fun choice of yarn to make a baby blanket with.  Yarn Bee Sugarwheel yarn has lots of different color combinations that are perfect for baby blankets and even baby loveys.  I have made loveys with just 1 skein of this yarn.

Shop for Yarn Bee Sugarwheel Yarn.

This C2C moss stitch baby blanket is made using Yarn Bee Sugarwheel yarn

5. Mandala Baby

Another great Lion Brand Yarn to make baby blankets with is their Mandala Baby yarn.  It is a #3 DK weight yarn that comes in pretty colors.  If you are wanter a striped and lighter weight yarn, this one is perfect choice.

Shop for Mandala Baby Yarn.

6. Baby Bee Soft & Sleek Baby

This is another great yarn that you can find at Hobby Lobby.  This is the baby version of their Yarn Bee Soft & Sleek.  I really like this yarn myself as it is a non pill yarn and doesn’t shed like some acrylic yarns do.

Shop for Baby Bee Soft & Sleek Yarn.

7. Pound of Love

Lion Brand Pound of Love yarn is another great yarn for handmade blankets.  This yarn comes just like it’s name in 1 pound skeins, so you definitely don’t have to worry about running short on a project.  It is a #4 weight yarn, but is on the thinner side of #4 yarns.

Shop for Pound of Love Yarn.

8. Bernat Baby Blanket 

Bernat Baby Blanket Yarn is a #6 super bulky weight yarn that works up for a super cozy blanket.  It is also a polyester yarn and makes for very soft blankets.  If you are looking for a thicker yarn that works up quickly and comes in cute colors, this is a popular choice!

Shop Bernat Baby Blanket Yarn.

Other great baby blanket yarns

• Ice Cream Yarn
• Basic Stitch Yarn
• Baby Soft Yarn
• Feels Like Butta Yarn
• Brava Sport Yarn

And there are 13 of the best yarns for crochet baby blankets!

Enjoy these FREE crochet patterns while you are here!

• 50 Awesome Baby Blanket Patterns
• 50 Cute Baby Hat Patterns
• Dino Baby Lovey Pattern
• Bear Baby Lovey Pattern
• Unicorn Baby Lovey Pattern
• Baby Bear Hats in 5 Sizes
• Bean Stitch Baby Blanket Pattern