Slip Stitch Crochet Temperature Baby Blanket

Ever wondered what it would be like to make a project entirely in slip stitch, but never wanted to try since it would take forever?

Introducing the Slip Stitch Crochet Temperature Baby Blanket!

This temperature baby blanket pattern uses crochet’s shortest stitch to produce a small blanket suitable for babies! Worked in the back loop only, this stitch achieves a similar effect to stockinette in knitting, just turned on its side. This video from Spotted Horse Design Co was an inspiration for this project.

This is a wonderful pregnancy project, and this particular design features gender-neutral colors! My favorite colors are orange and green, so this blanket was extra fun for me to design. :)

The blanket is finished with an envelope border so you don’t have to weave in ANY ends (unless you run out of a color in the middle of a row).

Below you can see the pattern as well as my monthly progress. I hope you enjoy this pattern!

You can save this post to your Pinterest board here.

Tips for Planning Your Temperature Blanket

You can get a run-down of everything I’ve learned making a temperature blanket in the class I taught for FaveCrafts! You can watch the replay here: Learn How to Make a Temperature Blanket.

The greatest resource on planning your temperature blankets is temperature-blanket.com! You can input your location and set a time frame to get your historical weather data, then export to a CSV file. You can then sort the data by temperature to get a rough idea of the number of daily highs you can expect for each temperature range throughout the year. This should help you plan how much yarn you need and even what ranges you’d like to go with!

I live in the Chicago area, and I wanted to do 10 degree increments so the colors would be easier to memorize. Here is my color key:

A few other temperature blanket planning resources I love:

• I really enjoyed Smitha’s article at Smiling Colors about planning her temperature blanket, plus mistakes to avoid: How To Make A Temperature Blanket: Tips, Mistakes + Fixes!
• I LOVED the Loophole Fox’s temperature blanket course during the Crochet Blanket Summit in 2023. Unfortunately that course is no longer available, but you can check out Shannon’s wonderfully thorough article on her temperature blanket progress here: 2023 Crochet Temperature Blanket.
• I love all of TL Yarn Crafts’ temperature blankets! The colors Toni chooses are stunning. You can find all of her patterns and resources linked up here: Linen Pixel Temperature Blanket.

I had fun including a few variegated yarns! If you decide to include variegated yarns in your design, I recommend placing at least two colors between them to space them out in your design.

Temperature-blanket.com has an entire project planner, yarn palettes based on popular yarn brands, different constructions, and more. Have fun playing around with it!

Materials

• Baby Bee Sweet Delight Weight 3 Light (60% Acrylic, 40% Polyamide, 377 yds/345 m, 4 oz/113 g)
  • 1 skein naked (90+ degrees) (border color)
  • 1 skein bashfull (80-89 degrees)
  • 1 skein teddy bear cuddles (70-79 degrees)
  • 1 skein sand castle (60-69 degrees)
  • 1 skein gingerbread (50-59 degrees)
  • 1 skein springtime chateau (40-49 degrees)
  • 1 skein green light (30-39 degrees)
  • 1 skein baby sage (<29 degrees)
    =3,016 yds total, with QUITE a bit left over in some colors!
• G/6 4mm crochet hook
• Scissors
• Stitch markers
• Tapestry needle for weaving in ends

Abbreviations (US)

• blo: work into the back loop only of the st
• ch(s): chain(s)
• hdc(s): half double crochet(s)
• pm: place marker in the stitch you just created
• rep: repeat
• rnd: round
• sl st(s): slip stitch(es)

Finished Size

31″ x 38″ with border | 30″ x 37″ before border

Gauge

23 sts x 40 rows = 4″

Notes

You can get an ads-free, easy-to-print PDF of this pattern over at Etsy or Ravelry!

You can watch a video tutorial of slip stitch in the back loop only on my YouTube channel here or below!

You can check out my other temperature baby blankets here.

To adjust the width of this blanket, ch any number.

Turning ch never counts as a st.

Join your next temperature color at the end of each row as needed.

The starting ch will seem WAY too wide at first. However, the first row of sl st is going to shrink down the width. For example, my starting ch measured 40″ wide, but after Row 1 it measured 34″ wide. A few rows later, it got down to 30″ wide!

I would suggest it is CRITICAL to use stitch markers at the very beginning and end of each row. The last stitch especially tends to get tight, and you don’t want to accidentally drop any stitches over the course of this year-long project!

Slip Stitch Crochet Temperature Baby Blanket Pattern

Ch 176.

Row 1: Sl st in the second ch from hook and in each ch across, join next color if applicable, ch 1, turn. <175 sts here and throughout.>

Row 2: Sl st in the blo of each st across, join next color if applicable, ch 1, turn.

Rows 3-365 (or 366 in a leap year): Rep Row 2.

Tie off all blanket ends by knotting pairs together along each side of the blanket. Trim ends to about 1″ long.

Envelope Border

Border Notes: The envelope border is worked in joined rounds same-side facing, then flipped and repeated on the other side. So, you should have two borders that will be seamed together to hide all those ends!

During Rnd 1, as you work along the sides of your blanket, aim to place about 3 sl sts for every 5 row-ends. YOUR BORDER WILL RUFFLE SLIGHTLY, but this is only obvious if you are trying to lay the blanket flat on the ground, not using it on your lap or with a baby. If you prefer a border that lies flat, you can aim for about 20 fewer sts across the top and bottom of your blanket, and a whopping 50 fewer sts across the sides. Note that I have not tested these adjusted numbers. My blanket border ruffled. ;)

For a great visual, I recommend this video tutorial over at Nicki’s Homemade Crafts: How to: Crochet Envelope Border Tutorial.

Rnd 1: Working under both loops of the st, pull up a loop of yarn in the upper right-hand corner, ch 1, sl st in the same st, pm on front AND back of st, [sl st across**, pm on front AND back of the last st] four times ending the final rep at **, sl st join. <Not including marked corners, the top and bottom of your blanket should have 173 sts, and the sides should have 213 sts.> You will have used 8 stitch markers.

Here is what the front of your border will look like so far on a very small swatch. There are stitch markers in each of the four corners on this side…

…and stitch markers on each of the four corners on the back. The back looks almost like a running stitch in sewing.

Rnd 2: Ch 1, in the back loop of the marked st work (hdc, pm, hdc), [always working in the back loops, hdc across**, in the marked corner work (3 hdcs, pm in the middle hdc)] four times ending the final rep at **, hdc in the starting corner, sl st join. <Not including marked corners, the top and bottom of your blanket should have 175 sts, and the sides should have 215 sts.>

Just like in the body of the blanket, we are working into the back loops again, see photos below.

Rnd 3: Ch 1, in the marked st work (hdc, pm, hdc), [hdc in the blo across**, in the marked corner work (3 hdcs, pm in the middle hdc)] four times ending the final rep at **, hdc in the starting corner, sl st join. <Not including marked corners, the top and bottom of your blanket should have 177 sts, and the sides should have 217 sts.>

Here is where we work into the back loop only in half double crochet.

Working in the back loop produces a lovely ridge!

Fasten off. Turn blanket so the opposite side is facing you. Pull up a loop of yarn in the upper right-hand corner. Rep Rnds 2 and 3. Note that in Rnd 2 on this side, there is only one loop to work into.

Here is what the back of the small swatch looks like as we prepare to repeat Round 2.

A few stitches worked. Remember, the stitches on the back look a bit like running stitches in sewing. There is only one loop to work into.

Rnd 4: Line up your two borders. Working under the middle loops of each paired up hdc, sl st around the entire border, enclosing all ends as you go. Sl st join or invisibly join to the first st of the rnd. With a tapestry needle or carefully with your crochet hook, tuck that last end into the envelope border. You are DONE!

When working into the middle loops of each hdc, you are technically working into the back loop of the stitches closest to you, and the front loop of the stitches farthest from you.

The slip stitches form a beautiful seam!

Monthly Progress

Month 1

Month 2

Month 3

Month 4

Month 5

Month 6

Month 7

Month 8

Month 9

Month 10

Month 11

Month 12

Pin for later!