Zigzag Puff Stitch Crochet Baby Blanket

This zigzag puff stitch crochet baby blanket gets its diagonal texture from a double crochet followed by a puff worked back into the space before it. The outline is rectangular; “zigzag” describes the stitch texture rather than a pointed ripple edge. Two yarn strands blend colors through the pink and purple reference sample.

Materials, Gauge and Size

Sport-weight yarn held double; the source uses Knit Picks Brava Sport in Cream, Blush, Freesia and Lady Slipper. Use a 5.5 mm hook, a needle and scissors. Pattern gauge is five puff stitches and seven rows per 4 in. The source’s small baby size is about 22 × 22 in / 56 × 56 cm, starts with ch 83 and uses 38 rows. Its stated total allowance is about 1,140 yd / 1,040 m. Yarn quantity includes both strands.

Stitches and Pattern Notes

US crochet terms: ch = chain; sc = single crochet; hdc = half double crochet; dc = double crochet; tr = treble crochet; sl st = slip stitch; st = stitch; sp = space; BLO = back loop only; inc = 2 stitches in one stitch. Sc2tog, hdc2tog and dc2tog combine two neighboring stitches into one. A number before a stitch tells you how many consecutive stitches to work. Parentheses followed by a repeat number describe one complete group repeated that many times.

Step 1: Learn the Puff

For each puff, yarn over, insert into the indicated chain or space and draw up a long loop. Repeat that action twice more in the same place, leaving seven loops on the hook. Yarn over and pull through all seven; ch 1 to secure. Keep the three drawn-up loops equally tall so the puff does not drag the neighboring dc downward.

A puff is worked before the dc just made. This back-reaching placement crosses the stitches and creates the texture. Do not put the puff in the same chain as the dc.

Step 2: Work Row 1

Holding two Cream strands, ch 83. Dc in the seventh chain from the hook. Make a puff in the preceding chain, then ch 1 to close it. Repeat (skip two chains, dc in the next chain, puff into the chain before that dc, ch 1) across the row. Dc in the final chain for the edge.

The initial skipped chains form the taller starting edge. Keep the foundation visible for the first few repeats, checking that every dc advances three chains along the foundation while its puff reaches back one chain. Avoid accidentally skipping two chains from the puff’s insertion point instead of from the previous dc.

Step 3: Repeat the Texture

Row 2: ch 4 and turn. Dc into the next space between a dc and puff from the preceding row. Work a puff into the space below the previous row’s securing chain, then ch 1. Repeat that pair across. At the far edge, dc into the edge chain, puff into the chain before the previous row’s edge dc, then dc into the edge chain to finish.

Continue repeating Row 2 until the small blanket has 38 rows in total. Keep the edge dc separate from the puff groups and count the groups across each row. A row-end marker helps distinguish the edge chain from the last securing chain.

Step 4: Blend the Colors

Row / round	Instructions	Count / note
1–2	Cream + Cream	Two strands
3–4	Cream + Blush	Replace one strand
5–6	Blush + Blush	Replace the remaining Cream
7–8	Blush + Freesia	Mixed pair
9–10	Freesia + Freesia	Solid pair
11–12	Freesia + Lady Slipper	Mixed pair
13–14	Lady Slipper + Lady Slipper	Solid pair

Step 5: Finish and Adjust Size

Change one yarn strand at a time before beginning a new row, leaving enough tail to weave in. The table gives the source’s first color transition; continue your chosen sequence for the remaining rows rather than assuming the fourteen rows are the entire blanket. Weave the two tails carefully through the dense puff fabric without tightening it.

The source also gives a 35-inch-square option with ch 128 and 60 rows, and a larger throw with ch 146 and 120 rows. These use more yarn and are separate size choices. The small 83-chain version is the complete size followed here. No separate border is required by the supplied instructions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the yarn held double only in mixed rows? No. Use two strands in every row, including two matching strands for solid sections.

Do I change both strands together? The gradual effect replaces one strand at a time.

Where does the puff go? It reaches back into the chain or space before the dc just made, creating the crossing texture.

More Baby Crochet Ideas

Browse our Crochet Baby collection, compare baby bootie patterns, or explore baby cardigan ideas. Save the project to Pinterest before gathering your yarn.

Pattern and Photo Credits

Adapted from the supplied Blanket Zigzag.pdf. Pattern and photographs: Tanya Shliazhko / YarnTwist. Source photographs show the reference samples; captions identify any detail crops. This written adaptation has been reviewed against the supplied pattern pages but has not been physically crocheted or maker-tested. Yarn substitutions and tension can change the result.