Sunshine Picnic Blanket and Bag: Free Crochet Blanket Pattern

Sunshine Picnic Blanket and Bag: Free Crochet Blanket Pattern

Summertime is for adventures: beach days, picnics, and lots of outdoors time! Now that I have a kiddo, I wanted to create a new crochet blanket pattern that we could take out on our outings. If you go on lots of adventures, then you’ll love my latest crochet pattern: the Sunshine Picnic Blanket and Bag! It’s a crochet blanket pattern made with the linen stitch, that includes handles and ties to make it into a bag that’s easy for storage. I’m so excited to take this crochet picnic blanket on picnics this summer!

Want to save this pattern for later? Save it to your favorite Pinterest board!

Yarn

To make this blanket and bag set, I used Lion Brand 24/7 cotton. This yarn is a worsted weight 100% mercerized cotton yarn, that has a beautiful shine and durability for using again and again. I love using this yarn for summer projects! It’s especially great for blankets and bags, because it’s machine washable and doesn’t stretch as much.

Summer Must Haves Collection

Guess what? I am so excited to announce that this pattern is a part of Lion Brand Yarn’s Summer Must Have Collection! The collection includes 15 new patterns all perfect for summer. There’s everything from blankets, garments, bags, and more. The patterns are all from some of your favorite designers like Make and Do Crew, Knits N Knots, Detroit Knots and more. Each pattern is available as a kit on Lion Brand’s website, which includes all of the yarn + the digital pattern. You can get it all by clicking the button below.

21 Days of Blankets is here!

It’s time to deck the halls with lots of blankets, because the 21 Days of Blankets is here! I’ve designed a lot of blankets over the years, and this year I’m showcasing 21 of my favorite blankets I’ve designed. From December 1 to December 21, I’ll be sharing one free blanket pattern a day! It’ll include the free graph or written pattern, and then a 50% off coupon for the PDF version.

The 50% off coupon code for Etsy and Ravelry is: BLANKET

Want 20 other blankets plus this one?

If you love this blanket pattern, and want to get 20 more, you can get them all in the 12 Days of Blankets pattern bundle! This bundle includes all 21 of the patterns featured in the 21 Days of Blankets pattern event. From blankets perfect for the holidays, ones for a nursery, to a wide range of other fun designs, there’s a blanket pattern great for each person in your family! Get your copy of the bundle for just $10 by clicking the button below!

Gauge: 4” x 4” square = 18 sts (done in linen stitch with 9sc + 9 chs) x 16 rows

Hook size: 5.5mm

Dimensions:

  • Kids Picnic Blanket: 32” x 36” (free pattern included below)
  • Large Picnic Blanket: 42” x 48” (pattern included in PDF version)

Yarn:

Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton (Worsted weight 4, 186yds/170m, 3.5oz/100g, 100% Mercerized Cotton) in two colors:

  • Ecru [761-098C]
  • Lemon [761-157D]

Approximate Yarn Yardage:

  • Ecru [761-098C]: Kids sizes require 6 skeins (1116yds), and Large size requires 8 (1488yds)
  • Lemon [761-157D]: Kids sizes require 2 (372 yds), and Large size requires 3 (558yds)

Other Supplies:

  • Yarn Needle

Abbreviations:

  • Ch = chain
  • sc = single crochet
  • st(s) = stitch(es)
  • sk = skip

Pattern Notes:

  • This pattern uses US crochet terminology.
  • The ch 1 at the beginning of each row does not count as a stitch.
  • Adding the straps and the ties are optional. You can always just use it as a blanket instead.
  • Pattern is worked from the bottom up.

Pattern (Child’s Size):

To get the larger sized pattern, grab it in the low cost PDF pattern on Etsy or Ravelry.

Starting with Color A, Ch 148.

Row 1: starting in 2nd ch from hook, sc across

Row 2: ch 1, turn, ch 1, *sc 1, ch 1, sk 1, repeat from * to end, sc in last st [147 sts]

Row 3: ch 1, turn, sc 1, sc 1 in ch 1 sp, *sc 1, ch 1, sk 1, repeat from * to end, sc in last st [147 sts]

For the entire blanket, you will be repeating rows 2-3.

Here is the row count you’ll do for the striping pattern, including row 1:

Color A: 6 rows

Color B: 2 rows

Color A: 2 rows

Color B: 6 rows

Color A: 2 rows

Color B: 2 rows

Color A: 82 rows

Color B: 2 rows

Color A: 2 rows

Color B: 6 rows

Color A: 2 rows

Color B: 2 rows

Color A: 6 rows

Fasten off and weave in ends.

Optional Strap (make 2):

Each strap is made with two strands of the yarn held together. I used one strand of each color of the yarn.

Ch 61

Row 1: starting in 2nd ch from hook, sc 60

Row 2: ch 1, turn, sc across

Fasten off leaving a long tail for sewing. Repeat for second strap.

Optional Tie (make 2):

Ch 26

Row 1: starting in 2nd ch from hook, sc 25

Fasten off and weave in ends.