Rainbow Crochet Blanket Free Pattern

This shell stitch crochet rainbow baby blanket is an easy beginner-friendly blanket to make but has the look of a blanket that took much longer to crochet

This rainbow ripple design is worked up using a one-row repeat of stitches, which means it’s easy to crochet. If you think you are ready to make your very own rainbow crochet blanket, then read on down to find the free baby blanket crochet pattern!

Scroll on down to find the free rainbow blanket pattern that would be perfect for St. Patrick’s Day, as a baby blanket or a just because you want to make a blanket blanket.

The Yarn That Is Perfect for This Rainbow Blanket

I used Red Heart Super Saver Stripes, which is a 100% acrylic four weight yarn. I used this striped colorway, so I could get the look of stripes without all the color changes and weaving in of ends! Take a look at the yarn below.

If rainbow stripes aren’t for you, then no worries, this yarn comes in some great color varieties, so there is sure to be something you will love! Check out all the choices on the Red Heart Yarns website, or even on Amazon.

This best part of this blanket is that it only uses one skein of yarn, which makes it great for a small lap throw, baby blanket, or even as a photo prop. It’s the perfect blanket size for little ones, and my kids already claimed this one as their own since according to them, this blanket is super cool. 

Just look at the picture above to see how smoothly the colors of the yarn blend to create a rainbow blanket and how fun it really is! I can’t wait to see how your blanket turns out.

The Stitches You’ll Need to Know for a Rainbow Blanket

If you think this stitch looks complicated, then you are mistaken because it is beginner-friendly and works up fast! This rainbow blanket only uses a few basic crochet stitches, such as the double crochet and single crochet, to create a shell stitch.

If you need a refresher before you start this blanket about how a double crochet stitch (dc) and the single crochet (sc) is worked up, then click on over to my beginner tutorials below that will help you with this stitch.

Double Crochet (dc): 

1. Wrap the yarn over (Yo) the hook, insert the hook into the specified st.
2. Yo the hook again, draw the yarn through the st, so there are 3 loops on the hook
3. Yo the hook again draw it through 2 loops, so there are 2 loops on the hook
4. Yo the hook, draw it through the final 2 loops.

Single Crochet (sc):

1. Insert hook from front to back in the second chain from the hook or designated stitch
2. Bring the yarn over (Yo) the hook and pull the yarn back through the chain (or stitch) from back to front (2 loops on hook).
3. Yo and pull through both loops on the hook.

These two stitches will be used together to make a shell stitch, which is what creates the fanned look of this blanket. Learn more about the shell stitch with our step-by-step photo and written tutorial before starting this blanket.