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Scroll down to download the free printable!

You can purchase an inexpensive ad-free PDF of this pattern + printable in my Etsy and Ravelry shops.

Hi, friends! The only thing I can really think of to start this out is just to say MAN, is life crazy or what? I started this year with a pretty clear schedule of what I wanted to accomplish, and once Covid hit it all went to the wayside. Solo parenting 3 kids 3 and under was….is there a word for it? Lol. Insanity.

My husband was supposed to return from his deployment in April, but got stuck there until late June! Now that he’s back I’m slowly backing out of survival mode and starting to feed my creative side again.

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Also see: 10 Crochet Baby Gift Ideas that Aren’t Blankets

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I made this hexagon baby blanket late last year for a dear friend of mine from college. She said that her nursery had stars and rainbows, and I mulled over it for a while before deciding to try my hand at a fun hexagon arrangement.

There were many to draw inspiration from! Like this one from Make and Do Crew.

Rainbow baby blankets are so bright and happy and fun. I love the idea of surrounding your new babe with such vibrancy!

The Yarn

My goal was to create a modern rainbow ombre. I guess the universe was on my side, because I came across this gorgeous Paintbox Yarns Cotton Aran 10-pack with the most perfect colors! It came with a bold and pastel version of each color, more or less, and it helped the idea come together in my mind.

I did veer from this exact color pallete – I used the teal color as my “blue,” and the light blue as a “grey.” I also grabbed an extra bright green, because green is life, and white to complete the fade.

I used Paintbox Cotton Aran for my Nantucket Baby Blanket, and I absolutely loved the drape and weight it had. I was happy to use the same yarn for this blanket. It’s got a comforting weight, but since it’s cotton it’s perfect for year-round use (hello, summer babies!).

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You might also like: 5 Ways to Crochet Sustainably

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Hexagon blankets are fully customizable. Since everyone has their own preferences and styles – from muted to bold to vibrant colors – I created a blank template of this hexagon blanket that you can print out and color to your liking!

You can download a blank template to design your own rainbow hexagon blanket by clicking the “Download” button below.

How to Make a Hexagon

After learning how to make a hexagon on YouTube, I started off making a stack of hexagons in each color. Then I spent countless nights rearranging them on my coffee table, making supplemental hexagons when needed, and taking approx 1,000 pictures so I could reference the layout later. See proof of insanity below:

Below is a quick how-to on crocheting hexagons. Even if you’re not into my rainbow arrangement, hexagon blankets are so great since, like granny squares, you can easily use scraps and stash yarn, store and carry them around easily, and the color/arrangement options are endless!

Making a hexagon is easy and quick once you get it down. It’s the perfect mindless or on-the-go project.

Full Hexagon Pattern:

The above will create a hexagon with 4 rows. This is the size hexagon I used in this rainbow hexi blanket. If you’d like to make them larger, continue on adding 2 dc to each side of the hexagon.

Half Hexagon Pattern:

Step 1: Make a magic circle.

Step 2: Ch 3, dc. *Ch 2, dc 2* Repeat *. Ch 3 and turn.

Step 3: Dc into base of turning ch, dc. *[dc, ch 2, dc] into ch 2 sp. Dc 2.* Repeat *. Dc again into last st. Ch 3 and turn.

Step 4: Dc into base of turning ch, dc 3. *[dc, ch 2, dc] into ch 2 sp. Dc 4.* Repeat *. Dc again into last st. Ch 3 and turn.

Step 5: Dc into base of turning ch, dc 5. *[dc, ch 2, dc] into ch 2 sp. Dc 6.* Repeat *. Dc again into last st. Tie off and cut.

This creates a half hexagon with 4 rows. This is what I used in the pattern below. You can easily continue to create more rows if you want larger hexagons.

Blocking Hexagons

There are many reasons your hexagons may not be completely 100% the same size and shape. Tension varies from day to day, sometimes different colors of the same yarn have slightly different weights.

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Blocking is the magic you need to make all the hexagons the same size with beautiful straight edges. This also makes seaming them together SO much easier!

I used BBQ skewers and a foam mat to block my hexagons. I had my handheld steamer at the ready, and gave each hexagon a good blast after putting them on the skewers. I let them dry completely before taking them off and lining them up for seaming.

The picture below might be a clearer description of the method I used!

Seaming Hexagons

To seam the hexagons together, I used Make and Do Crew’s nearly invisible method. She has a tutorial here.

Guys, once I learned this method, I use it for everything! I even seamed up my Sweetheart Mini Pillow using this method.

Rainbow Fade Hexi Baby Blanket

*You can download a blank template to design your own rainbow hexagon blanket by clicking HERE*

You can also purchase an inexpensive ad-free PDF of this pattern + printable in my Etsy and Ravelry shops.

Materials

• 11 skeins (~1000 yds) of Paintbox Yarns Cotton Aran (ideally, you want 1 skein each of 4 bold colors, 4 corresponding pale colors, a grey, and 2 white).
• 5 mm crochet hook
• Tapestry needle
• Sharp sewing scissors
• Stitch markers

Dimensions

27.5 x 42 inches

Gauge

1 hexagon = 5 inches corner to corner (4.5 inches side to side)

Notes

The “blue” in my sample blanket is essentially a deep green. If you don’t know, green is my favorite! So I chose a teal-blue for my blue. I’m just disclosing this so you are not confused when looking at my sample.

Step 1: Make hexagons

Following the pattern written above for creating a hexagon, crochet the following amounts of hexagons/half hexagons for each color. Note: Leave a very long tail for seaming.

Red 1 (bold): 6 full

Red 2 (light): 3 full, 1 half

Orange 1: 4 full, 1 half

Orange 2: 5 full, 1 half

Green 1: 5 full, 1 half

Green 2: 5 full, 1 half

Blue 1: 5 full, 1 half

Blue 2: 4 full

Grey: 5 full, 1 half

White: 8 full, 1 half

Block the hexagons.

Seaming

Arrange the hexagons following the color placement in the graphic below (or create your own layout by clicking HERE):

Use stitch markers to join corners of hexagons together.

*Flip your project to the wrong side* (If you have trouble differentiating right/wrong side, your hexagons will curve slightly upwards when the right side is facing up.)

Using the seaming method mentioned above, sew your hexagons together using the long tails.

Grab a glass of wine and weave in ends.

I suggest wet blocking your final blanket before adding a border.

Optional border:

Using white (or the color of your preference), sc around the edge of the blanket. Tie off, cut & weave in end.

You’re done with the rainbow hexagon baby blanket! I hope you enjoyed picking your rainbow colors and making it your own.

I’d love to see your makes! Tag me @thetravelinghooker on Instagram, and use the hashtags #TravelingHookCreations and #RainbowFadeHexiBlanket.

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