Free Crochet Pattern: Emerson Car Seat Cover or Baby Blanket

I love the concept of car seat covers/canopies.  When you use a regular blanket instead, it is always falling off and you are constantly picking it up off the ground.  A car seat cover covers and protects your baby for cold weather, rain, snow, bright sun, you name it and it hooks on the handle bar so it ALWAYS stays in place!  I absolutely love it and if you have a baby in an infant seat, you NEED to make one of these to see how great it is.

PLEASE REMEMBER, it is dangerous to have your baby covered up in their car seat for long periods of time.  This cover is NOT meant for that.  This cover is only meant to be used when you are walking from your house to your car, store to car, school to car, and the like...it is meant to protect your baby from rain, snow, strong wind as you are walking from the places mentioned above.  It is not meant to be left on the car seat when you are driving, sitting somewhere, going to a long walk or stroller ride, or anywhere else for longer than a minute or two.

You can make this in lots of different color combos so it is great for a baby boy or a baby girl.  You can even do it solid if you would like.

Materials needed:

• U.S. J/10-6.0 MM crochet hook

• 2 skeins of Vanna’s Choice in Beige and 1 skein each of Loops & Threads Impeccable in Popsicle Blue, Vanna’s Choice in Raspberry, Pink, and Lime

• Tapestry needle for sewing in the ends 

• 2 1-inch buttons 

• Needle and thread to coordinate with the straps 

Gauge:

• 7 dc= 2 inches

Abbreviations:

• ch= chain

• sc= single crochet

• hdc= half double crochet

• dc= double crochet

• tr= treble crochet

• dc2tog= yarn over, insert hook into the stitch indicated, yarn over and pull through the stitch, yarn over and pull through the first 2 loops on your hook, yarn over, insert hook into the next stitch, yarn over and pull through the stitch, yarn over and pull through the first 2 loops on your hook, yarn over and pull though the remaining 3 loops on your hook

• sc2tog= insert hook into stitch, yarn over and pull through the stitch, insert hook into next stitch, yarn over and pull through the stitch, yarn over, pull through all 3 loops on your hook

• sc3tog= insert hook into stitch, yarn over and pull through the stitch, insert hook into next stitch, yarn over and pull through the stitch, insert hook into next stitch, yarn over and pull through the stitch, yarn over, pull through all 4 loops on your hook

• sl st= slip stitch

Finished size:

• 27” x 36”

Stripe Color Schematic

Row	Color
Ch, 1-2	Popsicle Blue
3	Raspberry
4-5	Beige
6-9	Pink
10-11	Raspberry
12-13	Lime
14	Popsicle Blue
15-18	Beige
19-20	Raspberry
21	Lime
22-23	Pink
24-25	Popsicle Blue
26-27	Pink
28	Raspberry
29-30	Beige
31-34	Lime
35-36	Raspberry
37-38	Popsicle Blue
39	Beige
40-41	Pink
42-43	Raspberry
44	Lime
45-48	Beige
49-50	Pink
51	Lime
52-53	Popsicle Blue
54-55	Raspberry

For the main body of the blanket:

Ch 73.

1:  Dc in 4^th chain from hook, *dc in the next 4 stitches, dc2tog, dc2tog, dc in next 4, 2dc in next, 2 dc in next.  Repeat from * across (ending with 2 dc in the last stitch).

2:  Ch 3, turn, dc in the first stitch, *dc in the next 4 stitches, dc2tog, dc2tog, dc in next 4, 2dc in next, 2 dc in next.  Repeat from * across (ending with 2 dc in the last stitch).

Repeat row 2 until the blanket measures 32 inches.  Follow the color schematic chart in above and change colors as specified in the chart (or make up your own pattern).

Border:

1:  With Beige, ch 1, turn, sc in 1^st stitch and next stitch, *3 hdc, 4 dc, 3 hdc, 4 sc.  Repeat from * across, ending with 1 sc in 2^nd to last stitch and 3sc in last stitch. Continue along long side of blanket and work 80 evenly spaced sc along this edge.  Continue working along the 2^nd short side of the blanket, in the first stitch make (sc, tr, dc), then dc in the next 2 stitches, 3 hdc, 4 sc, *3 hdc, 4 dc, 3 hdc, 4 sc.  Repeat from * across, ending with (sc, tr, dc) in the last stitch.  Continue along the other long side of blanket and work 80 evenly spaced sc along this edge, make 3 sc in the beginning ch 1 of this round and join to the 1^st sc with sl st.

2: Join Raspberry, ch 1, dc in the same stitch and in each around, making 3 dc in each of the corner stitches, join to 1^st dc with sl st.

3: Join Pink, ch 1, dc in the same stitch and in each around, making 3 dc in each of the corner stitches, join to 1^st dc with sl st.

4: Join Beige, ch 1, dc in the same stitch and in each around, making 3 dc in each of the corner stitches, join to 1^st dc with sl st.

5: Join Popsicle Blue with a standing sc, ch 2, sc in the same stitch as join, *skip 1 sc, (sc, ch 2, sc).  Repeat from * around, except at each 3 stitches that make up the corner, (sc, ch 2, sc) in each of them.

Straps:

For my traditional car seat, I made my straps attach at rows 24-25.  You could attach them in a different spot if that works better with your car seat.  To decide the best spot, lay the cover over the whole car seat and hood and mark with stitch markers where you want your straps to go.  I did mine like this with red stitch markers-

Then you are going to cut two pieces of Beige yarn, both 11 yards each.  Start with one of them and make a slip knot, then put it to the under side of the cover and pull it through with you hook by the right stitch marker.  Then put your hook down through the cover and pull up a stitch, you are going to surface crochet 7 stitches total.  See pictures below-

Next you are going to pull the remaining length of yarn through to the front.  Note: keep your hook in the stitch it is in.

Ch 1, turn, sc in each of the 7 surface stitches.

You can take your stitch markers out at any time now.  

Ch 1, turn, sc across.  Continue this until your strap measures 4.5”.  

Then you will make the button hole: Ch 1, turn, sc in next 2 stitches, ch 3, skip next 3 stitches, sc in last 2 stitches.

Ch 1, turn, sc in all across (including the chains from the previous row- 7sc total).

Ch 1, turn, sc2tog, sc in next 3, sc2tog.

Ch 1, turn, sc2tog, sc, sc2tog

Ch 1, turn, sc3tog, bind off weave in ends.  You will then have a strap like in the below picture.

To make the border for the strap, join Popsicle Blue with a standing sc (shown in images directly below) right near the bottom (closest to the cover) of the right side of the strap, then ch 2, and in the same stitch as standing sc, make another sc.  

*Skip a stitch, then (sc, ch 2, sc) in the next.  Repeat from the * around the strap.

Repeat the entire strap directions for the second strap.  Once finished, you will like two straps like this-

Next you will fold the straps over to determine where you want to sew on the buttons.  If you would like, you can do this while the cover is over your car seat to see exactly where the buttons will work best on your straps.  Then sew on your buttons with needle and thread.  Make sure you attach them really well so they don’t fall off.

Now you can attach onto your car seat and enjoy!

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The pattern and photographs contained in this document are the property of Skein and Hook.  This pattern is available for personal use only.  This pattern may be printed for your personal use only.  You may not in any form copy, redistribute, sell, or represent this pattern or photos as your own.  

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You are welcomed to sell the items that you make from this pattern- please just credit me as the designer with a link to this post.