Nerdy for all things crochet? Here’s a tutorial so you can make your own zip-up baby hoodie

Please note: the following is a blocked pattern that shows the shape of each garment piece — you’ll need to use a ruler to make sure each piece is the size you want as you crochet.

“Show me again, mom. Just once more,” my eight-year-old self strained to understand this textile manipulation called “crochet.”
That afternoon my mother taught me to crochet as her mother and Aunt had taught her years before. Now that I have been hookin’ for over 16 years myself I have also given lessons and now understand how much patience my mother had for me that day.

Now that I am expecting my and my partner’s first child this year, I can only wonder if our kids will ask me to teach them.

As I sit and crochet the things I literally dream of the baby wearing once s/he is here, I have started to write down the patterns I create — and this one for a hoodie is pretty damn good if I say so myself. Like most inventions (even though this item itself is nothing new) this pattern was created of necessity; I couldn’t find a good baby hoodie pattern to save my life almost a year ago. Now I have created a great blocked pattern that can be made into any size and I want to share it with anyone who will use it.

Materials needed

To assemble you will need:

• Both Front pieces, 1 Back piece, 2 Sleeves and 1 Hood piece
• Yarn needle
• Matching Yarn
• Scissors
• Separating or Coil-style zipper which matches the length of your Front opening

What you need to know

• Gauge — G6 Hook with Worsted Weight Yarn or other hook necessary to maintain Gauge
• 4 dc/in.
• 3 rows dc/in.

Measurements needed for custom garment sizing

• Head Circumference and height
• Belly/Chest circumference
• Neck to back length

Extra info

Average measurements for 6-9 month olds:
Head: 16 in. around; 7 ½ in. tall
Chest/Belly: 17 to 19 in. around
Back Length: about 9 in.

Sleeves for babies under one year old usually measure 9 to 10 in. long. Fist Circumference is about 5 ½ in.

To get measurements for all blocked pieces shown below (except adult sleeve), calculate the following:

• Width of Front pieces: Divide chest/belly measurement by 4 (ex. 6-9 mo. size Front pieces are 4 ½ in.).
• Width of Back piece: Divide chest/belly measurement in half (ex. 6-9 mo. size Back piece is 9 in. wide).

• Length of Hood: equal to height of head multiplied by 2, plus 2 in. (ex. 6-9 mo. size Hood is 16 in. long).
• Width of Hood: equal to ¾ the measurement of the head’s circumference, divided in half (ex. 6-9 mo. size Hood is 6″ wide).

• Width of Sleeve on “Arm Pit” side: equal to length of Front/Back pieces (ex. 6-9 mo. size Sleeve is 9 in. wide on “arm pit” side).
• Length of Sleeve along seam: For babies 6 mo. to 1 year, this is 9 to 10 in. on average.
• Width of Sleeve for Wrist Opening: 5 ½ in. across on average.

Blocked Pieces — General Shapes (not to scale)

How you do it

Front/Back Pieces

1. Arrange Front and Back pieces as shown in diagram.

2. Align and pin zipper in the center of the two front pieces. Make sure zipper tape is on the “inside” of the Front pieces and pin through the front. Sew each side of zipper tape to each Front side of hoodie with needle and thread. Remove pins.

3. With RS facing, line up shoulder corners B & C on Front and Back, sew B to B and C to C along seam lines with yarn needle and yarn. Weave in ends and set aside.

4. Fold Sleeve piece in half (D to D; E to E) and sew along length from E to D with yarn and yarn needle. Weave in ends and leave long tail of yarn. Turn inside out to show RS.

5. Repeat for other Sleeve.

6. To attach sleeves, first place markers in each Sleeve piece at top shoulder and bottom “arm pit” as shown.

7. Place markers on Front/Back piece at top shoulders. Match each Sleeve’s shoulders with the Front/Back piece shoulders. Place markers in Front/Back piece where “arm pit” markers line up (about halfway down length of Front/Back piece).

8. Arrange pieces as follows:

• Lay Front piece RS up.
• Lay Sleeves with RS out with shoulder and “arm pit” markers lining up to outside seam with wrists facing in toward zipper.
• Lay Back piece WS up on top. Pile should appear as below (Sleeves shown as though Back piece were “see-through” in dashed lines):

9. Sew each Sleeve to Front/Back piece making sure to only go through the sleeve and Front OR Back layer so as not to sew the sleeve shut.

Hood

1. Fold the Back piece in half to find top-center stitch and place marker as shown.

2. Take hood piece and with right sides facing, fold A to A and sew along seam with yarn needle and yarn. Turn out so RS faces out and seam is hidden inside hood.

3. Weave in ends and leave a long tail of yarn. Set aside.

4. With RS of both Hood and Back pieces facing, line this marker up with the center seam sewn down back of hood. Evenly sew hood to back piece (and down onto Front piece’s shoulder areas) with yarn needle and yarn.

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That’s it! So far I have made three hoodies of all different sizes with this formulated pattern and I am working on number four. I can’t help but think all this crochet may be subliminally sinking into my womb… only time will tell!