With its classic stripes and vintage vibe, this baby romper crochet pattern will look adorable on any little one. Read through my inspiration, where the name Boutchou comes from, and the perfect yarn I choose for this project. Or scroll on down for the free pattern.
No time right now? Pin this adorable baby crochet sweater pattern for later!
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If you prefer to purchase the cheap ad-free PDF Pattern to get all the instructions and pictures in a nice PDF you can print and take notes on without relying on your phone or an internet connection, I’ve got you covered!
The Boutchou Sweater is available on Ravelry or in my Etsy Shop. Grab your copy before you forget.
Or grab the discounted Boutchou set here.
Why Boutchou?
Boutchou is a french expression coming from “Bout de Chou,” which means “piece of cabbage.” French lore dictates that babies originate from cabbages (now you know where the creator of the Cabbage Patch Doll got the idea!). The word “chou” also translates to “cute,” which made Boutchou the perfect nickname for our unborn baby while I was pregnant. Better than just calling him Baby for 9 months!
This romper, along with the rest of the Boutchou Baby Set, were designed and created especially for our sweet little Boutchou baby.
The Boutchou Crochet Baby Pattern Set
The Boutchou romper is part of the Boutchou crochet baby pattern set which includes a hat, booties, sweater , a lovey and a matching baby blanket pattern.
Read more about each of the patterns and find the free online version here or grab the discounted PDF pattern set here.
The Yarn
For this extra special personal project, I choose to use Paintbox Cotton Aran yarn. Since an entire set uses up a lot of yarn, I knew I would need something of great quality, yet still affordable.
This yarn has amazing stitch definition, which is exactly what I wanted for this project. The simple design and lightly textured stitches of the pattern are highlighted further by my choice in yarn. I picked a cotton yarn because we live in a tropical country, and I needed something that would be easy to wash. Machine washable is an absolute must when creating anything for a baby, or else parents will rarely use it, which would be a pity!
Added bonus for those of you who want to make your set in a different color, Paintbox Cotton Aran yarn is available in 50 different shades, so you’re sure to find something you like.
A big thanks to my friends at Lovecrafts.com for sponsoring the yarn for this project (btw, did you know they also have a great library of free crochet patterns?).
Before you Start your Crochet Baby Romper
- Purchase the large print, ad-free printable on Etsy HERE.
- Add this baby pattern to your Ravelry queue HERE.
- Pin the Boutchou baby romper crochet pattern to your Pinterest boards HERE.
Materials
- 4 mm / US G – 6 hook.
- Paintbox Cotton Aran (50g, 100% cotton, 85m / 93yds)
- 3 (3, 4) skeins in dolphin blue (referred to as blue).
- 1 skein in banana cream (referred to as white)
- 1 skein in daffodil yellow (referred to as yellow)
- Tapestry needle to weave in the ends.
- 8 10mm buttons. The cute wooden buttons with engraved leaves I used are my absolute favorites. You might have noticed I use them for most projects. You can find them here.
Size
The baby romper crochet pattern is available in the following sizes: 0 – 3 months, 6 – 12 months, and 18 – 24 months.
Sizes are written as follows: 0-3 months (6 – 12 months, 18 – 24 months) throughout the pattern. Pictures illustrate the 6-12 months size.
Final romper hip measurements are:
- 0 – 3 months: 52 cm / 20.5”
- 6 – 12 months: 54 cm / 21.25”
- 18 – 24 months: 58 cm / 22.75”
Gauge
The gauge for this pattern, in dc, is 15.5 st by 10 rows for a 10 cm by 10 cm square (4” by 4”).
Abbreviations
This pattern uses US notations.
- st = stitch
- ch = chain
- sc = single crochet
- hdc = half double crochet
- dc = double crochet
- sl st = slip stitch
Notes
Work instructions between [ ] the indicated number of times or until the end of the row / round.
The final number of stitches is indicated at the end of the row / round between < >.
The turning ch 1, ch 2 don’t count as stitches throughout the pattern except if mentioned otherwise.
The pattern is written in crochet shorthand. For example:
- “sc 1” means to single crochet in the next stitch,
- “sc 2” means to single crochet in each of the next 2 stitches,
- and “2 sc” means to single crochet twice in the next st.
Special stitches
- Back loop only: Work the stitch as you normally would but instead of working through both loops, only go through the back loop.
- Front loop only: Work the stitch as you normally would but instead of working through both loops, only go through the front loop.
Tips and Tricks
- To avoid having a ton of ends to weave in at the end, I crochet the first 6-8 stitches in a new color over the old color yarn so my ends get woven in while I keep crocheting.
The Actual Baby Romper Crochet Pattern
With your 4 mm / US G-6 hook and your blue color yarn, ch 82 (84, 90). Join in the round by sl st in the 1st ch.
The Body
Round 1: Ch 2, dc around, join with a sl st in the 2nd ch. < 81 (83, 89) st >
Round 2 -3: Repeat Round 1.
Switch to yellow color yarn.
Round 4: Ch 1, sc across, join with a sl st in the ch.
Switch back to blue color yarn.
Round 5: Repeat Round 1.
Switch to white color yarn.
Round 6: Ch 1, hdc across, join with a sl st in the ch.
Round 7: Ch 1, hdc in the back loop only across, join with a sl st in the ch.
Switch to blue color yarn.
Round 8: Ch 2, dc in the front loop only across, join with a sl st in the 2nd ch.
Round 9: Repeat Round 1.
Switch to yellow color yarn.
Round 10: Ch 1, sc across, join with a sl st in the ch.
Switch back to blue color yarn.
Round 11 – 13: Repeat Round 1.
Switch to yellow color yarn
Round 14 – 20: Repeat Rounds 4 to 10.
Round 21 – 22 (size 18-24 months only): Repeat Round 1
The Legs
Both legs are worked separately in the round.
The Right Leg
Switch to blue color yarn.
Round 1: Ch 2, dc 36 (37, 40), join with a sl st in the 2nd ch. < 36 (37, 40) st >
Round 2: Repeat Round 1.
Round 3: Ch 2, [dc 7, dc2tog] three times, dc 6 (7, 10), join with a sl st in the 2nd ch. < 33 (34, 37) st >
Round 4: Ch 2, dc2tog twice, dc 21 (22, 25), dc2tog twice, join with sl st in 2nd ch. < 29 (30, 33) st >
Round 5: Ch 2, dc2tog, dc 25 (27, 29), dc2tog, join with a sl st in the 2nd ch. < 27 (28, 31 st >
Switch to yellow color yarn.
Round 6: Ch 1, sc around, join with a sl st in the ch.
Switch back to blue color yarn and make the edge around the leg (refer to edge section below). Round 6 will be referred to as the base row.
The Left Leg
Join yarn at the start of the right leg. Single crochet the front and back of the body part together for 4 st.
Round 1: Dc 37 (38, 41), join with a sl st in the 1st st. < 36 (37, 40) st >
Follow Round 2 to end of the right leg.
The Front Panel
With blue color yarn, ch 27 (30, 36) + 2.
Row 1: Dc in the 2nd ch of from the hook, dc across, turn. < 27 (30, 36) st >
Rows 2-11: Ch 2, dc across, turn.
Switch to white color yarn.
Row 12: Ch 1, hdc across, turn.
Row 13: Ch 1, hdc in front loop only across, turn.
Switch to blue color yarn.
Row 14: Ch 2, dc in back loop only across, turn.
Switch to yellow color yarn.
Row 15: Ch 1, sc across, turn.
Switch to blue color yarn.
Row 16 – 17: Ch 2, dc across, turn.
Make an edge (refer to edge section below) only at the top of the panel. Row 17 will be referred to as the base row.
Edges
If you’re not already using blue color yarn, switch to blue.
Join yarn and ch 5, turn.
Note: The pictures show the edging done on the matching baby sweater sleeves but the technique is identical.
Row 1: Sl st in the back loop of the 2nd ch from the hook, sl st in the back loop of the next 3 sts. Sl st in the next stitch of the base row, ch 1 and turn. < 6 st >
Row 2: Sl st in the back loop of the 3rd st from the hook (skipping the ch 1 and sl st in the sleeve), sl st in the back loop of the next 3 sts, ch 1 and turn. < 5 st >
Repeat Rows 1 and 2 along the edge.
Finish with a Row 2 starting in the st of the base row. Sew the ribbing closed for the legs.
Straps
Make 2.
With blue color yarn, ch 60 + 2.
Round 1: Dc in the 2nd st from the hook, dc across, 3 dc in the last st, dc in the back of the starting chain across.
Bind off and weave in the end.
Blocking
You’re done with the crocheting part. Make sure to weave in all the ends.
Carefully block the different parts to give them their best shape.
Don’t skip this step as it can make a huge difference. Read my detailed tutorial on why block, how-to, and all my tips and tricks if you need help.
Assembly
Sew the front panel on the front side of body of the romper (hide the round junctions at the back) at the bottom of the top white section. Only sew the bottom edge. Make sure you center the panel compared to the body.
Add 2 buttons on each side to attach the front panel to the body.
Add the straps. Sew the flat edge at the back of the romper at about 1/3 and 2/3 of the body width.
Add 2 buttons (to make the size adjustable) at the other ends of the straps.
There’s no need for buttonholes, all buttons are just slipped in between stitches.
