May
Getting Started with the XO Pattern
Okay so the hugs and kisses pattern is basically just alternating X’s and O’s across your blanket and honestly it looks way more complicated than it actually is. I made one in spring 2022 when I was binge-watching The Crown and needed something to keep my hands busy that didn’t require counting every single stitch like some patterns do.
The X is made with crossed double crochets and the O is just a puff stitch or bobble stitch depending on how you wanna do it. Some people get really specific about which one is “correct” but like… it’s your blanket so whatever looks good to you is fine.
What You Actually Need
You’re gonna need a worsted weight yarn – I used Red Heart Super Saver in that soft navy color for the background and white for the X’s and O’s because I was making it for my nephew. The Super Saver gets a bad rap but honestly for a blanket that’s gonna get thrown around and washed a million times it holds up really well. I’ve also used Caron Simply Soft which is nicer feeling but more expensive.
Hook size depends on your tension but usually a 5.5mm or 6mm works. I used a 5.5mm because I crochet pretty loose and didn’t want giant holes everywhere.
You need two colors minimum – one background and one for the X’s and O’s. Some people do three colors with different shades for the X and the O but that’s more yarn ends to weave in and that was the thing that annoyed me SO much about this pattern. Every single letter means cutting yarn and weaving in ends and by the time I finished that blanket I had like 80 ends to deal with. My cat kept trying to play with the yarn tails while I was weaving them in too which didn’t help.
The Basic Structure
So the blanket is worked in rows and you’re basically making a grid. Each X or O sits in its own little square of background color. The standard is to make each square about 10 stitches wide and 6 rows tall but you can adjust.
Start with your foundation chain in the background color. For a baby blanket I did like 100 chains I think? For a throw blanket you’d want more like 150-180. Just make sure your number is divisible by 10 if you’re doing the 10-stitch squares.
Row 1 is just double crochet across in your background color. Nice and simple to get started.
Rows 2-3 are also background color, all double crochet. You’re building up the bottom of your first row of squares.
Making the X
This is where it gets fun. On row 4, you’re gonna work in background color until you get to where you want your first X. Let’s say you want it starting at stitch 5.
Work 4 dc in background color, then switch to your contrast color. Don’t cut the background yet just drop it and pick it up later.
For the X you skip 2 stitches, dc in the next stitch, then chain 2 and go BACK to work a dc in the first skipped stitch. That makes one leg of the X. Then you do it again going the other direction – skip the middle stitches, dc in the far one, chain back and dc in the near one. It creates that crossed effect.
Actually wait I’m explaining that badly. Let me try again.
Skip 1 stitch, dc in next stitch, now work around the post of that dc you just made and dc in the skipped stitch (you’re working backwards). That’s one diagonal. Then skip 1, dc in next, dc around the post into the skipped stitch going the other way. The stitches cross over each other.
You do this cross pattern over about 4 stitches total, then switch back to background color and continue across. Each X takes up about 4 stitches width.
The next row you’re gonna work into the crossed stitches which feels weird at first but you just treat them like normal stitches. Work in background around the X area.
Then row 6 you do another crossed section right above the first one, building up the X shape. By row 7 you’re back to solid background.
Making the O
The O is easier honestly. When you get to where you want an O, you make a bobble stitch or puff stitch in your contrast color.
For a bobble: yarn over, insert hook, pull up a loop, yarn over pull through 2 (so you have 2 loops on hook). Do that like 4-5 times in the same stitch so you have a bunch of loops. Then yarn over and pull through all loops at once. It makes a puffy round bump.
You make one bobble in row 4, skip the stitches around it (work background on either side), then in row 5 you make bobbles on either side of the first one. Row 6 is one bobble at the top. Creates an O shape.
Some people do it different with just surface crochet to make the O outline but I think the bobble method gives better texture and you can actually see it better from far away.
The Layout Pattern
The classic pattern is X O X O across the row, then the next row of symbols you do O X O X so they’re offset like a checkerboard kind of. Keeps it from looking too uniform.
You need to plan this out a little bit before you start or you’ll end up with weird spacing. I literally drew it on graph paper the first time because I’m not good at visualizing this stuff. Each square on the graph paper was one X or O section.
Space them out with at least 6-8 stitches of background between each symbol or they’ll look crowded. The background space is actually really important for making the X’s and O’s stand out.
The Actual Working Process
So you’re gonna be switching colors A LOT. I tried carrying the yarn along the back but it showed through the stitches in the lighter color so I ended up just cutting and rejoining each time. Hence the million ends to weave in.
When you switch colors, drop the old color, pick up the new color and pull it through the last yarn over of the previous stitch. Work your X or O section, then switch back. Leave like 6 inch tails so you have enough to weave in later.
One thing that helped was doing all the weaving as I went instead of saving it for the end. Every time I finished a section and cut the yarn, I’d weave in those ends right away during commercial breaks or whatever. Made it less overwhelming.
Tension and Sizing Stuff
Your tension is gonna change when you do the crossed stitches for the X versus regular dc rows. That’s normal. The X sections might pull in a little tighter or puff out depending on how you work them. I found that working the crosses a little looser than my normal stitches helped keep everything flat.
The bobbles for the O’s also pull in the fabric a bit so you might notice your blanket isn’t perfectly rectangular. You can block it at the end if that bothers you but honestly once it’s on a couch or bed nobody notices.
For sizing, a baby blanket is usually like 30×36 inches, a throw blanket is more like 50×60. Just keep going until it’s the size you want. The pattern repeats every 12-14 rows depending on how tall you make your symbols so it’s easy to add or subtract rows.
Color Choices That Actually Work
High contrast is your friend here. If you do like cream background with pale yellow symbols you won’t be able to see the pattern at all. I learned this the hard way when I started a blanket in grey and light blue and had to rip it out because the X’s were basically invisible.
Navy and white works great. Red and white. Black and any bright color. Purple and yellow if you’re feeling bold.
You can also do variegated yarn for the background and solid for the symbols but not the other way around – variegated symbols just look messy.
I saw someone use Bernat Blanket yarn for this pattern once and it looked really cozy but the stitches were so big you could only fit like 3 X’s across the whole blanket which kinda defeated the purpose of the pattern in my opinion.
Common Problems I Had
The edges get wonky sometimes because of all the color changes. I ended up adding a border at the end – just 2 rounds of single crochet in the background color all the way around. Cleaned up the edges and made it look more finished.
Counting stitches is important even though I hate it. I lost track a few times and ended up with an X that was half cut off at the edge of a row which looked stupid. If you’re gonna space them evenly you gotta actually count or mark your stitches with stitch markers.
The bobbles sometimes pop through to the wrong side of the blanket. When you make them, hold the yarn tail toward you (the front) so the bobble forms on the right side. I kept forgetting this and having to redo them.
Variations You Could Try
Some people do stripes in the background instead of solid color which looks pretty cool. Like alternate navy and grey every 4 rows or something.
You could also do different sized X’s and O’s for a more random look instead of all uniform. Big X, small O, medium X, whatever.
I’ve seen people add hearts in between the X’s and O’s which is cute for a Valentine’s or anniversary gift but that’s getting into… more complicated territory and requires different stitch patterns.
There’s also a version where you do the whole thing in C2C (corner to corner) instead of rows which creates a diagonal fabric. Haven’t tried that yet because C2C kinda makes my brain hurt but it apparently works fine.
How Long It Takes
A baby blanket took me like 15-20 hours probably? I wasn’t really tracking but I worked on it over maybe 2 weeks in the evenings. The throw blanket I made took way longer, maybe 40 hours? The color changes slow you down a lot compared to a single-color blanket.
If you’re a fast crocheter or you do bigger stitches it’ll go quicker. If you’re doing a tight gauge or smaller hook it’ll take forever.
Washing and Care
I always wash my blankets before giving them as gifts just to make sure the colors don’t bleed and to soften them up. Red Heart and Caron are both machine washable which is why I use them for blankets. Cold water, gentle cycle, tumble dry low or lay flat.
The first wash might make the blanket scrunch up a little but it relaxes back out. If you used cotton yarn instead of acrylic it’s gonna shrink more so plan for that.
Make sure all your ends are really secured before washing or they’ll start poking out. I go back with a yarn needle after weaving them in and kind of felt them into the stitches a bit so they stay put.
Honestly Though
This pattern is really forgiving once you get the hang of the basic X and O stitches. You can fudge things a little bit and it still looks good from normal viewing distance. Nobody’s gonna inspect your blanket up close and count stitches except maybe other crocheters.
The repetitive nature is actually nice for mindless TV watching. You don’t have to focus super hard once you’ve got the rhythm down. Just work your background rows, add your symbols where they go, keep moving forward.
Definitely practice the crossed stitch for the X on a swatch before you start your actual blanket though. It feels awkward at first and you wanna get comfortable with the motion before you’re 50 rows in.
