The crochet basketweave bonding square is a pattern that I specially designed for the Preemie Crochet Challenge hosted by Helen and Sara from Sunflower Cottage Crochet.

PLEASE NOTE THAT BY TAKING THE FREE PDF PATTERN YOU ARE PLEDGING TO DONATE AT LEAST ONE ITEM MADE FROM THAT PATTERN TO A SUITABLE CHARITY / UNIT / FAMILY.

What is a Preemie Bonding Square?
A bonding square is a small crocheted or knitted square that the mother of a preemie baby wears for a few hours in direct contact with her skin. This way, the square will take up the smell of the mother. After this time, the square will be placed in the bed of the preemie baby so that he/she will get to know the smell of the mother. The squares will be swapped between the mother and the baby until the preemie is ready to finally return home.

Materials
– 4.0-mm (F/5 or G/6 USA, 8 UK) Crochet Hook
– 3.5-mm (E/4 USA, 9 UK) Crochet Hook
– 14 g (54 yds / 49 m) of Sport Weight (12 wpi) Baby Yarn in two contrasting colors (CC1 and CC2). I used Garnstudio DROPS Baby Merino but you can also use Katia Merino Baby, or any other comparable yarn.
– Tapestry Needle

Size
The Basketweave Bonding Square measures 5” (12.5 cm) by 5” (12.5 cm).

Gauge
23 sts for 15 rows in 4” (10 cm) worked with the basketweave st.