How to Crochet a Blanket: Sizes, Yardage, Starting Chains and 10 Steps

How to crochet a blanket, step by step

1. Choose the blanket size. Decide what the blanket is for and pick a finished size, such as 42 x 52 in for a crib or toddler blanket or 50 x 60 in for a couch throw. Check the blanket size chart.
2. Choose yarn and hook. Pick a soft, washable medium (#4) or bulky (#5) yarn in a light color so the stitches are easy to see, and the hook size on the label. For worsted, the Craft Yarn Council range is 5.5 to 6.5 mm.
3. Buy all the yarn at once. Estimate yardage for your size and weight, add 10 to 15 percent, and buy every skein from the same dye lot so the color matches from the first row to the border.
4. Crochet and wash a swatch. Work a swatch about 6 in wide in the stitch you will use, wash and dry it like the finished blanket, then count the stitches across the middle 4 in.
5. Calculate and make the starting chain. Multiply the width by your stitches per inch, then add the turning chain: 1 for single crochet, 2 for half double, 3 for double. Chain with a hook one size larger so the bottom edge is not tighter than the rows.
6. Work the first row. Switch to the main hook and work the first stitch into the right chain: the 2nd from the hook for single crochet, 3rd for half double or 4th for double crochet. Count the stitches at the end of the row.
7. Mark the edges and work the rows. Clip a locking stitch marker into the first and last stitch of each row, turn, chain and continue. Count stitches every few rows so the edges stay straight.
8. Join new yarn neatly. Start a new ball at the end of a row when you can, leaving 6 in tails, and weave those tails in along the row as you go rather than saving them all for the end.
9. Add a border. Work one to three rounds of single crochet all the way around the blanket, placing 3 single crochet in each corner stitch so the corners lie flat. A border hides uneven row ends.
10. Weave in ends, wash and block. Weave remaining tails through several stitches in different directions with a blunt yarn needle, then wash and dry the blanket as the label directs, smoothing it flat to dry if the fiber needs it.

How big should a crochet blanket be?

There is no single standard, because blanket sizes vary by maker and pattern, but most published charts agree closely. Measure the bed, chair or person the blanket is for, then pick the nearest size. The yardage here is for medium (worsted) weight yarn in crochet, and the skein count includes 10 percent extra in 200 yard skeins.

The throw is the most popular handmade size, and the best first blanket after a baby blanket. A queen or king is a serious commitment in both yarn and time, so make a throw first. Every size above has its own page with yardage in each weight, such as how much yarn for a throw blanket.

How much yarn do you need to crochet a blanket?

It depends on size, yarn weight, stitch and your gauge, so treat every figure as a planning range and let the pattern's stated yardage win when you have one. Thicker yarn uses fewer yards for the same size, and crochet usually takes about 25 to 33 percent more yarn than knitting, because the stitches are taller and denser.

Throw figures are scaled by area from the published 50 x 65 in range. Real labels turn yards into skeins: Caron One Pound holds 812 yd in a 454 g skein, so a worsted throw takes about 4 to 5 skeins before extra, while Bernat Blanket holds 108 yd per 150 g ball of super bulky, so a super bulky throw takes about 18 to 23 balls before extra. A bulk box such as the 12 skein Pound of Love pack keeps a big blanket in one dye lot. Compare yarns in the best yarn for crochet blankets.

How many chains do you need to start a crochet blanket?

Multiply the width you want by your stitches per inch, then add the turning chain for your stitch. At the Craft Yarn Council midpoint for medium weight, 12.5 single crochet per 4 in, which is 3.125 stitches per inch, a 50 in throw is 156 stitches wide and a 42 in baby blanket is 131.

The council gauge is measured in single crochet, and taller stitches often work up at a different gauge, so swatch in your actual stitch and enter your own count in the crochet chain calculator. If your pattern counts the turning chain as the first stitch, chain one fewer. Popular blanket stitches each have a step-by-step page: half double crochet is a soft, quick middle ground, moss stitch (single crochet and chain 1) makes a flat, woven-looking fabric, and corner to corner builds a blanket diagonally with no long starting chain at all.

How many granny squares do you need for a blanket?

Divide the blanket width and length by the finished square size and round to the nearest whole square. Granny squares let you work in small, portable pieces, use many colors and join as you go. The table assumes squares sewn edge to edge with no joining rounds or border, so a border adds a few inches.

In worsted weight, a 6 in granny square uses roughly 31 yards, so an 80 square throw needs about 2,480 yards, or 2,728 with 10 percent extra. Granny squares are open work and can use less yarn than solid rows. Try the granny square blanket calculator for your own square size and borders, and learn the motif on the granny square cluster page. A folding pegged board such as the NewEle 17 in blocking board, with a 32 x 32 hole grid and 40 stainless pegs, blocks a stack of squares to the same size before joining. For a scrappy look, a rainbow set of 24 worsted mini skeins such as the Knit Picks Brava pack gives about 1,308 yards in many colors, and a kit like the Coopay granny square blanket kit bundles a first project with instructions.

How long does it take to crochet a blanket?

Divide the yardage by how many yards you crochet in an hour, then add finishing time. At an assumed pace of 60 yards of worsted per hour, which is only a starting assumption, a baby blanket of about 1,250 to 1,500 yards takes roughly 21 to 25 hours of crochet, and a throw of 2,610 to 3,830 yards takes roughly 44 to 64 hours, plus a few hours for the border and ends. At 5 hours a week, that throw is a season-long project of about 9 to 13 weeks.

Time yourself for one normal hour, then enter your real pace in the project time calculator. Taller stitches such as double crochet and thicker yarn both shorten the time. So does comfort, because a blanket is finished in many evenings: a cushioned hook, a supportive chair such as the Arrow H7013B with its 18 to 22 inch hydraulic seat, and a lamp such as the Daylight Slimline 4 Floor, rated at 6,000K and CRI 95+, make long sessions easier on hands and eyes.

What size crochet hook is best for a blanket?

Use the size on the yarn label as a starting point, then go up a size if the fabric feels stiff. Blankets should drape, so many crocheters work a blanket a little looser than they would a bag or amigurumi. Published label gauges show the range:

• Caron Simply Soft, medium: 13 single crochet and 14 rows per 4 in on a 5 mm (H/8) hook.
• Bernat Baby Blanket, super bulky: 8 single crochet and 8 rows on a 6.5 mm (K) hook.
• Bernat Softee Chunky, super bulky: 8 single crochet and 9 rows on an 8 mm (L/11) hook.

A budget set such as the Boye aluminum set covers US D to K (3.125 to 6.5 mm), enough for worsted and the chain-one-size-up trick. For chunky yarn you will need hooks of 8 mm and above; see the L-11 (8 mm) hook page and the full crochet hook size chart.