Cozy Stitchery
Weigh a swatch, and the whole blanket's yardage follows
Blanket patterns rarely come in exactly the size you want, and changing the size changes the yarn. The reliable way to estimate is to crochet a swatch in the real stitch pattern, weigh it, convert grams to yards from the ball band, and scale by area. The same method works for knit blankets.
| Blanket | Common size range (in) | Your size |
|---|---|---|
| Lovey or security blanket | 12 to 18 square | |
| Stroller or car seat | About 30 x 35 | |
| Baby or receiving | 30 x 30 to 40 x 40 | |
| Lapghan | About 36 x 48 | |
| Throw | About 50 x 60 | |
| Twin bed | 60 to 66 x 90 | |
| Queen bed | About 90 x 100 |
Sources vary. For babies, loose blankets do not belong in a crib under 12 months, and car seat blankets go over the buckled harness, never under the straps.
| Step | Example | Your blanket |
|---|---|---|
| Swatch size (in) | 6 x 6 = 36 sq in | |
| Swatch weight (g) | 12 | |
| Yarn yards per gram (ball band yards / grams) | 200 yd / 100 g = 2 | |
| Swatch yards (12 x 2) | 24 | |
| Yards per sq in (24 / 36) | 0.667 | |
| Blanket area (50 x 60) | 3,000 sq in | |
| Blanket yards (3,000 x 0.667) | About 2,000 | |
| Plus 10% for border, joining and tails | About 2,200 | |
| Skeins at 200 yd each | 11 |
Use a kitchen scale that reads to 1 g or better. Weigh the swatch after blocking, without long tails, and include the border stitch in a second swatch if it is very different.
| Step | Example | Your blanket |
|---|---|---|
| Target size | 50 x 60 in | |
| Finished square size, after blocking | 6 in | |
| Squares across (50 / 6 = 8.3) | 8 gives 48 in, 9 gives 54 in | |
| Squares down (60 / 6) | 10 | |
| Layout chosen | 9 x 10 = 90 squares | |
| Border width (in) | 2 | |
| Finished size with border (54 + 4) x (60 + 4) | 58 x 64 in | |
| Yards per square (weigh one finished square) | ||
| Total yards: squares x yards each, plus joining and border |
Mark each square with a color letter. The grid is 12 by 12; use as much as the layout needs.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Rows or squares done | Total so far | Percent of target | Skeins used | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Blanket-scale tools
A gram scale makes this sheet work, and interlocking blocking mats square up dozens of motifs at once.
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