Simple Crochet Blanket for Beginners: Size, Stitch and Yarn

A crochet blanket for beginners is mostly a planning job. The stitches are ones you already know, repeated in long rows, so the real skill is choosing a size, a yarn and a starting chain that fit together. Get those three right and the rest is relaxing, rhythmic work. This guide shows you how to plan an easy crochet blanket, do the math, keep the edges straight and finish it neatly.

Choose a size

Blankets have no single standard size, so treat the numbers below as common approximate ranges. Decide what the blanket is for, then pick a size that suits that use and your patience.

If this is your first blanket, a baby-sized one is a kind choice. It finishes sooner and uses less yarn.

Choose an easy stitch

Single crochet and half double crochet are the easiest stitches for a first blanket. Single crochet makes a dense, tidy fabric and is simple to count, but it is slow to grow. Half double crochet is a little taller, so the blanket grows faster and feels softer and drapier. Learn them in our guides to single crochet and half double crochet.

Double crochet works too and is quicker still, but the turning chain at the start of each row counts as a stitch, and that is the usual cause of edges that drift in or out. Try it after you have finished one blanket. Our double crochet guide covers that turning chain.

Choose your yarn and hook

Pick a yarn that is soft, smooth and machine washable, because blankets get used and laundered often. A medium (worsted) weight is a good middle ground: thick enough to grow quickly, thin enough to drape. Our yarn weight chart explains the weight names.

Use the hook size on the yarn label as a starting point, then adjust after your swatch. If the fabric feels stiff, go up a size. If it looks loose and holey, go down. See the hook sizes chart for help.

Work out your foundation chain from a swatch

Do not guess the chain length. Crochet a swatch of at least 15 cm square in your chosen yarn, stitch and hook, then measure your gauge in the middle of it. Our gauge swatch guide shows how. Then use this worked example for single crochet.

1. Measure the gauge: say your swatch gives 14 stitches per 10 cm.
2. Choose the width: say you want the blanket 100 cm wide.
3. Divide the width by 10 cm: 100 / 10 = 10 lots of 10 cm.
4. Multiply by the gauge: 10 x 14 = 140 stitches across the row.
5. Add one chain for the first stitch to be worked into. For single crochet you skip the chain nearest the hook, so you chain 141 and get 140 stitches in row 1.

Do the same for length. If your swatch gives 16 rows per 10 cm and you want 150 cm, that is 15 x 16 = 240 rows. Being a stitch or two off will not show. For taller stitches, the starting chain differs slightly, so follow the matching stitch guide.

How much yarn to buy

No chart can tell you the exact yardage, because it depends on your yarn, hook, stitch and tension. Estimate from your swatch instead. Measure the yarn you used in a 10 cm square, work out how many squares fit in the blanket, and multiply.

Example only: if a 10 cm square used 12 m of yarn, a 100 x 150 cm blanket is 150 squares (10 x 15), so 150 x 12 = 1,800 m. Add about 10 to 15 percent for the border, your tension changing and a safety margin. Your numbers will differ.

Buy all your yarn at once and check that the dye lot number on every label matches. The same color from a different dye lot can look slightly different, and in a big flat blanket that shows as a stripe. Extra yarn is cheap insurance.

Keep your edges straight

Straight edges come from counting. Count your stitches at the end of the first few rows, then every ten rows or so. Place a stitch marker in the very first and very last stitch so you can see them. Work into the last stitch of every row, including the top of the previous turning chain if your pattern says to.

Keep your tension steady too. Many beginners start tightly and relax as they go, which makes the blanket wider toward the top.

Join new yarn

You will run out of yarn partway through a blanket. Finish a row, then join the new ball at the edge so the join sits in the border area. Our guide to joining new yarn shows neat ways to do it.

Add a simple border

A border hides uneven edges and gives the blanket a finished look. The easiest one is a round of single crochet. Work one single crochet in each row end along the sides and one in each stitch along the top and bottom. Put 3 single crochet in each corner so the corner lies flat. Join with a slip stitch to the first stitch.

Weave in ends and block

Weave in every tail along the stitches, in two directions, before you wash anything. Our guide to fastening off and weaving in ends shows how. Then block the blanket. Blocking relaxes the stitches, evens out the edges and helps the corners sit square. Learn the methods in our blocking guide.

Common blanket problems and fixes

A note on safe sleep

A loose blanket in a cot or on a sleeping baby is not safe. It is a gift for the pram, the floor or the sofa. Safe sleep advice differs between countries, so follow the guidance from your local health authority.

Next steps

Start with a small test: crochet your swatch and do the math before you buy all your yarn. If you want to build your skills first, try our crochet patterns for beginners, or browse the free crochet patterns. A blanket is just a very big practice swatch, so go at your own pace.