How to Crochet a Blanket + Free Beginner Pattern

Can Beginners Crochet Blankets?

A beginner can definitely make a blanket or afghan after learning basic crochet stitches. The key is choosing the right easy crochet blanket pattern and not being too ambitious in the size of your first project.

Start with a lapgahan blanket size made with easy crochet stitches, and you’ll be on your way to afghan success!

How to Crochet a Blanket

Let’s briefly examine the essential steps for creating your crochet blanket. I’ll cover each in more detail in a bit.

1. Pick a Pattern: If you’re new to crocheting, start with a straightforward rectangular design using beginner-friendly stitches. The moss stitch, suzette stitch, or the griddle stitch are great options. (Shortcut: Follow the beginner crochet blanket pattern explained later in this article.)

2. Choose Materials: Once you’ve settled on a design, it’s time to choose your yarn and the right crochet hook. To get the hook sizing just right, do a small practice test (called a gauge swatch) and adjust your hook size if needed to match the pattern’s suggested gauge.

3. Start Crocheting: Follow the pattern instructions to start crocheting your blanket. Pay attention to the stitch count for the first several rows to ensure your afghan edges stay straight. Use stitch markers to make keeping track of the stitch count easier.

4. Finishing Touches: With all the rows done, consider adding a crochet border to elevate the look or disguise uneven edges. Securely weave in the ends so your blanket has a long life.

5. Block It: This step is often optional in blankets made with acrylic or manmade fibers, but blocking your crochet is a fantastic way to even out any uneven stitch tension.

6. Admire and Snuggle: Take a moment to wrap up your DIY blanket accomplishment!

It pays to plan your blanket in advance to avoid running into unforeseen problems halfway through. Let’s take a closer look at the most important considerations when getting started with a crochet afghan project.

Step 1: Choosing a Crochet Blanket Pattern

To find the easiest crochet blanket patterns for beginners, pay specific attention to these aspects for your first few projects.

Blanket Size + Yarn Weight

Trust us on this one–resist the urge to bite off more than you can chew. There are enough beautiful beginner crochet blanket patterns that you don’t need to choose a queen-size granny blanket made with DK weight yarn. We want a quick win for your first blankets!

Choose a smaller blanket pattern that is made with thicker yarn. A good size range for a beginner crochet blanket project is approximately 30-38″ wide x 38-46″ tall. For your first blanket, I recommend choosing an afghan pattern that calls for a super bulky yarn (CYC category 6), such as Wool-Ease Thick & Quick.

Type of Stitches

Read through the entire pattern to see what type of stitches are used. A simple crochet blanket should use one or two basic stitches.

Common stitches like single crochet (sc), double crochet (dc) and half double crochet (hdc) will be easiest for a beginner afghan.

Check out our guide to crochet stitches for blankets for inspiration.

Row Repeat

A row repeat is the sequence of stitches that are repeated to form one row of a blanket. In crochet patterns, when instructions mention to “repeat a row,” you are meant to duplicate the exact set of stitches and techniques from a specified row for additional rows. 

Look for a simple blanket pattern made with only one or two rows repeated throughout. This will make it easier to memorize and require less pattern reading throughout the project.

Try one of our meditative blankets that include minimal row repeats:

• Bungalow Chunky Crochet Blanket
• Mesa Ripple Blanket
• One Day Baby Blanket
• Snow Drifter Ripple Blanket

Consult the Pattern and Yarn Label

Your pattern will list the weight of the yarn for your blanket and a recommended crochet hook size. Compare it to the weight listed on your yarn label.

It’s important to use the same weight of yarn the pattern lists. For example, if you use chunky yarn for a pattern written for thinner yarn, your project will end up much larger than expected. 

For a beginner crochet blanket, look for patterns that use chunky or super chunky yarn. 

Our Favorite Yarn for Blankets

We have a few requirements of any blanket yarn. It must:

• Be machine washable
• Come in a variety of modern colors
• Be affordable enough to purchase the amount of yarn needed for a blanket

With these criteria in mind, there are a few yarns we turn to repeatedly when designing blanket patterns. These are yarns I can enthusiastically recommend for making your own afghans. I’ve listed them from thickest to thinnest.

Pro Tip: Holding multiple strands together of a thinner yarn like Lion Brand Pound of love can be an affordable way to match the look and weight of a chunkier yarn. This is exactly what we did in the Bungalow Chunky Blanket and the Sampler Pouf.

Step 3: Crocheting the Pattern

It’s finally time to get start on your crochet blanket! I recommend reading through the entire pattern to make sure you understand the techniques involved.

Here are some crochet stitches and skills you may come across in blanket patterns. Follow our beginner tutorials if a technique is new to you.

• Chain stitches (ch)
• Slip stitches (sl st)
• Single crochet (sc)
• Half double crochet (hdc)
• How to change colors
• How to weave in ends
• How to invisible seam crochet pieces together

Count Your Stitches and Use Markers

As you work the first row (and even second row and beyond!) it can be very helpful to count your stitches to ensure you have the desired number. 

Place a stitch marker every 10 stitches to make counting easier. Periodically check the stitch count while creating the first few rows to ensure you don’t add or drop stitches.

Step 4: Finishing the Blanket

Once your afghan project is your designed length, it’s time to fasten off.

But don’t snuggle up quite yet–there are a few finishing touches that can make your blanket really shine. 

Weave in Ends

This part isn’t anyone’s favorite, but securely weaving in any yarn tails will ensure that your blanket has a long life. It’s also essential if you plan to machine wash your blanket.

Add a Border, Fringe, or Tassels

While your finished blanket might look pretty darn awesome at this point, adding a simple border is almost always a good idea. A blanket border also a great way to hide yarn that’s been carried from row-to-row when crocheting stripes as in the Tributary Baby Blanket Pattern.

Check out our favorite crochet blanket border ideas for inspiration.

After the edging is complete, consider adding fringe or tassels to make your blanket look even more polished.

Blocking

Crochet blocking is less important for easy blanket patterns that are worked in one piece. Check out our tutorial on crochet blocking to learn how to do this often-overlooked step if your stitch tension looks uneven or you want to tidy up wavy edges.

More Crochet Blanket Resources

If you love crocheting blankets as much as we do, I think you’ll find these resources really helpful.

Herringbone Double Crochet Stitch Video Tutorial

The stitch used in this beginner crochet throw is called herringbone double crochet. The subtle modern stripes are an easy variation on a typical double crochet blanket.

Check out the herringbone double crochet video tutorial for step-by-step instructions.

Supplies + Materials

• Main Color: Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick (Weight: 6/super bulky –  106 yds, 6.0 oz, 170 g)

• Fisherman (640-099) – 6 skeins [approx 1020 g)

• Luxe Fur Border (Optional): Lion Brand Go For Faux 

• Pomeranian (322-203) – 3 skeins [approx 275 g]

• Size P (12 mm) crochet hook

• Tapestry needle

Overall Pattern Notes

• RS and WS designation is to help keep track of where you are in the pattern. The finished blanket does not have a specific wrong and right side.

• Ch 3 counts as 1 HBdc throughout.

!! Gauge Check !!

While this step isn’t required, it’ll help ensure your blanket is the expected size and you don’t run out of yarn.

Foundation Row: Ch 11.

Row 1 (WS): Sk first 3 ch, 1 HBdc in 4th ch from hook and every ch to end of row; turn. (9)

Row 2 (RS): Ch 3, sk first st, 1 HBdc in next st and every st to end of row working HBdc in turning ch; turn. 

Rep Row 2 five more times. Measure center four inches of swatch vertically and horizontally. Compare to pattern gauge listed above. If there are too many stitches in 4” horizontally, increase your hook size and re-swatch. If there aren’t enough stitches in 4” horizontally, decrease your hook size and re-swatch. 

Faux Fur Border

Fasten off main color yarn. Attach fur border yarn in upper right corner. (Left-Handed: upper left corner.) Round 1 begins by working back across the last blanket row.

Round 1: Along top of blanket: Ch 1, sc in each st to end of row, (sc, ch 1, sc) in corner st…

Along side of blanket: …1 sc in each raw row edge, (sc, ch 1, sc) in corner st…

Along bottom of banket: …1 sc in each ch, (sc, ch 1, sc) in corner st…

Along second side of blanket: …1 sc in each raw row edge, (sc, ch 1, sc) in corner st, slst to first st of round to join; do not turn.

Round 2: Ch 1, sc around blanket placing 1 st in each sc and (sc, ch1, sc) in each corner sp, slst to first st of round to join; do not turn.

Rounds 3-4: Rep Row 2. 

Fasten off. Weave in remaining ends.

Crochet Blanket Tips

Congrats on learning how to crochet a blanket! Here are a few tips to keep in mind as you tackle your next projects.

Look At the Skills and Time Required

Because crocheting a blanket is often a big time investment, you want to make sure you’re up for the challenge of what a pattern requires.

If you need a portable blanket project, try a pieced hexagon afghan or granny stitch blanket.

On the other hand, if you know you’ll never get around to joining granny squares or weaving in ends, choose a simple blanket that’s worked in one piece.

Read through the entire pattern before you begin, and try to be realistic about your time and skill constraints.

Plan Your Design and Supplies

It can be tempting to grab a few pretty skeins of yarn from Michaels and start crocheting, but planning your supplies can help avoid heartache.

Most importantly, buy enough yarn to finish the blanket before you begin.

Matching the dye lot of different skeins of yarn when they’re not purchased at once can be tricky. Having mismatched dye lots can lead to undesirable color variations in your blanket. Avoid this mistake by buying an extra ball of yarn at the beginning.

Keep Track of Your Progress

Use stitch markers and possibly a row counter to keep track of your stitch count and the number of rows you’ve finished. I like to cross off each line in the pattern as I work, particularly when I’m making corner-to-corner crochet blankets.

More Free Blanket Patterns

Here are our most recent afghan patterns. Pin a few or save them to Ravelry for your blanket project queue!