How to Crochet a Blanket

Steps

1. 1. Gather your materials

   Pull out two 300g balls of Bernat Baby Blanket yarn in two contrasting colors and an 8mm crochet hook. The big hook plus the chunky yarn is what makes this blanket fast - thinner yarn doubles or triples the time.

   Tip: If your local shop is out of Bernat Baby Blanket, look for any super bulky (size 6) chenille yarn.

   

2. 2. Make a slip knot

   Pull about six inches of yarn off the ball as your tail. Wrap the yarn around two fingers to form a small cross, then bring the working yarn (the part still attached to the ball) over the front of the cross.

   

3. 3. Chain 55 to start the foundation

   Yarn over the hook (wrap the working yarn around the shaft from back to front) and pull through the loop already on the hook. That's your first chain.

   Tip: Don't count the loop on the hook itself - it's not a chain. Count the V-shapes that lay flat below the hook.

   

4. 4. Work the first row of half double crochet

   Skip the first two chains from the hook. Insert the hook into the third chain.

   Tip: If your stitches look uneven, you're probably yarning over inconsistently. Keep the yarn flowing from the same finger every time and the tension evens out.

   

5. 5. Turn and work row two

   Chain 2 to lift up to the next row's height, then flip the work over so the back of row one faces you. From here on, that chain-2 counts as the first stitch of the new row.

   

6. 6. Build rows and change colors

   Repeat the row pattern - chain 2, turn, half double across - for 12 rows in your first color. To switch colors, work the last stitch of row 12 right up to the final yarn-over.

   Tip: Count your stitches at the end of every row. Accidentally adding or skipping one stitch makes the blanket get wider or narrower, and the edges start to slope.

   

7. 7. Tie off and weave in the ends

   After the last stitch of your final row, cut the working yarn six inches from the hook. Yarn over and pull the cut tail all the way through the loop on the hook to lock the stitch.

   Tip: Weaving in ends is the most-skipped step and the reason cheap-looking blankets unravel after a few washes. Don't shortcut it.