We all love a soft squishy blanket to make or wrap up in but knowing what size to make can be challenging especially for beginners. If you know what size you need, how long does your starting chain need to be?
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Blanket size
The honest answer is there's no definitive standard. Blanket sizes vary a lot even if they are commercially made. Bed sizes are standardised (in each country, but not worldwide) and the blankets made to go on them differ a lot. Even if you go looking for a chart of standard blanket sizes the results you get from crochet blogs and designers' websites will all differ too
The best advice I can give to you is to make the blanket in a size to suit your needs or the needs of the recipient.
This is the table of sizes I use as a rough guide for blanket sizes. I tend to round my blanket sizes up so that there's plenty of overhang on the sides of the bed to tuck in on a cold day. I'd rather have too much than too little.
Blanket size | In cm | In inches |
Cot | 115 x 155 | 45 x60 |
Single | 130 x 165 | 65 x 90 |
Throw | 150 x 150 | 60 x 60 |
Double | 220 x 230 | 85 x 90 |
Queen | 230 x 260 | 90x100 |
King | 275 x 255 | 110 x 100 |
Calculating the starting chain
There's no simple answer to the number of chains needed to make a particular size blanket. It depends on things like your individual crochet style, tension, yarn size, hook size and the stitch that you choose.
If you are making a very simple stitch that works up in straight lines you can approximate the chain length by making a chain and laying it over the bed. However, if you are making something more complicated, like a ripple stitch, you are going to need to know how many stitches you make per inch and work it out so you need to make a swatch.
Making a swatch
You make a small sample approximately 8 inches or 20 cm square in the stitch you'd like to use with the hook recommended on the yarn label.
Look at the swatch you have made. Do you like the look and feel of the fabric? Is it going to drape nicely or is it a bit too loose or too stiff? Does it have a nice stitch definition?
If your work is too stiff the stitches are too small. The stitch size is determined by the hook so try again with a larger hook. If your work is too loose - try a smaller hook.
Stitch Definition
The stitch definition is determined by several factors.
Hook size matters. If the hook is too big, the stitches will be loose and lack definition. A smaller hook will improve stitch definition but the project will be stiffer.
Another factor that affects stitch definitions is the choice of yarn. A fluffy or variegated yarn is better suited to simple stitch patterns as the texture and colour changes will obscure the stitches - If you choose simple yarns for fancy stitches and vice versa you'll be off to a good start.
Gauge/Stitches per Inch
So you have made a sample swatch and you like how it looks and feels so what next?
Now you need to work out your stitches per inch. Measure a 4 inch/10cm square in the middle of your square and mark it out with pins. Note: It's important to measure the centre as the edge stitches can sometimes be distorted and aren't always a true representation of your work.
Now count how many stitches and rows you can see in the square. This is your stitch count and row count. Together they are known as your gauge and you will see gauge specified in any patterns that you use.
Why gauge matters?
The gauge in the pattern tells you how many stitches and rows the designer made in a 10cm or 4-inch square when they designed the pattern. It's particularly important that your stitch and row counts match the given gauge when making clothing as it ensures that the clothes you make are the expected size. It isn't as important for blankets but you need to be close.
The Maths
For your blanket, you will use the stitch count to work out your starting chain.
Measure how wide you would like your blanket to be. If your measurement is in inches, divide it by 4 and by 10cm if your measurement is in cm then multiply the number by your stitch count.
I'll use nice easy numbers for my example:
I want to make a throw 150cm x 150cm.
My stitch count is 20
150/10 =15. 15x20=300
I will need approximately 300 stitches for a 150cm throw. This is approximate as the pattern repeat may not work over exactly 300 stitches
Stitch Multiples
Every stitch pattern is worked in repeats. You make the same sequence of stitches over and over again for the width of your project. This is specified in patterns as a chain multiple. It will look something like this:
V- Stitch
Chain multiple 3+2
This means you need to chain 3 stitches over and over again until the chain is long enough and then add 2 chain.
So to make my blanket would chain the 300 stitches I calculated + 2 for my starting chain for v-stitch
If I wanted to work fan stitch with a multiple of 7 the maths isn't so easy
300/7 = 42 remainder 6 so exactly 300 isn't going to work. In this instance, it makes sense to chain 43 repeats or 301 stitches.
Hope this makes sense.
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