Fleece Blanket with Crocheted Edging

If you're an experienced crocheter, these blankets are a joy to make and work up quickly. It's a great opportunity to get creative with yarn colors and experiment with various crochet stitches and stitch combinations.

Below, you'll find general instructions for creating your blanket. These instructions are intended for those familiar with basic crochet stitches and terminology and may or may not be suitable for beginners.

Supplies Needed

Anti pill fleece fabric*

Rotary cutter - with straight blade

Rotary cutter - with skip stitch blade/perforating blade (12 cuts on blade)

Note: You can use one rotary cutter and switch blades as needed.

Cutting ruler

Cutting mat or surface on which to cut your fabric

Scissors

Pin or marker

Yarn

Crochet hook

Yarn needle

*Below is a list of the approximate amount of fabric needed for blankets:

Baby size - 1 yard (cut in half)
Small size - 1 yard
Medium - 1 ½ yard
Large - 2 yards

When choosing your fleece, please keep in mind the correlation of the pattern, size and typical age of a child who would receive your blanket. For example, if you choose to make a blanket with 2 yards of fabric, use a pattern that is suitable for a teen and vice versa if you are making a baby blanket, you want to choose something appropriate for a baby.

Prepare your fabric

Using a rotary cutter with straight blade and cutting ruler, cut off both sides of selvage edging, then cut the remaining 2 sides so you have 4 straight edges on your fabric.

Using a plate, bowl or anything rounded, place it on the corner of your fabric, round the corners with your rotary cutter with the straight blade. If you prefer, you can leave the corners squared and round the corner with your crotchet stitches.

Using a rotary cutter with the skip blade/perforating blade and your cutting ruler, cut around the straight edges of the fleece approximately ¾-1” from the edge and “free hand” cut the corners. Note: Use a pin or other marker to mark the beginning of your cutting so you know where to stop cutting when you have cut all the way around the fabric piece.

Now it's time for the fun part!

Abbreviations

yo - yarn over
sp - space
ch - chain stitch
sc - single crochet stitch

To begin crocheting, select the yarn and hook size you prefer (size G works well, fits through the punched hole and works well with typical acrylic yarns). However, you may want to use a smaller hook for baby blankets and baby weight yarn.

Make a slip knot with your yarn so you have a loop to begin (leaving a tail long enough to weave in later).

Insert your hook into your starting hole in the front side of the fabric, and pull the loop of yarn through the hole keeping the knot on the back side of the fabric.

Yo and pull the yarn through to create your first sc.

Your punched holes should be about ¾-1 inch from the edge of the fabric so the fabric will fold over under your stitches. This creates a strong foundation row around the blanket.

Foundation Row

Your foundation row can be made with 1 single crochet in each hole or 2 single crochets in each hole. Below are instructions for each.

1 Single crochet foundation row (1 sc in each punched hole)

After your joining sc stitch to the fabric:

ch 1, sc in the next punched hole, ch 1

repeat sc and ch 1 around the fabric to starting sc

sl st into starting sc

2 Single crochet foundation row (2 sc in each punched hole)

After your joining sc stitch to the fabric:

sc into the same hole (makes 2 sc in the same starting hole)

2 sc in each hole around the blanket to your starting sc stitch

sl st to starting sc

NOTE: All rows are completed with the right side of the fabric facing you, do not turn the blanket for additional rows.

Now’s the time to get creative and choose any stitch pattern you prefer! Depending on the size and height of the stitches you use (such as sc, dc, or tr), crochet 2 or 3 more rows around the fleece to create a beautiful edging. For example, if your second row is all sc, you might want to add a third row for a wider edging.

Below are some examples of edgings from our talented Blanketeers. Experiment with different stitches and yarn colors to make it your own! YouTube and Pinterest are great places to find inspiration for unique edging patterns.

Happy Crocheting!

Thank you for supporting Project Linus

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