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Finishing · Beginner

Adding a border to a blanket

A border on a blanket starts with one plain round of single crochet (UK double crochet) all the way round the edge. Get that round flat and any border will sit well on it: one stitch in each stitch along the top and the bottom, stitches spaced by the height of the rows along the two sides, and three stitches in each corner.

How to work it

  1. Join the yarn at a corner

    Fasten the yarn to the edge of the finished blanket with a slip stitch. A corner is the usual place to begin.

  2. Along the top and the bottom

    These two edges are rows of stitches, so the spacing is given: work one single crochet into each stitch.

  3. Along the sides of single crochet rows

    The upper left corner of a piece of single crochet, drawn as its rows, with the first round of a border on it. Along the top edge one border stitch stands on each stitch. Three stitches turn the corner. Down the left side the border stitches, marked, lie on their sides: one stands in the end of each row.

    The two sides are the ends of the rows, and they have no stitches to count. On a blanket of single crochet, begin with one stitch in the end of each row.

  4. Along the sides of taller rows

    The left edge of a piece of double crochet, drawn as its rows, which are taller than rows of single crochet. Border stitches lie on their sides down the edge, two in the end of each row. The two in one row end are marked.

    A taller row needs more than one stitch to cover its end. On a blanket of double crochet (UK treble), begin with two stitches in the end of each row.

  5. Three stitches in each corner

    At each corner work three single crochet into the corner stitch, so that the round can turn and still lie flat.

  6. Stop early and look

    Two blankets seen from far off, each with its border marked. Number 1: the border has too many stitches, and it waves in and out all the way round. Number 2: the border has too few stitches, and it draws the four sides of the blanket inward.

    After the first stretch of a side, lay the blanket down flat and look at the new edge. If it waves or ruffles, it has too many stitches. If it draws the side in, it has too few, or they are too tight. Pull that part out and space it again, before the whole round is done.

  7. Close the round

    Back at the start, join the last stitch to the first with a slip stitch. Then fasten off, or go on with the next round of the border.

At a glance

Used for
the base round of any border on a blanket worked in rows; a plain edge that covers the uneven ends of the rows; a fixed number of stitches for a patterned border to be worked into
Top and bottom edges
1 stitch in each stitch
Side edges, to begin with
1 stitch in the end of each row of single crochet; 2 in the end of each row of double crochet. Some teachers begin with fewer.
Corners
3 single crochet in each corner stitch
Too many stitches
The edge waves and ruffles.
Too few stitches
The edge draws in, and the blanket cups.
Plain rounds after it
1 stitch in each stitch, and 3 in each corner stitch

The numbers for the sides are a place to begin and no more than that. Teachers give different ones, and no one number suits every blanket. What decides it is the blanket lying flat.

A small fault in this round does not stay small. An edge that is a little too full or a little too tight gets worse with every round worked on top of it, which is why the first round is the one to pull out and do again.

The round does two jobs. It evens out the ends of the rows, and it gives the border that follows a known number of stitches to stand on. A patterned border repeats over a set number of stitches, so its pattern may ask for a count that divides by that number along each side.

On top of the base round the border can be as plain or as fancy as you like: more rounds of single crochet, a round of reverse single crochet, picots, or shells.

Tips

  • Work the sides in short sections, and lay the blanket flat after each one. A section that is wrong is a small thing to pull out.

When it goes wrong

My border is wavy.
It has too many stitches. Pull it back and work fewer stitches along that edge.
My border pulls the blanket in.
It has too few stitches, or the stitches are tight. Pull it back and work more stitches along that edge.
The corners curl.
A corner needs extra stitches to turn. Work three stitches into each corner stitch.

Variations

  • A corner made with chains. Some borders turn the corner with a single crochet, two chains and a single crochet, all in the corner stitch. The next round is worked into that chain space.
  • An invisible join. On the last round of the border, the join can be sewn with a needle so that it does not show.

Questions

How many stitches do I put along the side of a blanket?
Begin with one in the end of each row of single crochet, or two in the end of each row of double crochet. Then lay the blanket flat: take some out if the edge waves, and add some if it draws in.
Where do I start the border?
At a corner. Fasten the yarn there with a slip stitch and work round to the same corner again.
Do I need the plain round if I want a fancy border?
Most border patterns begin with it. It evens out the edges, and it sets the number of stitches the pattern is worked into.

Where to go next

Stitches

Patterns