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Finishing · Beginner

Finishing a blanket

To finish a crochet blanket, fasten off after the last stitch, weave in every end, work one round of single crochet (UK double crochet) all the way round the edge with three stitches in each corner, and block it. Each of those jobs has a page of its own; this page puts them in order.

How to work it

  1. Fasten off

    After the last stitch of the last row, cut the yarn, leaving a tail long enough to thread on a needle, and pull the tail through the last loop.

  2. Weave in every end

    Thread each tail on a blunt yarn needle and run it under the stitches on the wrong side, one way and then back again. A blanket in several colors has tails at every change: weave each one into stitches of its own color.

  3. Work a round of single crochet round the edge

    A blanket seen from far off, drawn as its outline and a few of its rows. One round of stitches, marked, runs all the way round its edge, and each of the four corners is ringed.

    Join the yarn at the edge and work single crochet all the way round: one stitch in each stitch along the top and the bottom, and stitches spaced evenly along the two sides, into the ends of the rows. This round evens out the side edges, and it is the base a border is worked on.

  4. Turn the corners

    At each of the four corners, work three single crochet into the corner stitch, so that the round lies flat.

  5. See that it lies flat

    Lay the blanket down and look at the round. If the sides ripple, they have too many stitches; if they pull in, they have too few. Take the round out and space the stitches again.

  6. Fasten off and block

    Join the round to its first stitch with a slip stitch, fasten off, and weave in its two ends. Then block the blanket: wet it or steam it, lay it flat to its shape, and leave it until it is dry.

At a glance

Used for
a blanket worked in rows, from a baby blanket to a throw; a blanket of squares, once the squares are joined
The order
Fasten off, weave in the ends, edge the blanket, block it
Along the top and the bottom
One stitch in each stitch
Along the two sides
Stitches spaced evenly into the ends of the rows. A usual start is one stitch in the end of each row of single crochet and two in the end of each row of double crochet (UK treble). There is no one number: the right spacing is the one that lets the edge lie flat.
At each corner
3 single crochet in the corner stitch
After the round
The round of single crochet can be the whole edge, or the first round of a wider border.

The ends come before the blocking for most makers, and the weaving is done on the wrong side, changing direction so that an end cannot work loose. On a blanket with many colors it is less of a job if each end is woven in as that color is finished, and not all of them at the last.

The round of single crochet does two things. It covers the uneven ends of the rows along the two sides, and it gives every edge the same row of stitches to work a border into.

A blanket does not have to stop at that round. It can have a border of more rounds, or a fringe.

Blocking is the last step. It evens out the stitches and straightens the edges.

When it goes wrong

The edge round makes the sides wavy.
There are too many stitches along the sides. Take the round out and put fewer stitches into the row ends.
The edge round pulls the sides in.
There are too few stitches along the sides, or they are too tight. Take the round out and put more stitches into the row ends.
The corners curl.
A corner needs three stitches in its corner stitch. With one, it curls.

Questions

How do I end a crochet blanket?
Cut the yarn after the last stitch and pull the tail through the last loop to fasten off. Then weave in the ends, work a round of single crochet round the edge, and block the blanket.
Does a blanket need a border?
One round of single crochet is enough to neaten the edges. A wider border is a matter of choice, and it starts from that round.
Do I weave in the ends before or after blocking?
Most makers weave them in before blocking. Some prefer to do it after.

Where to go next

Stitches

Guides

Patterns