Crochet tool
How many chains to start a crochet baby blanket
How many chains do I start a baby blanket with?
Example
Chain to start with
Chain 108 107 stitches in the first row
33 in at 13 stitches to 4 in is 107.3 stitches wide. Single crochet starts on 1 chain more than the stitches: 107 + 1 = 108.
Type your own numbers to change it.
Width it comes to
about 32.9 in 84 cm
107 stitches at your gauge are about 32.9 in (84 cm).
Example gauge
13 stitches to 4 in 12.8 stitches to 10 cm
13 stitches counted across 4 in: 3.25 stitches to the inch. This opening gauge is a planning number for single crochet, not a measurement: type the gauge of your own swatch. Our suggestion
“Our suggestion” marks advice that is this site’s own, not a figure from a published chart.
How the first row starts on its chain, when the count is of stitches
| First row in | Chains for n stitches | First stitch goes in | Do the skipped chains count as a stitch? |
|---|---|---|---|
| single crochet | n + 1 | the 2nd chain from the hook | no |
| double crochet | n + 2 | the 4th chain from the hook | yes: they are the first double crochet |
- This table is used only when you type no repeat, or say that your pattern's multiple is for the stitches. A multiple given for the chain already has these chains in it, and nothing is added.
- This is the usual way. A pattern may do otherwise and will say so.
- Single crochet is the US name of the stitch a UK pattern calls double crochet, and double crochet of the one it calls treble.
- Half double crochet (UK: half treble) and treble crochet (UK: double treble) are not offered yet.
How it works
- A stitch pattern repeats over a set number, its multiple. Widen or narrow a piece by whole repeats.
- When a pattern says "chain a multiple of 12 plus 3", the multiple is for the chain: chain any number of twelves and then 3 more, once. Choose "for the chain", and this page adds nothing to it.
- When a pattern gives its multiple for the stitches of the first row, choose "for the stitches". This page then adds the chains that stand in front of the first stitch, from the table above.
- When you type a multiple, this page reads it as the chain's until you say it is for the stitches, and says above the answer which of the two it used. The two give different chains, and you would not see the difference until the end of the first row. If your pattern does not say, work one repeat as a sample before you chain the whole width. Our suggestion
- Count your gauge across the middle of a swatch, over 4 inches (10 cm), away from its edges.
- Do not count the slip knot or the loop on your hook as a chain.
- Your stitches can change over the first few rows as your hands settle. Once the piece is a few inches tall, lay a tape across the middle of it and measure.
- The width is about: it is your gauge times the count. For a chain multiple the width is worked from the chain itself, and the first row is a few chains shorter, so the piece comes out a little under it. Our suggestion
- A chain can be tighter than the rows worked into it. Make it loosely, or with a larger hook, if yours pulls the bottom edge in.
- When two counts are equally near your width, this page gives the smaller and shows the other beside it. Rows for a length are counted the same way. Our suggestion
- When even one repeat is wider than the width you asked for, this page gives the one repeat and says so. Our suggestion
- A gauge is counted in one stitch pattern. A swatch in another stitch does not give it.
- To know how many rows make a length, count rows on the same swatch: how many rows, down how many inches. Stitches differ in height, so a row count taken in one stitch does not hold for another.
- If your swatch has more stitches in the measure than the pattern states, your stitches are smaller: change to a larger hook. If it has fewer, change to a smaller hook.
- Rows matter less when a pattern says "work until it measures": then you stop by the tape, not by the count. Our suggestion
- The starting chain calculator opens on a throw 56 inches (142 cm) wide and 60 inches (152 cm) long, at 13 stitches and 15 rows to 4 inches (10 cm) in single crochet. Its page for a baby blanket opens on 33 inches (84 cm) wide and 44 inches (112 cm) long, the middle of the baby blanket row of our baby blanket size chart, at the same gauge. Those are numbers we chose to start from, not a gauge to aim for: type your own. When you choose another stitch the gauge empties until you type one counted in that stitch. Our suggestion
Worked examples
- How many chains for a throw 56 inches (142 cm) wide in single crochet, at 13 stitches to 4 inches (10 cm)?
- Chain 183 for 182 stitches, about 56 in (142 cm) wide.
- How many chains for a baby blanket 33 inches (84 cm) wide in single crochet, at 13 stitches to 4 inches (10 cm)?
- Chain 108 for 107 stitches, about 32.9 in (84 cm) wide.
- How many rows of single crochet for 60 inches (152 cm) at 15 rows to 4 inches (10 cm)?
- 225 rows, about 60 in (152 cm). Our suggestion
- My pattern says to chain a multiple of 12 plus 3. How many chains for 50 inches at 13 stitches to 4 inches?
- Chain 159: 13 twelves and 3 more. Nothing is added, because the multiple is for the chain. The piece comes out a little under 48.9 in (124 cm). One repeat more is chain 171.
- My pattern gives its multiple for the stitches instead: 12 plus 3 stitches, in double crochet, for the same 50 inches. How many chains?
- Chain 161 for 159 stitches (13 repeats), about 48.9 in (124 cm) wide: 2 chains more than the stitches. One repeat more is chain 173 for 171 stitches, about 52.6 in (134 cm).
- How many chains for 15 double crochet?
- 17: two more than the stitches, because the three chains you skip stand for the first double crochet.
- How many single crochet for 50 inches at 13 stitches to 4 inches?
- The gauge gives 162.5 stitches, exactly between 162 and 163. This page gives the smaller: 162 stitches, chain 163, about 49.8 in (127 cm). Our suggestion
Questions
- Why is the chain longer than the first row?
- The chains nearest the hook are passed over to bring the yarn up to the height of the first stitch. In single crochet one chain is passed over and is not a stitch; in double crochet three are, and they count as the first stitch.
- What does "plus" mean in a multiple of 12 plus 3?
- The 3 are added once, at the end, however many twelves you make.
- How many chains are in an inch?
- That is your gauge, and only your own swatch gives it. Count the stitches across 4 inches (10 cm) in the middle of a swatch and divide by 4. At 13 stitches to 4 inches there are 3.25 stitches to the inch, and a chain needs one chain for each stitch.
- Is my pattern's multiple for the chain or for the stitches?
- Read the line that gives it. "Chain a multiple of 12 plus 3" and "a foundation chain in multiples of 12 plus 2" both mean the chain itself.