Planning a Crochet Blanket

Planning a crochet blanket can be difficult. How many skeins of yarn will you need? How big will it be? What colors should you use?  Planning a crochet blanket can be difficult but there are 4 ways to plan a crochet blanket that will make it easier.

The sketch method

Drawing out your afghan can be helpful if you are creating an afghan with complex color changes or designs. Pull out those colored pencils and start sketching it out. Like a road map it will help keep you on track. You can refer to this sketch when you aren’t quite sure what to do next and it might keep you from having to frog (take it all out) as much. If you are creating a pixelated or tapestry design then you will follow the chart much as a cross stitcher does.

Do the Math

I use the math method when I am working on a Granny square blanket to see how many squares I will need to crochet to create a specific size blanket. It is simple to use and very helpful. Simply create a square, measure it. You can then figure out how many squares per length and width. Multiply length and width together and the answer will tell you how many squares you need.

This should read 10 x 12 which is 120 squares. They are 6″ squares. I need twelve squares for the length and ten squares to reach  60″ x  72″. This will create the perfect size for the afghan I needed to crochet.

The Sample Method

Here is my sample method. I was playing with some new yarn and I wanted to see how it would look in stripes. People all over the crochet world use different types of sample colors to see how they will work in their blanket.  Wooden clothes pins or pegs and little cardboard spools are used to hold colors. These work great as it helps you play with the colors until you get just the right color combinations.

Here I layout the skeins to see how the colors work together. This is one of my preferred methods. They are usually set out on the couch to get an idea of how they will work in a blanket. There were so many skeins used that it  is easier to see the progression of colors without putting the skeins on the floor.

These are my 4 most favorite ways to plan an afghan. Do you have a favorite afghan planning method. Do you plan your projects or do the spontaneously happen? My favorite afghan are scrap afghans or blankets that just happen! They seem to have more life in them than the meticulously planned, but I am very spontaneous about crochet. Not everyone is spontaneous so planning has its place as well. It does help you know that you have enough yarn for the project you have planned. If you know of another method, let me know. I am always looking for new ways to stay organized!

talk to you later,

Karen