How to Double Crochet an Easy Blanket with Two Yarn Strands

Making a multi-colored crocheted blanket is as easy as one-two-three. It's a good idea for someone who has balls of yarn in plastic bags stored around the house from previous knitting or crochet projects. It's the kind of project that you will work on little by little (not unlike building up a fine repertoire of Hubs). One day you will notice - oh my goodness, it's nearly finished!

Starting it

The first step is to estimate how large you want it to be. For a normal blanket, single bed size is a good standby to start out with. Using two strands of yarn and a fairly large crochet hook, start to crochet a chain in the length or width of the blanket dimensions.

Get into the the Nap - in other words: North South, or East West?

What I am asking is - do you want the pattern (which will be varigated, through and through) to go from left-to-right, or up-and-down?

Honestly speaking, it is easier to work with a left to right design. The width is a little less than a meter, which means it's easy to hold onto as you sit on the couch and crochet a row or two or ten during a favorite movie, documentary or soap opera.

On the other hand...

Honestly speaking again, it also looks nice to see it going down the length of the couch. Whatever you do is fine. The main thing is, crochet a chain and get started!

Suggested measurements

Unless you're keen to crochet a baby blanket the dimensions you are probably shooting for are 120 cm x 185 cm, give or take a little. I like to use a single bed flat sheet as a guide.

After you finish your chain, it's time to start crocheting. For those who know how to crochet, it's as simple as a double crochet. I put a video here to show how it's done. As you can see, it is pretty easy. The only difference is that you will be using a larger hook and two strands of yarn. The object of the game is to make large stitches to get the blanket finished a little faster than it would be using a smaller crochet hook and only one strand of yarn. Besides, the double yarn look is attractive, two toned and more unusual, just like a duet adds something special to a song.

Remember, you are working with two strands of yarn. Some people say "it doesn't matter" which color choices you use, but I do think it helps to find two colors that look good together. Like yellow and orange or blue and green. Let your eye guide you.

If you get bored with a color, simply break it off and tie another on in its place, letting the ends of the tie weave into your work or dropped down to the back side of the blanket. When one color runs out naturally, replace it and keep on going.

As an alternate stitch, make a box. This consists of a double crochet, then a chain link, then another double crochet. It goes faster than the denser double crochet stitch all the way though, and adds an open look - like little squares - throughout the blanket.

I did this with another blanket once and then threaded a satin ribbon in the open holes (up and down, in and out). It turned out really well.

That's all there is to it!

Good luck and have fun. Remember - it's your creation - so you can do whatever you want.

After you finish, you can make it thicker by adding a single sheet to the back (machine stitched or hand sewn) and tied in various places. You can add batting to thicken it - or not. I just left mine the way it is because I live in a warm climate and the yarn blanket is just right for a light wrap on a cold night or for covering feet in our bed.