A step-by-step guide to crocheting the bright and beautiful Dot Blanket
Ever gotten halfway through a project and thought “Hang on, am I even doing this right?” We have 🙋♀️
That’s why we’ve created these step-by-step guides to walk you through the crocheting process.
Even if you've never crocheted before, we'll take you from zero to crochet hero in no time 🦸♀️
When it comes to learning to crochet, practice makes perfect.
Before we get started on the pattern we suggest you spend a bit of time learning the basic stitches you’ll need to complete your blanket.
The Dot Blanket is colour and texture galore! She's a little spicier than our total beginner patterns because she's made up of a bunch of granny squares. The squares are made in 4 layers using a combination of double crochet and slip stitches.
You'll want to be confident with the double crochet and slip stitches before you start 🧶 You'll also want to get a hang of tying a slip knot and chaining which is the first step in any crochet project.
You can use the yarn that came in your kit to practice with. Once you've got these mastered you'll find the pattern a cinch!
Total beginner? 👩🏫
For a more comprehensive lesson on the basics of crochet visit our Learn How To Crochet page.
Onto the blanket!
The Dot blanket is made up of 20 granny squares, which we sew together. You'll mix up your use of colours - but don't forget to set one ball aside for your granny stitch edging.
💪 Remember learning a new skill can be a little challenging at first, and you’re bound to find yourself making some mistakes along the way. But as with learning anything, your brain and your hands slowly start to get the hang of it, muscle memory is created, and soon the thing you found tricky/daunting/scary is like second nature!
⚡️What you'll need
Your kit comes with everything you'll need to make your masterpiece. In your kit you'll find;
- 10mm hook
- 4 balls of Cardigang Chunky Cotton in colour 1
- 3 balls of Cardigang Chunky Cotton in colour 2
- 2 balls of Cardigang Chunky Cotton in colour 3 and 4
- A darning needle
- Made by me tag
You also want to have a pair of scissors handy.
⚡️Test your tension
Before you start your project, make sure your tension (how tightly or loosely your crocheting is) is juuuust right 🥣 We do this by making a “tension swatch”. It's a bit like goldilocks, if the tension is too tight, your piece will be too small, and if it's too loose it may not hold its shape and might be too big.
📏 For the Dot blanket, we'll test our tension by making our first square and then measuring it to make sure it's the correct dimensions.
If done correctly, your granny square should measure 18x18cm.
If the square is too big you need to adjust your tension tighter, and if it measures too small then you need to loosen your tension - i.e. don't hold the yarn so tightly!
🧶 Happy hooker, let's crochet!
Time to switch off. Stitch on. And whip up your cosy crochet blanket.
Our granny squares are made in 4 layers and in groups or clusters of 3 double crochets.
Between each layer, you'll change colour and the number of 3 double crochet clusters will grow with each layer (as the square grows!)
MAKING YOUR SQUARES
JOINING YOUR SQUARES
Well done! You've made all your squares 🕺🚀 You're on fire and the finish line is in sight! Let's sew your squares together.
GRANNY STITCH EDGE
We hope you're having a blast making your blanket! 🎢 We'll finish with a granny stitch edge. Granny stitch is made by doing 3 double crochets into the same space and repeating the 3 double crochets into evenly spaced spots along the row.
D.O.N.E! You've finished your blanket, well done! Epic work 🤩 If this was your first-ever crochet project or one of many, we hope you had a blast making your bangin' blanket 💥❤️
In a bind and need some help?
In a bind and need a little more help?
Email us at stitchup@cardigang.com.au and we'll be able to help! Whether you're just starting out, or you've got a specific question or problem (dropped a stitch, no stress!), we're here to get you out of a bind.