A step-by-step guide to crocheting the cute-as-a-button Margot 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 Margot Blanket is bright and bouncy-soft and a great beginner project. She's made with a foundation row of single crochet and then clusters of double crochets make a granny stitch which forms the majority of our blanket.
You'll want to be confident with the single and double crochet 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 these stitches. 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!
💪 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;
- 8mm hook
- 3 balls of Cardigang Chunky Cotton in colour 1, 2, 3 and 4
- A darning needle
- Made by me tag
You also want to have a pair of scissors and a tape measure 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.
Gauge: If done correctly, your 10x10cm swatch should be 9 stitches (3 clusters) wide x 5 rows high when made in the granny stitch pattern on an 8mm hook.
The best way to test your tension is to make a mini version of your blanket first. Follow the instructions in the pattern but chain only 13 + 1 (the +1 chain is your turning chain and counts as your first single crochet). Then crochet a single row of single crochet, and then make your granny stitch for 6 rows. Once you've done that, measure a 10x10cm square and count your stitches and rows within that space to make sure you're crocheting at the correct tension.
If you've got more stitches or rows than the instructions say you should have, your work is a little too tight, and if you've got less your work is too loose. Adjust your tension by holding the yarn a little more tightly/loosely as you crochet.
🧶 Happy hooker, let's crochet!
Time to switch off. Stitch on. And whip up your cosy crochet blanket.
Chain
Chain on your foundation chain.
💭 Try to make your chain stitches as evenly sized as possible. Don't pull the loops too tight because you'll struggle to work into these loops in your first row. On the other hand, if you make your loops too loose, your project will look a little messy.
SINGLE Crochet
Row 1
First, you'll chain 1 - this counts as your first single crochet. Then you'll do one single crochet into every stitch along your row. That's your foundation row of single crochet done!
GRANNY STRIPE
Time to start making our granny stitch. The granny stitch is made by crocheting clusters of stitches together along a row and changing colour at the end of each row.
📹 Watch How to do a granny stripe
Row 2
This row will establish the cluster pattern. For the following rows, we'll be working into the spaces between clusters that we create in this row.
Row 3 and 4
These 2 rows make up the foundation for the rest of the blanket. We'll alternate between them for the rest of the blanket. Row 3 is also the first row where we'll change colour. We change colour for every subsequent row.
Row 5 to 57
Repeat the sequence following your pattern and don't forget to mark off the rows as you go - this helps you keep track!
SINGLE Crochet
Row 58
We'll finish with another row of single crochet.
FASTEN OFF
You're so close to the finish line now! 🎢 We're going to fasten off by cutting your yarn from the ball and pulling it through the stitch on your hook.
FINISHING
The good news, you're basically finished! The less-good news, we need to weave in our tails! Grab your darning needle and sew all the loose tails of yarn back into the blanket. This gives your blanket a nice neat finish.
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 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.