Feb
When I Actually Made This Thing
So I made my first granny stripe blanket in March 2022 when I was stuck at home with covid and literally had nothing else to do except watch old episodes of The Office for the millionth time. I’d been crocheting on and off for years but never really followed patterns exactly, just kinda figured things out as I went. The granny stripe seemed simple enough from what I saw on Instagram, so I just grabbed whatever yarn I had lying around and started.
What You Actually Need
Okay so you’re gonna need a crochet hook obviously. I used a 5.5mm hook because that’s what I had, but honestly anywhere from 5mm to 6mm works fine depending on how tight or loose you crochet. For yarn, I used Red Heart Super Saver for that first blanket because it was cheap and I wasn’t sure if I’d actually finish it. I had like three skeins of grey, two of white, and one random burgundy color that I threw in there.
The thing with granny stripe is you can use literally any weight yarn as long as your hook matches it. Worsted weight is easiest though. I’ve also used Caron One Pound before because you get so much yarn in one skein and it’s decent quality for the price. Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice is nice too if you want something softer.
How the Pattern Actually Works
The granny stripe is basically just clusters of double crochet stitches separated by chain spaces. You work in rows back and forth, not in the round like a traditional granny square. Each row you’re making groups of 3 double crochets, then chaining 1, then another group of 3 double crochets, and you keep going like that across.
Start with a foundation chain. Make it however wide you want your blanket. For a baby blanket I usually do like 120 chains, for a throw blanket more like 180-200 chains. It needs to be a multiple of 4 plus 3 extra chains I think? Honestly I just make a long chain and if it doesn’t work out perfectly I add or subtract a few.
Row 1
Skip the first 3 chains (those count as your first double crochet). Do 2 double crochets in the 4th chain from your hook. Then chain 1, skip 1 chain in your foundation, and do 3 double crochets in the next chain. Keep repeating that – chain 1, skip 1, then 3 double crochets – all the way across until you get to the end. At the end you’ll do 1 double crochet in that last chain.
Row 2 and Beyond
Chain 3 and turn your work. Those 3 chains count as a double crochet. Now you’re gonna put 3 double crochets into each chain-1 space from the previous row. So you look for those little gaps between your clusters, and you stick your hook in there and make 3 double crochets. Between each cluster you chain 1. At the end of the row, do 1 double crochet into the top of the turning chain from the previous row.
That’s literally it. You just repeat Row 2 over and over and over until your blanket is as long as you want it.
Changing Colors
The cool thing about granny stripe is you can change colors whenever. I usually do 2-4 rows of each color before switching. To change colors, work your last stitch of the row until you have 2 loops left on your hook, then pull through with your new color. That way the turning chain starts with the new color and it looks cleaner.
Don’t cut your old color if you’re planning to use it again soon. Just carry it up the side. My edges looked kinda messy doing this at first but honestly once you weave in the ends and maybe do a simple border nobody can tell.
The Thing That Drove Me Crazy
Okay so the ONE thing that annoyed me so much about this pattern is that your edges can get wonky if you’re not paying attention. Like the blanket starts getting wider or narrower as you go. This happens because you’re either missing that last stitch into the turning chain, or you’re accidentally adding extra stitches.
I didn’t realize I was doing this until I was like 30 rows in on that first blanket and noticed one end was definitely wider than the other. I had to rip out like 15 rows and pay way more attention to where I was putting that final double crochet of each row. It needs to go into the 3rd chain of your turning chain from the previous row, not into the space below it or between stitches or whatever. That top of the turning chain can be hard to see sometimes especially if you’re using dark yarn.
What I Learned After Making a Few of These
I made another granny stripe in summer 2024 as a wedding gift and used Bernat Blanket yarn which is that super chunky stuff. It worked up SO fast, like I finished it in maybe a week of casual evening crocheting. The pattern works exactly the same with chunky yarn, you just need a way bigger hook. I used a 10mm hook for that one.
One thing I figured out is that counting your clusters as you go helps keep things even. Like if you started with 30 clusters in your first row, you should have 30 clusters in every row. I don’t actually count every single row because that would drive me insane, but I check every 5-10 rows or so to make sure I haven’t accidentally increased or decreased.
Fixing Mistakes Without Ripping Out Everything
If you notice you missed a cluster or added an extra one, you don’t always have to rip back to that spot. Sometimes you can just adjust on the next row by skipping a chain space or adding an extra cluster to get back to the right number. It won’t be perfect but in a big blanket with lots of color changes, small fixes like that basically disappear.
Also my cat kept trying to attack the yarn while I was working on the 2024 blanket which made everything take twice as long. I eventually had to lock her out of the room because she thought the working yarn was like the best toy ever invented.
Yarn Amount
For yarn amounts it really depends on your blanket size but for a decent throw blanket maybe like 5-6 feet by 4 feet you’re probably looking at around 1500-2000 yards total. I usually buy more than I think I need because running out of a color in the middle is the worst, and you can always use extra yarn for other projects.
For that burgundy and grey blanket from 2022 I used about 4 skeins of the grey (that’s about 1400 yards since Red Heart Super Saver skeins are 364 yards each), 2 skeins of white, and 1 of burgundy. The blanket ended up being not huge, like more of a lap blanket size.
Border or No Border
You don’t have to add a border but it does make the edges look more finished. I usually just do a simple single crochet border around the whole thing. Go around the entire blanket doing single crochet in each stitch across the top and bottom, and then along the sides you just work stitches evenly spaced. At corners do 3 single crochets in the same spot so it lays flat.
Sometimes I get lazy and skip the border entirely. The blanket still works fine without it, it just looks a little… unfinished I guess? But functional.
Why This Pattern Is Actually Good for Beginners
If you’re still learning crochet this is honestly a great pattern because it’s repetitive enough that you get into a rhythm, but not so boring that you want to quit. You only need to know chain stitches and double crochet stitches. That’s it. No complicated stitch combinations or trying to follow a chart or anything.
The stripe part also means you can use up random yarn from your stash without having to buy all matching skeins. My first attempt used literally whatever I had and it turned out fine. Not like, gorgeous or anything, but perfectly usable as a blanket.
Tension Stuff
Your tension doesn’t even have to be super consistent with this pattern. Like if you crochet tighter some days and looser other days, it doesn’t really show that much because of the way the clusters work. The fabric has enough texture that small tension differences just blend in. This is way more forgiving than like, trying to make a fitted garment where tension really matters.
What I’d Do Different Next Time
If I make another one I’d probably use a cotton blend yarn for a lighter blanket that’s not so heavy. The acrylic ones are warm but they get kinda heavy and hot. Might try that Paintbox Cotton Aran or something similar. Also I’d probably plan out my color sequence before starting instead of just randomly grabbing whatever color I feel like, because looking back at photos the color transitions on that first blanket are kind of chaotic.
Oh and I’d absolutely count my foundation chain more carefully. I always end up just eyeballing it and then being like “eh close enough” but then sometimes the proportions look weird. Like the blanket ends up too long and skinny or too short and wide when I was going for more of a… I don’t know, I guess I never really decide dimensions beforehand which is probably part of the problem.
The Actual Process Day to Day
Working on these blankets is pretty mindless once you get the hang of it. I can watch TV or listen to podcasts while crocheting without really having to think about what my hands are doing. Each row takes maybe 5-10 minutes depending on how wide your blanket is. So if you do like 5-10 rows a day you can finish a whole blanket in a few weeks without it feeling like a huge time commitment.
The repetitive nature is either really soothing or really boring depending on your mood. Sometimes I had to put it down for a few days because I just couldn’t face another row of the same thing. But then I’d pick it back up and get on a roll and do like 20 rows in one sitting.
