How to Add a Single Crochet Border to a Blanket Edge

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Learn how to add a simple single crochet border to your blankets. The single crochet is a great way to get neat and tidy edges for your crochet blankets.

In this tutorial I’ll cover the steps to adding a single crochet border. Plus, I give you lots of tips on making a crochet border look great.

As the final step in completing your crochet blanket, you want the border to look fabulous too!

More Free Crochet Patterns

The Ava ia an easy chunky crochet blanket pattern with simple half double crochet stitches.

The Christmas Lights Blanket is an easy textured blanket pattern that you can add festive flair to!

The Emilio Blanket is an easy one row repeat blanket pattern with the classic crab stitch border, also known as the reverse single crochet.

I love this total beginner scarf tutorial from Hope Corner Farmer.

Materials

To add a single crochet border, you’ll need your complete crochet blanket, or blanket square. Sc borders work well in all weights of yarn and styles of blankets.

In this tutorial I use Premier Everyday Anti-Pilling yarn, a #4 medium worsted weight yarn that I use in the Emilio, an easy crochet blanket pattern.

I’m using my 5.5mm US Size I-9 Furls Odyssey crochet hook.

You can use any weight yarn and matching hook size. They should match your crochet blanket.

Tips for Adding a Border to your Crochet Blankets

1. Start your blanket with foundations stitches, when appropriate, these are easy to crochet into when adding a border and way easier to crochet into than a long chain. But they don’t work for all patterns. Otherwise, you can crochet Row 1 into the back bump which leaves a nice “stitch” looking edge that’s easy to crochet into.
2. Don’t finish off on the last stitch of your blanket, just continue from where you are working.
3. Always start by adding a first round of single crochet before beginning any other border patterns.
4. For the first round of single crochet edging, use the same color yarn you are working in. If you are working stripes, consider adding single crochet edges in each color, if it’s reasonable. I did this in the Modern Crochet Striped Blanket Pattern and I love how the stripe edges turned out.
5. When working into the sides of stitches, be sure to work under two loops of yarn. This prevents the edges from being too stretchy.
6. While it may be easy to crochet into the obvious “holes” on the edges, I recommend avoiding these. They are not evenly placed and so you will have an uneven border because your stitches will not be level.
7. To make sure you are crocheting evenly along the crochet edge, usually one sc border stitch will go in the side of one sc row (or equivalent size if you’re using a stitch pattern).
8. You’ll place 2 single crochet border stitches in the side of a double crochet row. Half double crochet is in between, so for me 1 sc is usually sufficient. Some may have to place 2, or even alternate between placing 1 and 2 single crochets on the edge.
9. You’ll know if you need to add more stitches per row if your border is curving and pulling in. This means it’s too tight and you need to add more stitches (or try going up a hook size).
10. If your border stitches are wavy or ruffling up, then you are placing too many edge stitch per row side, so you’ll want to lessen how many single crochet stitches you’re placing.
11. Keep corners square by adding 3 stitches in one place, usually a (sc, ch 1, sc). Then this center stitch (a ch 1 here) will become where the next round’s corner stitches are placed (3 sts again).
12. It’s normal for our tension to relax as we work a crochet pattern. We get familiar with the stitch and rhythm and it just happens. When this happens on our crochet blankets, it can mean that our last row is wider and/or looser than our first. And this is especially true if you start with a traditional chain, which for many of us tend to be tighter. To combat this, when adding the single crochet edge to your last blanket row, you can crochet a bit tighter, so it doesn’t get too wavy on one end. You could even use a sc2tog if you need, or go down a hook size if your last row is significantly looser than the starting chain end. You don’t want this end to curve in, or cup up that would mean it’s too tight. This is just if it’s looser/wider than the starting end.

Video Tutorial

Be sure to check out the full, step by step video tutorial on my YouTube Channel.

Scroll down for the free crochet pattern + tutorial!

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