Help! How to Fix a Crochet Blanket with Uneven Edges
You just finished your crochet blanket and you are proudly admiring the finished project when you notice it’s uneven! What can you do?
Should you frog all those rows to fix a mistake? Believe it or not, we’ve all done this. My very first blanket had the most uneven edges. It kept getting narrower and narrower. But I just couldn’t “see” why. Sound familiar?
Don’t despair. You can fix your blanket edges without frogging all your hard work. The advice I received so many years ago was to add a border to straighten it out. It’s the best way to fix most unevenness and the good news is that it works!
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Why does this happen?
Missed Stitch
Even the most experienced crocheter will tell you that sometimes we all just miss a stitch. This is the most common reason. Usually we start a new row in with a turning chain.
If your first stitch is a chain 1, 2, or 3 it can make it harder to see where to put the last stitches at the end of the row. Especially for beginners, I recommend using a stitch marker in the turning chain to help you identify it in your crochet projects.
Extra Stitches
On the opposite end of the spectrum, but for the same reasons (it can be hard to see what’s going on in those edges), you might have an extra stitch. If you have 2 or 3 turning chains and you work into both, but you’re only supposed to work into one then you’ll end up with more stitches.
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Tension Changes
Other reasons for an uneven crochet blanket are that your tension has changed over the course of making it. A crocheted blanket takes a long time to finish. So we will work on them a few hours here and there for days, weeks, sometimes months.
It’s normal for your tension to loosen up over time. The good news is that adding single crochet stitches around the edges will help to square it up nicely.
Crochet tension is a bit like driving. If you’re feeling relaxed then your movements will reflect it. If you’re feeling stressed well then your driving, or in our case, crocheting will show it too.
Wrong Hook Size
Another reason for wonky edges might be that you picked up the wrong hook size. So your stitches, and therefore your blanket, are actually a different size.
To remedy this many crocheters will add little project tags to their wips (works in progress) that say what the pattern or stitch is, and the hook size, yarn weight info, etc. This helps if your wip turns into a ufo (unfinished object) that sits in a corner so long you’ve forgotten what your were doing!
Different Yarn
If you are using different yarns this could be the culprit. Thickness of the yarn, even within the same yarn weight can vary greatly. Stick with the same brand for your next project if you can.
Find easy border patterns for your crochet blankets
How to Fix an Uneven Blanket Edge
Frog it
First, if your mistake is a few rows back then I want to encourage you just to rip it back and fix it. Consider the time spent as more practice which is how we get better after all.
However, if you’ve finished your blanket and just can’t frog it then here’s what you can do.
Add a border
If you have more of the same color yarn use it. Go ahead and add a single crochet border to your blanket in the same color.
Start with a single row in the same color as your blanket. Work in each stitch and down the side of the blanket, all the way around. Add a single crochet, chain 1, single crochet all in the corners to keep them square.
When you get to the most uneven bit of your blanket edge you might need to use taller stitches there to even it out. For instance place half double crochets or double crochet stitches over the lowest part. Switch back to single crochets as you reach the level edge again.
Depending on how uneven, or your stitch pattern you may have to do this a few times. Work your way around the blanket as many times as it takes.
After the first row you can even changes colors and stitches. Make the second round a different color in half double crochet and use double crochets if you need to level out that edge. Adding contrasting color is a fun way to vary a border.
Block it
Blocking your crochet blanket can straighten us some of the edges. This method will work best if it’s your tension that caused the uneven blanket.
If you missed or added stitches then likely blocking won’t work. It might work if it’s only one small stitch like a single crochet though so it depends.
Blocking is an effective way to get the right shape. It works well on granny squares which makes then easier to join.
How to Make Sure You Get Straight Edges Next Time!
Count
The simplest method is to count the number of stitches you have in each row. I know, if you’re making a blanket it’s a lot of stitches! But you’re investing a lot of your time into crocheting this blanket so make it the best you can. And remember counting doesn’t take as much time as frogging and starting over!
Stitch Markers
An easy way to count a lot of stitches in your foundation chain is by placing stitch markers in every 10, 20, 50 stitches.
Begin and / or end each row with stitch markers place where the first and last stitches go. This way you’ll know exactly where to insert your crochet hook.
Stop & Check
If your tension tends to change often in a large project then make time to stop and check on it through out.
Take a few minutes to lay it out flat, neaten the side edges, make sure it’s not pulling one way or another, and just have a look. Does it look square or rectangular? Yarn stretches so it may not be perfect, but if you question it then take the time to count. Your future self will thank you!
