How to Crochet Letters Onto a Blanket
With the slip stitch surface crochet stitch you can easily add letters and other line designs to a blanket. The blanket, however, must be constructed in such a way that it provides a grid of small openings through which the yarn can pass. Ideal candidates for this type of stitching are crocheted or knitted blankets with close stitches and a small gauge.
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Things You'll Need
- Paper (graph paper suggested) to plan the letters Pencil Standard ruler A knit or crochet blanket with close, even stitching Yarn for the letters Crochet hook to fit the yarn (a G hook fits most 4-ply worsted yarn) Yarn needle
Instructions
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Plan the Words
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1
Draw the letters you want to stitch on the graph paper. One square on the paper = one "hole" between stitches on the blanket.
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2
Check that the letters you've drawn are uniform in size, using the same number of boxes for height and width as applicable, unless your design requires uneven-sized letters.
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3
Measure the gauge (stitches per inch) of the blanket, height and width with the ruler.
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4
Compare the gauge to your graph paper, where 1 stitch = 1 box. Estimate how many stitches it will take for the height and width of the first letter and make a note of it. This will give you an idea of how large or small the letters will be on the blanket.
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5
If you don't like the estimated size of the letters, redo the graph before you start stitching.
Stitch the Letters
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6
Lay the blanket out and based on your design, locate a starting spot for the first letter. This spot will be a hole between two stitches in the blanket.
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7
Place the yarn for the letters on the underside of the blanket. The slip stitch surface crochet stitch is worked with the yarn held below the blanket and the crochet hook held on top.
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8
Insert your crochet hook into the starting hole you selected.
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9
Leaving a long tail on the yarn to anchor your starting stitch later, yarn over (YO) beneath the blanket and pull the loop through the hole to the top side of the blanket. (See Figure 1.)
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10
Insert the hook into the next hole, YO from below, pull the loop up through the hole and then through the loop on the hook. One slip stitch has been made. (See Figure 2.)
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11
Continue using this stitch, following your graph, to create the letter. (See Figure 3 for an example of the letter C in progress.)
Finish Off
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12
On the last stitch, pull up a 6-inch loop on the top side. (See Figure 4.)
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13
Cut the yarn and pull the strand connected to the ball of yarn free of the blanket. (Figure 5 shows a completed letter C.)
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14
Weave in this loose tail on the underside of the blanket. (Figure 6 shows the back of the blanket with the ends ready for weaving in.)
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15
Consult your graph for the location of the next letter's starting hole by counting the grid boxes between the letter just finished and the next one. Then count over that many stitches on the blanket and begin this process again with step 3 in the previous section.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Fasten off the yarn and weave in the ends on the back side of the blanket when you change letters or if moving from one part of the letter to another will create a noticeable strand of loose yarn on the underside. Hold the strand of yarn with your left hand under the blanket so you can hook it over without having to constantly turn the blanket while working. When creating your design, consider how often your pencil leaves the paper as you draw the letters. This is how often you'll probably need to cut the yarn and weave in loose ends. The less you have to do that, the tidier the underside of the blanket will be. Cursive lettering may be easier to stitch (less ends) than block letters.
Don't pull the slip stitches on the surface of the blanket too tight or the blanket fabric will pucker. Weave in all ends with a yarn needle by going under the vertical bars on about six or seven stitches in one direction, then working in the opposite direction, skip the end bar you just went under and weave back under the previous bars. This will prevent the yarn from slipping out later.
