FaveCrafts Guest Post: How to Resize Crochet Afghan Patterns | #TipsTuesday

How to Resize Crochet Afghan Patterns by FaveCrafts for Underground Crafter: These 5 tips will help you customize the size on your next crochet blanket project.I’m excited to share a guest post by my friends at FaveCrafts today. They are sharing 5 tips for customizing the size of your favorite crochet blanket patterns. I’ll be sharing a mini roundup of my favorite blanket patterns at the end, too, so you can find inspiration for your next project!

This post contains affiliate links. I may receive compensation (at no added cost to you) if you make a purchase using these links. The guest post, including images, is © FaveCrafts and is published with permission.

How to Resize Crochet Afghan Patterns by FaveCrafts for Underground Crafter: These 5 tips will help you customize the size on your next crochet blanket project.Craftsy

How to Resize Crochet Afghan Patterns

Guest Post by Kaylee Pope for FaveCrafts

Learn how to resize your favorite crochet projects for many more options!

Almost daily, we receive comments on FaveCrafts.com regarding how a reader can resize a crochet afghan pattern or crochet blanket pattern. Oftentimes, readers love the pattern and hate the size! That is why we have decided to create this helpful crochet tips for beginners list on how to resize a crochet pattern. The tips below can be used to make a crochet afghan pattern bigger as well as done in reverse to make a crochet an afghan pattern smaller. Just scroll down, bookmark, print out, or save How to Resize Crochet Afghan Patterns for all the info you need to modify a crochet pattern.

These easy tips for crocheting are about to change your life! They even work for some other free crochet patterns like scarves, cowls, and shawls. With these tips for resizing a pattern, you now have even more free crochet patterns at your fingertips! A crochet baby blanket can be a throw with just a few modifications! Even better, a larger afghan pattern can be scaled down to create small throw. With these tips by your side, every single crochet pattern can turn into several more with just a few adjustments.

Geometric Pillows & Afghans

BONUS: If you are on the hunt for crochet blanket patterns and projects, check out our popular list of options. This list of free crochet patterns includes baby blankets, crochet throw patterns, lapghans, and more!

How to Resize Crochet Afghan Patterns by FaveCrafts for Underground Crafter: These 5 tips will help you customize the size on your next crochet blanket project.5 Ways to Re-size a Crochet Pattern

1) Add chains to the pattern.

Adding chains to your crochet pattern is one of the easiest ways to make it larger or smaller. You don’t even have to do that much math in order to make this happen! Simply crochet the chain of your afghan pattern to your desired length while keeping count. Once you have reached that limit, just keep crocheting that many until you’re through with the pattern.

Do the same if you are trying to create a smaller crochet pattern, just work the chains to the smaller size and repeat until you have finished the project. Remember to finish off the project like the pattern suggests.

(Note from Marie: If you’re not sure what to do with any extra chains you may have left, check out this post: Easy fixes for a foundation chain with too few or too many chains.)

2) Use a larger hook size.

Using a larger hook size (usually just a few steps above the recommend size) can make your patterns just a hint bigger. A larger hook with create just a little bit more space between your stitches, allowing you to stretch your project out a big more in order to add width and height to your project. This is a super simple way to resize your afghan patterns.

Keep in mind that creating an afghan or blanket with a little more space between stitches can make the project just a little more airy and breezy. If you are planning to crochet a blanket or afghan to keep you warm, this is not your best solution.


The reverse is true, as well, for making a crochet blanket or afghan pattern smaller. A hook a size or two down will allow you to create a tighter, more crowded stitch and thereby making a smaller crochet project. Just be careful of your tension (how tight you pull your stitches) when you do this so that your blanket does not curl and warp from being too tight.

How to Resize Crochet Afghan Patterns by FaveCrafts for Underground Crafter: These 5 tips will help you customize the size on your next crochet blanket project.3) Double strand the yarn.

If you are looking to make your blanket and afghan patterns bigger, double stranding the yarn is a fantastic solution. Not only can this add width and height to your project, but it can also make your project much denser and warmer. This makes it a fantastic solution for those winter pieces and holiday gifts.

Keep in mind that this is, by far, the most expensive option as you will undoubtedly use much more yarn than if you followed one of these other tips.

How to Resize Crochet Afghan Patterns by FaveCrafts for Underground Crafter: These 5 tips will help you customize the size on your next crochet blanket project.

4) Resize the stitches.

This is one of the easiest ways to resize a pattern, but does take some concentration. Resizing your stitches in your crochet pattern can add or take away height depending. To make a pattern bigger, use double crochet instead or single. To make a pattern smaller, decrease double crochet stitches down to single crochet.

If you decide to use this method, we recommend printing out your pattern and making the notes of your changes so you can remember when to do so as you repeat portions of the pattern.

5) Use thicker yarn.

This one is kind of a no brainer! If you want to make a bigger (and fluffier!) crochet afghan pattern, simply use yarn that is thicker. Trade in worsted weights for bulky yarns for bigger patterns and projects. Scale down from bulky to worsted to make crochet afghan patterns just a touch smaller.

Keep in mind that if you do use this method, you may have to readjust the amount of yarn and the hook size you use for your project.

BONUS: This free crochet pattern is one of our most popular patterns. Simple and sweet, this crochet throw pattern is a reader favorite. Consider testing out the tips above on this crochet blanket pattern: Under 6 Hours Crochet Throw Pattern.

How to Resize Crochet Afghan Patterns by FaveCrafts for Underground Crafter: These 5 tips will help you customize the size on your next crochet blanket project.This article originally appeared on FaveCrafts.com.

A closing note from Marie (with 10 free crochet patterns included)…

I hope you enjoyed this guest post! It includes five simple ways to resize crochet blanket patterns. If you’re looking for some patterns for inspiration, here are 10 reader favorites!

What’s your favorite way to resize blanket patterns?

5 thoughts on “FaveCrafts Guest Post: How to Resize Crochet Afghan Patterns | #TipsTuesday”

  1. These are all pretty much no-brainers. The real trick is to calculate how much yarn you will need for a different size. I always overestimate and I hate the waste of two or three extra balls. None of them go together and I don’t really make a lot of small projects that could use them up.

    Reply
  2. This article does not mention that if you change the weight of the yarn, you may have to change the size of the hook to achieve the desired drape and feel to the finished fabric. Using a heavier weight yarn with the hook required in a pattern for a lighter weight is going to result in a much denser, stiffer fabric. Just know that changing the yarn weight may require an adjustment in the hook size, and the reverse may be true as well.

    Reply
  3. You didn’t mention that when you have some stitch patterns you have to be careful to know the multiples when adding or subtracting stitches in your chain.

    Reply

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