Moorland Blanket Edging

I created this simple edging to border my Moorland Blanket which is crocheted using the Neat Wave pattern. 

This is a very neat way to edge a blanket when you need something to give a finished look without overpowering the overall design of the blanket. Sometimes less is more, and these narrow bands of colour worked in simple stitches give just the right amount of balance to the blanket.

The edging is worked in four rounds, with the final round crocheted as a continuous length of slip stitches - this gives a slightly raised finish to the outer edge, which looks and feels a little bit like a length of braid. 

It's important to choose your colours carefully for this edging, in particular the first and final colours.

The first colour (Storm Blue in this blanket), needs to be of medium tone and shade (not to light, dark or bright) - it's a little bit messy to work this round (and by that I mean the stitches will be a little uneven) so the idea is to choose a colour that will blend well and not stand out.

The final colour (Grape in this blanket) is worked as a slip stitch which gives it a slightly raised position on top of the previous round of stitches. Therefore it needs to be a colour that you love as it will draw your eye more more than the others. 

The middle colours should blend well with the first and last colours, and relate well to the majority of colours used in the rest of the blanket. 

If you're using this edging on your Moorland Blanket, you will need approximately 20g of each yarn colour to edge a blanket measuring 120cm x 170cm. This is just a rough guide and will be dependent on you following the tension information given as part of the Neat Wave tutorial. I found I had roughly 30g left of each ball after working 8 Moorland stripes - the easiest way to check your yarn quantity is to use digital kitchen scales.

Before you start work on the edging, you'll need to make sure all your ends are darned in securely, and that you are happy with the four colours you've chosen.

You should use the same hook size that you used to crochet your blanket stripes - no need to change up or down unless you are having difficulty with your tension as you work the border.

I'm writing my pattern using UK terms and abbreviations as follows ::

ch(s) = Chain(s)

st(s) = Stitch(es)

sl st [slip stitch] = insert hook, yarn over, pull the loop back through the stitch, then through the loop on your hook.

dc [double crochet] = insert hook, yarn over, pull the loop back through the stitch (two loops on hook), yarn over and pull through both loops on hook (note :: this is equivalent to the US sc stitch)

BLO = Back Loops Only

Before you begin, just take a moment to check you have your blanket the right way up (sky at the top) with the right side facing you (the edge with the darned in ends on the right hand side).

Your top edge should be straight and not wavy, so make sure you followed instructions in Part 6 of the Moorland CAL to give that final stripe a straight finish.

ROUND 1 : Use Storm Blue yarn.

Insert hook into the dc stitch at the top/right hand side of your blanket.

Pull through a loop of yarn and chain 1.

Work 1 dc in each stitch across the top edge of the blanket.

To turn the corner, find the top of the ch-2 from the start of the previous row....

....and work (1 dc; ch 1; 1 dc; ch 1) into the top of that ch-2.

You will now be working down the long left hand side of the blanket. You will be working a row of double crochet stitches separated by chain-1's. 

IMPORTANT NOTE : The dc stitches are worked directly into the post of the stitches at the end of the stripes and NOT in the gap between stitches. This isn't always easy to do, but is well worth the effort to achieve a neat finish. You soon get used to wiggling your hook right into the middle of those stitches (this isn't the same is putting your hook under the stitch).

In the above picture, I've tried to show you with my needle where you will need to stick your hook - it's not easy to illustrate, but you will need to make sure your hook goes right into the middle of that stitch post rather than ducking underneath it.

Work 1 dc into the post at the end of the row, exactly where my needle is. Chain 1.

The next stitch will go exactly where my needle is in the above picture - you need to wiggle your hook roughly into the centre of the stitches at the end of that stripe.

Work 1 dc; chain 1.

The next stitch will go exactly where my needle is in the above picture - you need to wiggle your hook into the post of the  stitch at the end of that row.

Work 1 dc; chain 1.

Now find the post of the stitch at the end of the next row and wiggle your hook right into it.

Work 1 dc; chain 1.

Can you see that you've just worked 2 dc stitches into the end of the same (Cloud Blue) stripe?

The next stitch will go exactly where my needle is in the above picture - you need to wiggle your hook into the centre of the stitches at the end of that stripe. 

Work 1 dc; chain 1.

Can you see that this (Storm Blue) stripe will only have 1 dc stitch worked into the end of it?

Continue working a row of evenly spaced dc stitches, with each dc separated by a chain 1.

The Neat Wave stripes that end with a dc/ch-2 will only have 1 dc stitch worked into the end.

The Neat Wave stripes that end with a tr/ch-3 will have 2 dc stitches worked into the end (one at the end of each row).

Don't forget to add a chain-1 after each dc to keep the edging stitches well spaced and sitting flat.

I just wanted to show you this - you will probably notice that there are some gaps at the edge of your blanket which were created when you made a chain-3 to start a row. So long as you follow my instructions and work your edging dc stitches right into the very post of these chain-3 stitches (as opposed to putting your hook into that gap), these holes will pretty much disappear.

Look..............

....see what I mean???

You should find that although this first edging row may be a little uneven, it goes a long way to neatening the ends of those stripes.

When you arrive at the bottom, it's time to turn the corner. Stick your hook into the end of the bottom/foundation chain, as shown by my needle in the above picture.

Work (1 dc; ch 1; 1 dc) to turn the corner.

You will now be working under the single loops at the bottom edge of the foundation chain.

Work 1 dc in each stitch along.

When you get to the end of the foundation edge, stick your hook into the chain/stitch right at the bottom of the turning chain from the first crochet row (shown by my needle in the above picture)

Work (1 dc; ch 1; 1 dc; ch 1) to turn the corner.

Just as you did on the previous long edge, you will be working directly into the stitches at the end of the stripes.

Note : This is the edge where you darned in your ends so you might find that at times it's not that easy to get your hook to wiggle in. Try and keep your dc stitches as neat and evenly spaced as possible. And try not to say bad words.

The Neat Wave stripes that end with a dc/ch-2 will only have 1 dc stitch worked into the end.

The Neat Wave stripes that end with a tr/ch-3 will have 2 dc stitches worked into the end (one at the end of each row).

Don't forget to add a chain-1 after each dc to keep the edging stitches well spaced and sitting flat.

When you arrive back at the top, work (1 dc; ch 1) into the same stitch as your beginning ch-1 (shown by my needle in the above picture)

Slip Stitch into the top of the beginning ch-1 to close the round (shown by my needle). 

Fasten off and darn in ends.

And that's the hardest round all done and dusted - well done for not throwing it all out the window!! You will most certainly need to eat cake at this point!

Just to reassure you, you may well find that your long edges still look rather wibbly at this stage - that's OK! Once you add the next few rounds, you will find that you won't notice the wibbly-wobbliness of this first round.

ROUND 2 : Use Lime yarn, or whatever colour you have chosen - remember you will need approximately 20g of yarn to complete each edging round of a 120 cm x 170 cm blanket.

Note : for this round, you will be working in Back Loops Only (BLO).

Insert your hook into the Back Loop of any corner stitch, and draw through a loop of the new colour.

Chain 1.

Remember that every stitch in this round is worked in BLO (back loops only), so your hook passes under the single back loop of both the dc stitches and the chain stitches made in round 1.

Work 1 dc in BLO of every dc and chain stitch along the length of round 1...

.....it's as simple as that, folks!!!

See how the edge is already starting to look neater and straighter?

And there is no need to do anything different to turn the corners either - simply continue your dc's into Back Loops Only of the dc's and ch-1's which formed the corners in round 1. This will result in your corners becoming beautifully rounded and oh-so-easy! Yay!!!!!!

In no time at all, you will find yourself right back where you started. 

Slip stitch into the beginning ch-1 to close the round.

Fasten off and darn in ends.

I love the simplicity of this narrow border, and it did occur to me more than once that maybe it could be enough for this particular blanket. You might also think the same thing about your own blanket, and it's absolutely fine if you choose to keep this as a two-round edging.

However, I do think adding the next couple of rounds is worth the extra hooky time and effort.

ROUND 3 : Use Cypress yarn, or whatever colour you have chosen - remember you will need approximately 20g of yarn to complete each edging round of a 120 cm x 170 cm blanket.

Note : for this round, you will be working in Back Loops Only (BLO).

Round 3 is an exact repeat of Round 2.

Join the yarn in any corner (BLO), chain 1, then work 1 dc in the Back Loops of each stitch around.

You swing round the corners in exactly the same way as you did in round 2, and fasten off in the same way.

ROUND 4 : Use Grape yarn, or whatever colour you have chosen - remember you will need approximately 20g of yarn to complete each edging round of a 120 cm x 170 cm blanket.

Note : You will be working under both loops of the stitches in this round.

Join the yarn in any corner stitch, chain 1.

This round is worked entirely in slip stitches. Insert your hook in the stitch, yarn over.....

....pull the yarn back through the stitch, and then through the loop on your hook. 

Whilst you work your slip stitches, try and keep your tension as even as possible, and remember not to pull the slip stitches too tight. You can always go up a hook size if you find that your slip stitches are tight  - this is very effective and can make all the difference to the finished look of this round.

You will find that these stitches create a lovely surface chain which sits neatly embedded into the previous row - it made me think of the heather flowers growing amongst the moss and grasses.

These slip stitches give a lovely feel to the final edge of the border too - it's quite textural and a bit like a stitched braid running around the edge.

On the reverse side, the purple slip stitches make a very neat little stitched line of crochet.

As in previous rows, there is no need to do anything differently around the corners, other than to be mindful of your tension (don't pull the stitches too tightly or you will make the corner curl). 

When I worked this final round of edging it was extremely satisfying to see that little line of purple (heather) running so neatly amongst the (grassy) greenery. I almost didn't want it to end!

When you arrive back to where you started, you need to use your darning needle to make an invisible join.

After the last slip stitch, cut your yarn and use your hook to enlarge the loop and pull it up and away from the crochet until the end pulls right up and through the stitch. Make sure you don't tighten the actual slip stitch you've just made.

Now thread the tail end onto a darning needle......

....pass the needle under both lops of the beginning chain-1 (as in above picture).

Push the needle down through the centre of the last slip stitch (as in above picture)...

...and pull the needle and yarn right through to the reverse, taking care not to pull too tightly.

Now darn in the ends, and admire your work...................................................

....................ta-dah!!

As you can see, this edging is quite narrow (approximately 18 mm), but can easily be made wider if you wish. Simply make as many extra rounds as you like (following the pattern for Round 2) before adding your final slip stitch edging.

Here are some links that might be useful in relation to the Moorland Blanket >

{MOORLAND BLANKET CAL : introduction}

{MOORLAND BLANKET CAL : Q&A}

{MOORLAND BLANKET YARN PACK}

{MOORLAND BLANKET CAL : Part 1 : stripes 1-20}

{MOORLAND BLANKET CAL : Part 2 : stripes 21-40}

{MOORLAND BLANKET CAL : Part 3 : stripes 41-60}

{MOORLAND BLANKET CAL : Part 4 : stripes 61-80}

{MOORLAND BLANKET CAL : Part 5 : stripes 81-100}

{MOORLAND BLANKET CAL : Part 6 : stripes 101-115}

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Comments

[Anne Kennerley]

I think I could do that - but I don't want it to end ! Thank you,Lucy,for the pattern and all your tuition. xxx

[Gill Sunde]

Loved doing this, my first CAL ! I haven't finished it yet, but will soon. The ladies who have finished already must spend the whole day doing it. Anyway I'm loving savouring these last rows.
Thank you Lucy for helping me create this fabulous blanket!

[Birgit]

Thank you so much Lucy, I love this simple border. I think it will do so much justice to the lovely waves of the blanket! I can't wait to get back home after work and start crocheting... Mmm!xxx

[Rowena Corlett]

Love this border Lucy! Won't be ready to do it for a bit. I am doing 350 stitches so a nice big blanket! A bit confused by the corner -is it 1dc ch1 1dc ch1 each time on first round?

[Jean]

Love the border and can't wait to get it finished today. On the other hand don't want this cal to end! Looking forward to snuggling up in my gorgeous Moorland blanket for many years. Thank you so much Lucy xxx