Crochet blankets are really tempting to create with all the beautiful patterns out there, but how long do they actually take? As someone who has yet to tackle a project this big, I surveyed over a thousand longtime crocheters and I’m here to share with you what I found — the results surprised even me!
It takes over 20 hours on average to crochet a blanket. Casual crocheters can finish an average blanket in a month or two, but time frames change depending on how intricate the pattern is and how thick the yarn is, ranging from a week to a year.
I’ll break all the data down for you below, and discuss what kinds of factors might increase or decrease the time it takes to finish a handmade blanket. Read on to find out!
How Long Does It Take To Crochet A Blanket?
The results are in! I polled a total of 1,004 crocheters through social media on how long it took them on average to crochet a blanket, and then put the results together in a few pie charts. Let’s get right to it and discuss some takeaways!
When surveyed about average time it takes to crochet a blanket, the vast majority of people (92.3%) stated that it took them over 20 hours of continuous crocheting to create a blanket. A smaller percentage (7.2%) reported blankets taking an average of 15-20 hours to make, and the least amount of people (0.5%) said that a blanket would take fewer than 15 hours.
In the 20+ hour range, where 92.3% of respondents placed themselves, there was a large diversity between those who self reported a time frame of a little above 20 hours, and those who reported a much longer time frame that was no longer measured in hours but in weeks or months.
The pie chart below describes the breakdown of responses in terms of hours spent continuously crocheting to finish a blanket. The chart demonstrates that overwhelming majority of crocheters take over 20 hours total to finish a blanket on average.
However, it appeared that the vast majority of respondents preferred to describe the time frame not in terms of hours of continuous crocheting, but in terms of weeks and months of regular life from the start of a project to its conclusion.
Accordingly, I created another pie chart for this alternative statistic. For this chart, I have assumed that the crocheter spends one hour on average a day crocheting, presumably while working a full time job and attending to other household duties.
Most people (49.9%) reported that it took them several months of crocheting an hour on average each day to finish a blanket, with the next largest group (23.6%) responding that it took them around a month. A smaller but significant percentage (18.8%) of people said that it took them a year or more to finish a blanket, and the smallest percentage stated that it took them less than two weeks (7.7%).
When reported in terms of time elapsed between start to finish, it becomes clear that for most people, crocheting a blanket is months-long commitment. Those who reported relatively long or short lengths of time qualified their answers by saying that some blankets took exceptionally long if they were intricate and involved difficult techniques, while others mentioned that blankets using thick, chunky yarn and a repetitive pattern could take an unusually short period of time to finish.
However, even the shortest lengths of time reported (2 weeks or ~15 hours) are still non trivial amounts of time, especially when compared to faster garments, accessories, or toys.
More blog posts for amigurumi beginners:
- My Foolproof Guide to Crocheting Amigurumi for Beginners
- What’s the best stuffing for amigurumi? (+ how to stuff!)
- How to Sew Amigurumi Parts Together (easy photo tutorial!)
What Factors Influence the Length of Time It Takes To Crochet a Blanket?
The most important factors that influences the length of time it takes to crochet a blanket are complexity and weight of yarn.
The more complicated a pattern is, the more time it takes to create. Factors that contribute to level of complexity include how difficult the stitches involved are, since the difficulty of the stitch pattern can significantly slow down the process of crocheting.
Further, some blankets are made up of one unique row or pattern that is repeated ad infinitum, whereas others vary throughout. Those that feature simple repeats will take a shorter amount of time, since only one stitch pattern needs to be mastered to finish the blanket, even if the stitch pattern is very complex.
The weight of yarn greatly affects the time it takes to finish a blanket, because simply put, the thicker the yarn the faster it is. Since blankets are usually a set size, increases the weight of the yarn means that fewer stitches are needed to fill up the space. Lighter weights of yarn, such as sport or even fingering, would result in a working duration many times higher.
The quickest blankets are made with thickest yarn and the easiest, repeating stitch pattern, and can probably be made under a week.
The blankets that take the longest are made with thinner yarn and feature complex, non repeating stitch patterns.
There is room for a huge array of variation in between these extremes, with the vast majority of patterns being a happy medium to account for both ease and also not end up a forever project.
I pulled up a few gorgeous blanket patterns and categorized them according to how long they might take!
Should I Make a Blanket?
Crocheting a blanket is a significant commitment of time, energy, and yarn, but the results can be truly impressive. You should crochet a blanket if you have a large quantity of yarn you’d like to use up, and also if you find a pattern that you’re excited by. Although repetitive patterns are simpler, they can become boring after a while, so it’s important to find a happy medium between a design that you think is at your level but is enough to keep things challenging and interesting.
Often, switching between multiple projects that serve different purposes can be a good strategy when tackling longterm projects like blankets. Having a shorter, instant-gratification project while working on a blanket can help ease crochet ennui, and ensure that you don’t motivation to crochet altogether.
Another strategy is to keep an easy, mindless project like a crochet blanket in the car with you to help with extra pockets of waiting time, or to keep with you for the morning commute. Having different crochet projects to keep you occupied throughout the day is the key to finishing projects and also ensuring that no matter what you’re doing, you always have something to work on!
How Much Does It Cost To Crochet a Blanket?
It costs between $20-$100 to crochet a blanket. Baby blankets are cheapest and king size blankets are the most expensive, since a larger blanket takes more yarn. Purchasing yarn that is the most cost effective also decreases total cost, since there is more yardage per dollar spent.
Crochet blankets take a lot of yarn. Depending on the pattern, the type of yarn, and your budget, it can range from relatively cheap to luxury.
Here’s a handy chart to help you determine how much an average blanket and baby blanket would cost based on some of Lion Brand’s most popular yarns.
Data taken from this chart and also from May 2021 rates on Lion Brand’s website.
| Yarn (click the links to check current price) | Weight | Cost of one skein | # of skeins for blanket and total cost | # of skeins for baby blanket and total cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comfy Cotton Blend | 3 | $7.99 | 7 skeins, $56 | 4 skeins, $32 |
| Mandala Wool Blend | 3 | $8.49 | 5 skeins, $42.50 | 3, $25.50 |
| Feels Like Butta | 4 | $4.99 | 11 skeins, $55 | 5 skeins, $25 |
| Pound of Love | 4 | $11.69 | 2 skeins, $23 | 1 skein, $11.69 |
| Shawl In a Ball | 4 | $9.99 | 5 skeins, $50 | 3 skeins, $30 |
| Vanna’s Choice | 4 | $4.99 | 14 skeins, $70 | 6 skeins, $30 |
| Wool-Ease | 4 | $4.99 | 12 skeins, $60 | 5 skeins, $25 |
| Scarfie | 5 | $11.99 | 4 skeins, $48 | 3 skeins, $36 |
| Wool-Ease Thick & Quick | 6 | $10.99 | 10 skeins, $110 | 4 skeins, $44 |
As you can see, when using affordable, commercially available yarns like these popular choices from Lion Brand, the cost hovers around $30-50, depending on the type of yarn. Many factors go into the cost of a ball of yarn, with acrylic being the cheapest, and wool and other natural fibers being more expensive. Often, as weight of yarn increases, the amount of yardage in a ball decreases, meaning that you will need to purchase more balls of yarn.
Most of these yarns are among the most popular because of their bright color range, self striping properties, softness, and durability. My personal favorites include Feels Like Butta (super soft), Wool-Ease Thick and Quick (huge color range and my favorite super bulky yarn), and Mandala Wool Blend (easy way to achieve self striping). Click the links to check them out on Lion Brand’s website!
This chart serves only as an estimation of average costs, but you will need to check specifically with any given pattern to find out exactly how many balls of yarn (and potentially what fiber content) you will need.
What’s the Difference Between a Crochet Blanket, Throw, Afghan, Lapghan, and Baby Blanket?
Blankets, throws, afghans, lapghans, and baby blankets are all references to crocheted fabric coverings. Blankets and afghans are the largest, with throws, lapghans, and baby blankets all referring to smaller sized versions.
Essentially, these are all words that describe a crochet blanket of different sizes. Blankets usually refer to a covering the size of a bed, and may even drape over the sides. An afghan specifically refers to a knit or crocheted blanket of any size, but is commonly used interchangeably with “blanket” to describe a large crocheted bed voering.
Throws typically have a standard size of 50 inches wide by 60 inches long, and are meant to be decorative elements that may hang over a couch. Lap-sized afghans, usually 36 inches wide and 48 inches long, are also called lapghans.
Baby blankets are most often around 30 inches wide and 36 inches long.
However, crochet blankets can often easily be adapted to change their dimensions merely by adding extra rows or extra length, provided that the stitch pattern is repetitive. Blankets that are created from the center, such as granny square style blankets or the Sophie’s Universe pattern above, can be expanded by adding extra borders around the edges until it reaches the desired length. Of course, you are never obligated to finish a pattern and can make a large design small by only crocheting half of it.
Below is a helpful chart from Sewrella’s blog describing typical dimensions of other sizes that you may see floating around.
| Width “ | Length “ | |
|---|---|---|
| Lovey | 10 | 10 |
| Security | 14 | 17 |
| Baby | 30 | 35 |
| Stroller | 40 | 40 |
| Toddler | 47 | 52 |
| Swaddle | 47 | 47 |
| Crib | 45 | 60 |
| Throw | 52 | 60 |
| Twin | 66 | 90 |
| Double | 90 | 108 |
| Queen | 96 | 108 |
| King | 108 | 108 |
I hope this article was helpful for planning your upcoming crochet blanket project! If you have any more questions, please leave them in the comments section below or email me at littleworldofwhimsy@gmail.com. I’d love to help you out!
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