I make this mile-a-minute crochet blanket in long strips, then join them as I work around their edges. The finishing stitch on each strip row gives this mile-a-minute crochet blanket straight sides instead of the bumps found on many mile a minute blankets.
I chose colors to match my favorite robe, including different joining colors, but you can use whatever colors you like. Start with the strips, arrange them in your chosen order, then bring everything together with the join and matching border in this mile-a-minute crochet project.
Key Takeaways
- The blanket starts with separate crochet strips, so you can make the pieces in stages before joining them.
- A double crochet at the end of each repeating row keeps the strip edges straight.
- Lay every strip in the same direction before joining, with the starting ends together.
- The join-as-you-go method connects each new strip while you crochet its edging, using small, snug slip stitches.
- The border alternates chain-space rounds with fuller stitch rounds, then finishes with a needle join that blends into the edge.
How the Mile a Minute Strip Construction Works
I call the long pieces "stripes," and the little repeating sections along them "chicklets." You crochet each stripe separately, then work around it in a joining color.
The first stripe gets its edging all the way around. After that, each new stripe connects to the finished blanket while you work along its second long side. Once every stripe is attached, the border finishes the outside edge.
For a customizable mile-a-minute blanket, choose the strip length and add as many strips as you want. Because each mile-a-minute strip is made separately, you can work in stages and adjust the finished blanket's dimensions. My separate Easy Breezy mile-a-minute blanket pattern is another mile-a-minute crochet pattern that uses the same strip-and-join method.
Choose the Colors and Gather the Tools
My robe was the starting point for this blanket. I pulled matching colors from my yarn collection, then chose joining colors that picked up other shades in the robe.
You can use different joining colors as I did, or keep the joining yarn the same throughout. The border can also stay one color. Mine has a white section followed by blue.
For this project, I used regular size 4 worsted-weight acrylic yarn and a 6 mm crochet hook. You'll also need scissors and a needle for sewing in the ends. Stitch markers are handy for marking the working space and keeping track of rows.
The stitches are chain, slip stitch, single crochet, half double crochet, double crochet, and treble crochet. The Craft Yarn Council's stitch terminology is a reference for those names.
Start the First Crochet Strip
Begin with a slip knot and the foundation chain shown in the video. I pause while making that chain and pinch the point where the first shell will go, which makes the insertion point easier to find.
Work the opening shell into the foundation chain. It has a group of double crochets, a chain space, and another group of double crochets, all worked into the same place.
Next, bring the starting end around and slip stitch into the first foundation chain to join. The small piece now has a triangular shape, with the center chain space at the top.
If that space is difficult to see, put a stitch marker in it. That's where you'll build the next shell.
Repeat the Row That Keeps the Edges Straight
Chain and turn so the center chain space sits at the top of your work. Then make the next shell into that space, following the same double-crochet-and-chain arrangement.
To finish the row, work a double crochet into the top of the edge double crochet from the previous row. Put your hook under both loops of that stitch.
Ignore the turning chain at the edge. I work into the double crochet itself, which keeps the sides straight.
Continue with the same rhythm: turn, make the shell into the center space, and finish with the edge double crochet. Each new row creates another little chicklet along the strip.
Keep repeating until the strip reaches the length you want. The same row builds the entire strip.
Count the Rows and Arrange the Strips
To check the length, start at the bottom and count the chicklets along one side. I count along a single edge rather than trying to follow the stitches back and forth.
When the strip is finished, secure the yarn, cut it, and pull the tail through. Then make the remaining strips in your chosen colors.
Before joining, lay everything out in the order you want. Check that the bottoms of all the strips face the same direction. I accidentally reversed a strip on my first mile a minute blanket, so I take a moment to check this before connecting anything.
For this robe-inspired blanket, I also put a scrap of the planned joining yarn at the bottom of each strip. That way, I can pick up the right color without deciding again as I work.
Edge the First Strip Along Its Long Side
Start the joining yarn in the side space near the bottom of the strip, opposite the starting tail. This is the space between the first chicklets.
Attach the yarn with a slip stitch, then make the starting chain and complete the opening double-crochet group in that same space.
Continue along the long side, working a double-crochet group into every space between the chicklets. You're working into the gaps along the edge rather than into the tops of individual stitches.
As the edging grows, the strip may curve. That's what happened with mine because the edging stretches the strip lengthwise.
An unedged strip won't give you its final length. I worked the edging all the way around a sample strip before measuring it.
Finish the last group in the final side space before moving around the end.
Shape the Top and Bottom Ends
Work across the top end
At the end of the long side, make the corner chain space. Then work across the top stitches with progressively shorter stitches: treble crochet, double crochet, and half double crochet.
Work single crochets into the center space. On the other side, reverse the order, using half double crochet, double crochet, and treble crochet.
That change in stitch height fills out the end. Make the next corner chain space, then continue down the other long side with the same double-crochet groups used before.
Work across the starting end
The bottom end uses the same shaping sequence, but the insertion points look different. Here you're working into the foundation chains and the sides of the starting stitches instead of neat stitch tops.
Work toward the center with treble crochet, double crochet, and half double crochet. After the center single crochets, reverse that sequence on the other side.
Finish the corner chain space and slip stitch into the starting chain to close the edging. Secure and cut the yarn, leaving a tail for sewing in later.
Join the Next Strip as You Crochet
Begin edging the next strip in the same place as the first. Work along its first long side and around the top end, stopping immediately after the last treble crochet.
Lay the completed strip above the new one, with both starting ends pointing the same way. I find this easier on a table or desk because I can spread everything out and see the matching spaces.
Instead of making the usual corner chain space, slip stitch into the corner space of the finished strip, then chain to complete that connection.
Now make the next double-crochet group into the side space of the new strip. After that group, insert your hook down into the corresponding gap between groups on the finished strip. Bring the yarn up and slip stitch to join.
Continue alternating between a double-crochet group on the new strip and a slip stitch into the next gap on the completed strip.
I keep those slip stitches small and snug. A loose joining stitch makes a larger connection than I want for this finish.
Keep the Joining Spaces in View
As you join, let the completed strip hang out of the way while you make the next double-crochet group. Then bring your hook forward and lay the work down so you can see the next gap.
If the groups sit close together, separate them gently with your fingers. The joining point is the space between the groups, not the top of a double crochet.
Partway along, the new strip may appear shorter than the completed one. Mine looked that way too.
Don't judge the alignment while one side is still unedged. The unfinished strip remains curved, and its appearance changes as the second side is worked.
Continue matching the spaces along the length rather than pulling the loose ends together to compare them.
Finish Each Joined Strip
After the last double-crochet group on the joining side, slip stitch into the corner space of the completed strip. Chain to finish that corner connection.
Rotate the work and shape the bottom end of the new strip. As before, work into the foundation area with the taller stitches toward the outside and the shorter stitches toward the center.
Finish the remaining corner space, then slip stitch into the starting chain of the edging. Secure the yarn and leave a tail for sewing in.
The new strip is now part of the blanket. Rotate the work into position, pick up the next strip, and repeat the same process until all the strips are connected.
Start the Border Along a Long Side
I begin the border in a corner space. Attach the border yarn with a generous tail, then make the opening chain shown in the tutorial.
Along the long side, work a single crochet into the gap between double-crochet groups. Chain across the next group, then single crochet into the following gap.
Continue that single-crochet-and-chain rhythm down the side. This creates the spaces that will hold the fuller border round.
At the corner, work a single crochet, the corner chain space, and another single crochet into the same corner opening.
This foundation round can draw the edge inward a little. I expect it to feel tighter at this stage because the following round fills those spaces.
Space the Border Across the Strip Ends
Across the ends of the strips, the spacing changes because you're crossing the shaped end stitches.
I use the same single-crochet-and-chain rhythm, placing the anchors across each end and into the gap between neighboring strips.
The landmarks are easier to follow than individual stitch tops: move past the opening stitches, anchor in the center, leave the outer stitches before the corner, then anchor between the strips.
Repeat that arrangement across the blanket. At the next outside corner, make the same single-crochet corner used before.
Continue down the opposite long side, then across the remaining strip ends. When you return to the starting corner, use the joining method shown in the video to finish in the corner space, ready for the next round.
Add the Double-Crochet Border Round
Begin the next round in the corner space with the starting chain and the rest of the opening double-crochet group.
Then work a double-crochet group into every chain space around the blanket. There isn't a different side repeat here, so you can keep going from space to space.
At each corner, work a double-crochet group, a corner chain space, and another group into the same opening.
When you reach the beginning, complete the unfinished part of the starting corner.
If you're keeping the same color, use the chain-and-single-crochet connection demonstrated in the video to move into position. For a color change, finish the corner, slip stitch into the starting chain, secure the yarn, and cut it.
Work the Final Chain-Space Round
For my blanket, I changed colors before this round. I attached the new yarn in a corner where I hadn't already joined yarn, leaving a generous tail.
Work single crochets into the gaps between the double-crochet groups, with chains between the anchors. This repeats the foundation idea used earlier in the border.
At each corner, make a single crochet, the corner chain space, and another single crochet into that same opening.
If you're having trouble seeing the gaps, look above the small single-crochet marks from the earlier foundation round. Those marks help show where the spaces sit.
This round may look puckered while you're making it. Mine did. The next round fills the chain spaces, so I don't judge the border by this foundation round alone.
Finish the Border With Single Crochet
Join the chain-space round as shown in the video, then slip stitch into the adjacent space to begin the final edging.
Fill each chain space with a group of single crochets. Continue around the blanket without adding chains between those groups.
The corners use single crochets on either side of a corner chain space. Work both sides of each corner into the same opening, then return to filling the spaces along the next edge.
When you reach the starting area, finish the remaining corner stitches. Don't make a slip-stitch join here.
Instead, cut the yarn with enough tail to thread through a needle, then pull it through the last completed stitch.
Close the Edge With a Needle Join
Thread the yarn tail onto your needle and find the first stitch of the round, where you would normally insert your hook to join.
Pass the needle under both loops of that first stitch. Next, bring it back down into the last stitch, at the point where the tail came out.
Pull gently until the new loop looks like the neighboring stitches. You're making a stitch-shaped connection across the gap, so avoid tightening it until it disappears.
Once the join blends into the edge, sew in the tail. Finish sewing in the remaining ends around the blanket.
Left Handed?
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the foundation slip stitch have to go into the back bump?
No. At that first join, I show that you can use the back bump, a loop, or the chain itself. The important part is joining into the first foundation chain.
Can the stitch marker come out once the repeat is familiar?
Yes. I move the marker into the newest center chain space while demonstrating the early rows. Once you can recognize that space, you can remove the marker and continue without it.
How exact does the stitch placement need to be at the bottom of a strip?
The foundation end doesn't have the same clear stitch tops as the other end. I use separate insertion points along that starting area and try to catch two strands on the hook. The placement doesn't need to look perfect before the shaping stitches are finished.
Can the yarn tails be worked over while crocheting?
I work over some tails while making the strip ends and border. However, I still leave enough yarn to sew the ends in with a needle afterward. Crocheting over a tail doesn't replace every finishing step in this blanket.
Is a sharp-tip needle necessary for the final join?
No, a blunt needle works for the join. I use a sharp-tip needle in the demonstration, but lead with its blunt end when passing under the stitch loops. That helps keep the needle from splitting the yarn.
A Finished Blanket With Straight Edges
The edge double crochet is the detail that keeps these mile-a-minute crochet strips straight. The snug join connects them while their edging is still in progress.
I love how the colors in mine match my robe. With the border finished and the ends sewn in, the separate stripes become one complete mile-a-minute blanket with a clean, finished edge.