Moss Stitch Crochet Blanket Worked Big on a 25 mm Hook

This moss stitch crochet blanket is worked flat on a U/50 (25 mm) hook and finishes at approximately 42 x 51 inches [106.5 x 129.5 cm]. It uses only chain and single crochet, and after one set-up row the whole blanket is a single row repeated.

You will find the exact yarn amount, the gauge, a stitch chart to check your work against and a stitch count at the end of every step, so a slipped count shows up early rather than rows later.

Materials & Supplies

Item	Details	Required?
Yarn	9 balls of one shade: Navy (51022) or French Vanilla (51090). Each ball is 10.5 oz / 300 g and 32 yds / 29 m, so 9 balls give 288 yds / 261 m.	Required
Crochet hook	U.S. U/50 (25 mm), or the size needed to obtain gauge	Required
Scissors	For cutting the yarn when you join a new ball and when you fasten off	Required
Measuring tape	For the gauge swatch and for checking the length as you work	Recommended
Large-eyed yarn needle	For weaving in the tails	Optional

Each ball holds only 32 yds / 29 m, so expect to join a new ball several times; the FAQ at the end shows where and how. Either shade takes the same 9 balls.

At 3.5 stitches per 4 inches the stitches are very large, so I would expect the chain-1 spaces to sit as open gaps and the fabric to feel loose and airy rather than dense. That is a reading of the gauge, not a promise about any particular yarn.

If you substitute a different yarn, choose one that gives the gauge below on a U/50 (25 mm) hook rather than one that merely looks similar, and swatch before you buy the full amount. A different yarn or hook changes both the finished size and the amount of yarn you need, and the ball band is the place to check washing and drying instructions. For how a thick yarn changes the handling of a blanket, see working a blanket in thicker yarn.

Gauge & Sizing

Gauge: 3.5 sts and 2 rows = 4 inches [10 cm] in moss stitch pattern. Both the sc and the ch-1 space count as one stitch each, so one sc plus its ch-1 space is 2 stitches. Four inches therefore holds a little under two of those pairs.

Make a swatch before you start the blanket. Chain any number that fits the multiple of 2 plus 2 and is wide enough to measure comfortably away from the edges, work the set-up row and then several pattern rows exactly as written, lay the swatch flat without stretching it and measure across the middle. Only a few stitches fall inside 4 inches at this size, so a half stitch is easy to misread. Measuring over 8 inches is more reliable: you should count 7 stitches and 4 rows.

For a blanket, gauge mostly changes the size rather than the fit. More stitches than 3.5 in 4 inches means smaller stitches and a smaller blanket; fewer means larger stitches and a larger one. Changing the hook size is the usual fix. I would not assume 9 balls will cover a blanket worked at a very different gauge.

Finished size: approx 42 x 51 inches [106.5 x 129.5 cm]. This pattern is written in one size, and the sizes are approximate because your tension sets the final width.

Changing the size: For length, two rows measure about 4 inches at this gauge, so add or remove rows in pairs. That changes the length by about 4 inches each time and keeps the final row a wrong side row. For width, the foundation chain must stay a multiple of 2 plus 2. Every extra 2 chains add one sc and one ch-1 space, which is 2 stitches or roughly 2 1/4 inches at gauge, and they also use more yarn. Estimating yardage for a different size shows how to work out how much to buy.

Before You Begin

Abbreviation	Meaning
Approx	Approximately
Beg	Begin(ning)
Ch	Chain(s)
Pat	Pattern
Rep	Repeat
RS	Right side
Sc	Single crochet
Sp(s)	Space(s)
St(s)	Stitch(es)
WS	Wrong side

All terms are US. Sc is the US single crochet, which is called a double crochet in UK patterns.

Moss stitch pattern. Every row alternates one sc with one ch-1. On a new row the sc goes into the ch-1 space of the row below, and the ch-1 passes over the sc below, so the stitches and spaces stagger from row to row. If you are still choosing a stitch, how moss stitch compares with other blanket stitches sets the options side by side.

• The blanket is worked flat from a foundation chain, and you turn at the end of the set-up row and of every pattern row.
• Count individual stitches: each sc is one stitch and each ch-1 space is one stitch.
• The foundation chain is a multiple of 2 chains plus 2.
• The set-up row is a right side row, so the first pattern row is a wrong side row, and the rows keep alternating from there.

Reading the stitch chart. The chart is a reduced sample, not the full width. Chains are the small ovals and single crochet stitches are the crosses. The row along the bottom is the foundation chain, the next row up is the set-up row, and the row above that is one pattern repeat row. The colours alternate only to separate one row from the next, and a tall oval at the end of a row is the turning chain that begins the next row.

Free Crochet Pattern Instructions

Part 1 – Foundation chain and set-up row

Two steps: the foundation chain, then the set-up row, which ends with 35 stitches.

Step 1 – Foundation chain

Pattern instruction: Ch 36. (36 ch)

Beginner explanation: Make a slip knot and chain 36, without counting the loop on your hook. The chain is a multiple of 2 plus 2: it holds 17 pairs of chains, where one chain of each pair is skipped and the other takes an sc, plus 2 extra chains for the start of the row. Keep the chain loose enough that the large hook enters each chain easily.

Checkpoint: 36 ch. Count again before moving on. The count must be an even number, so an odd number of chains means the count is off and the row will not work out.

Step 2 – Set-up row (RS)

Pattern instruction: Sc in 4th ch from hook (counts as 1 sc, ch 1, 1 sc). *Ch 1. Skip next ch. Sc in next ch. Rep from * to end of chain. Turn. (35 sts: 18 sc and 17 ch-1 sps)

Beginner explanation: Skip three chains and put your first sc into the 4th chain from the hook. The three skipped chains stand in for the first sc and the first ch-1 space, so you have not lost stitches, you have built the start of the row. From there, ch 1, skip one chain of the foundation and sc into the next, and keep going to the end of the chain. Finish with an sc in the last chain, then turn. This is the right side, and it leaves a line of sc stitches standing like posts with small chain gaps between them.

Checkpoint: 35 sts: 17 sc worked into the chain, plus the starting chains that count as the 18th sc and the first ch-1 space, giving 18 sc and 17 ch-1 sps. If your count differs, the usual cause is skipping two chains or none at one point; undo back to that spot rather than carrying on. The last sc should sit in the very last chain.

Part 2 – Moss stitch rows

One row, repeated until the blanket reaches its length. Every row keeps the same 35 stitches as the set-up row.

Step 3 – First pattern row (WS)

Pattern instruction: Ch 2 (counts as 1 sc, ch 1). Skip first sc. Sc in next ch-1 sp. *Ch 1. Skip next sc. Sc in next ch-1 sp. Rep from * to last sc. Turn. (35 sts: 18 sc and 17 ch-1 sps)

Beginner explanation: After turning, ch 2; this stands in for the first sc and the first ch-1 space of the row. Skip the first sc under your hook, then work your first sc into the ch-1 space beside it, not into a stitch. From there, ch 1, skip the next sc and sc into the next ch-1 space. Stop when one sc is left at the end of the row and leave it unworked, then turn. The set-up row was a right side row, so this is the first wrong side row, and this is the row that forms the moss stitch pattern.

Checkpoint: Same count as the set-up row: 18 sc and 17 ch-1 sps, 35 sts. Check it against the chart: each sc of this row sits over a ch-1 space of the row below, and each ch-1 spans an sc below. If two sc sit side by side with no chain between them, you worked into a stitch instead of a space; undo back to that point.

Step 4 – Repeat to length

Pattern instruction: Rep last row until work from beg measures approx 51 in [129.5 cm], ending on a WS row. (35 sts every row)

Beginner explanation: Work the same row again and again: ch 2, skip the first sc, sc into each ch-1 space with a ch 1 over each sc, and leave the last sc unworked. Measure from the foundation chain edge with the blanket lying flat and relaxed, not pulled. The rows alternate between right side and wrong side, so if you reach 51 inches on a right side row, work one more row so you finish on a wrong side row.

Checkpoint: 35 sts on every row. At the stated gauge two rows measure about 4 inches, so the length should grow steadily; if it grows much faster or slower than that, recheck your gauge. Stop only when the piece measures approx 51 in [129.5 cm] and the last row you worked was a WS row.

Step 5 – Fasten off

Pattern instruction: Fasten off.

Beginner explanation: Cut the yarn, leaving a tail long enough to weave in, and pull the tail through the loop on your hook to lock the last stitch.

Checkpoint: The finished blanket lies flat at approx 42 x 51 in [106.5 x 129.5 cm], with 35 sts across the last row. The weaving in comes next.

Finishing

Weave in the tail from Step 5, the starting tail and every tail left where you joined a new ball, using a large-eyed yarn needle. Run each tail through the stitches along an edge, then back along itself, so it stays put. The blanket is complete after fastening off; no border or edging is part of this pattern.

If you want to even out the stitches, how to block a crocheted blanket covers the general method, and I would check your yarn’s care label first. After any blocking, measure the flat blanket against the finished size above.

Troubleshooting & Common Mistakes

• Two sc side by side. You worked into a stitch instead of the ch-1 space, so the staggered grid has broken and the count creeps up. Undo back to the last correct stitch and work the next sc into the space.
• Edges that get wider or narrower. The usual causes are working into the last sc of a row, which adds a stitch, or missing the first ch-1 space after the turning chain, which drops one. Recount against 35 after the set-up row and again every few rows.
• A count that is out by one after the set-up row. Recheck the foundation chain count first: 36 chains, with the first sc in the 4th chain from the hook.
• Gauge that does not match. Fewer than 3.5 stitches in 4 inches means larger stitches and a larger blanket; more means the opposite. Change the hook size and swatch again before committing to the blanket.
• Uneven gaps. At this size each ch-1 is visible, so one pulled tight beside a loose one stands out. Keep every ch-1 the same length, and keep your tension even from row to row.

Variations, Sizes & Care

The yardage above is the same whether you choose Navy (51022) or French Vanilla (51090). To change the size, use the length and width arithmetic in Gauge & Sizing: add or remove rows in pairs for length, and keep the chain a multiple of 2 plus 2 for width. If speed is what draws you to a giant hook, the fastest stitches for a blanket looks at other quick-working options.

Wash and dry the blanket according to the care label on your yarn. The fibre decides what is safe, so the label is the only reliable guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is moss stitch the same as linen stitch?

In US crochet the single crochet and chain-1 fabric used here is called moss stitch and is also called linen stitch. If you are looking for a linen stitch crochet blanket, this pattern uses the same alternating sc and ch-1 construction.

How do I join a new ball?

Each ball is only 32 yds / 29 m, so you will do this several times. The neatest place is the start of a row: finish the old row, then begin the next row with the new yarn, leaving both tails to weave in. If a ball runs out part way along a row, finish your last stitch by pulling the new yarn through the final loop and weave in both tails later.