If knitting and/or crocheting a bedspread seems like a daunting task, relax. It’s really pretty simple. You may be envisioning some huge one-piece item that entails months and months of work. It doesn’t have to be that way at all and can actually be a very fun endeavor. Just take it one step at a time.
When I decided to make a bedspread for my daughter’s twin bed, I began by simply knitting or crocheting square-foot sections. Make sure that as you knit or crochet, each of your squares measure very closely to 12 inches wide by 12 inches tall.
By switching from doing some squares in knit and others in crochet, you can create very interesting pattern and texture for the bedspread. I recommend using all yarns that can be laundered in the same manner, because these will all become one large finished piece that will require being laundered as one item. Make sure all materials used can be washed in the same water temperature and dried at the same temperature. You wouldn’t want a square here and there shrinking and ruining your work.
Once you establish what your gauge is to attain the 12″ x 12″ square, write down how many stitches it took for each method in knitting or crochet to achieve the desired size. Jot down what size knitting needles or crochet hook you were using.This will save you a lot of guesswork as you continue the project. (For example ” x number of double crochets with a size G hook” achieved a perfect square.) When sticking with a square-foot piece, you can easily relax and carry on a conversation or watch television while working on your piece, as it becomes fairly repetitive after you get started and doesn’t require your full concentration, which makes the time pass quickly and increases your productivity.
For a twin bed, you will use approximately four squares for the width of the bed and six squares for the length. Keep in mind that these squares will have borders and joining stitches in between each other for added width and length, but this is a good number to keep in mind, 24 squares to complete a twin-sized bedspread.
After you’ve knit and/or crocheted each of the 24 squares, you are ready to begin the next step. Plan how you would like to border your squares. Use crochet technique for this, as you can use it on both the knitted and crocheted squares. Choose either a single or double crochet stitch, and stick with it throughout the bordering process, using the same method and stitch on all squares to make them uniform.
Decide how many rounds you want to make around each square, and in what colors. Again, be consistent because you’ll want to keep everything uniform and in balance. After all squares are bordered, decide what color yarn you’ll choose to join everything together. Use a simple crochet joining method. My preferred method, referred to as “wide lacy joining,” can be found in the book Crocheting School: A Complete Course, by Sterling Publishing Company, on page 80.
Join each square, one to another, until you have four squares across and six squares length. Then join rows of four joined squares to another row of four joined squares, etc. After all squares are joined in proper order, crochet a border around the entire piece to really unify everything and make it one whole piece of work. Do as many rounds around the bedspread as you choose, and top it off with an attractive border stitch, some of which can also be found in the above mentioned book.
Your child’s bedspread will be a handcrafted, heirloom-worthy work of art, not to mention your child’s favorite cuddly bedspread. Be creative in your yarn selections and colors and patterns and have fun with this project! The bedspread shown is one I made for my daughter’s bed, along with the headboard (see my article on handmade headboards as well).