SIMPLE & EASY Crochet Border Patterns for Any Project

Don’t let crochet blanket borders intimidate you. Here are some simple and easy crochet border patterns that are great for any project. It’s the easiest part of your entire blanket design, using basic stitches every beginner will know. These free crochet patterns will be for borders only with links to free patterns and will add the perfect finishing touch to your next project.

Lately I’ve really been working through my WIP projects and finishing them one by one. Lots of weaving tails for granny squares and adding one row crochet border patterns to blankets and table toppers. I’ll share these simple border ideas from my crochet projects with you in today’s post with step-by-step instructions for each. Once you see how easy borders can be, you will be creating your very own unique design.

Adding Border to The Sides

Now if you are new to crochet, you want to know how to crochet on the sides of your project where the stitches aren’t as defined. The trick is you won’t work in a stitch but work in the space. Some spaces will require more than one stitch to even out the border. If the space is super large, three stitches may be needed and so on. You want your work to lay flat in most cases. If you work isn’t laying flat, that means you have too many border stitches in that space. I’m referring just to the sides of your blanket or project. 

Edging vs. Border

Another question you may have is what’s the difference between crochet edging and crochet border. Crochet borders are used for blankets and afghans mostly. Edging is used for projects where you add a crochet border onto fabric project. Examples would be kitchen towels, pillowcases, bath and hand towels, or even to a quilt! They are basically the same thing, adding a finished look to a project. 

It’s important to note that when adding a crochet edge to a fabric project, you will need to punch through the fabric to make holes for your stitches or use a needle and to a blanket stitch. I actually bought a new blade for my rotary cutter to punch holes into fabric. I don’t like it very much. It’s hard to use and the hole aren’t visible. A thread needles in a larger size and using the blanket stitch is what I’m going to try. Once you do this blanket stitch, you can crochet into it to begin your edging.

Borders are fun!

After you have been crocheting for a while, you will realize how forgiving crochet borders are. I usually make mine up for each project but there are a handful that are my go to borders for a baby blanket or afghan. Even a basic slip stitch can add such a beautiful effect on a ruffled border when you use a contrasting color of yarn. The border should tie back into the overall colors and look of your crochet project.

So next time you are making a crochet border, don’t stress over the corners or working perfectly into stitches. You can make do and no one will even notice. Use different colors for a double or triple border depending on how dramatic you want it to look. You just need basic crochet skills that every beginner should already know: slip stitch, single crochet, double crochet, half double crochet, and extended single crochet.

Make sure you check this out!

Are you an absolute beginner and you want to learn crochet? After you read this post, make sure you check out Learn To Crochet for Absolute Beginner’s. It’s jam packed with even more information, links and resources that are so helpful when you’re first learning. It also has a section with free patterns that are great for beginners. So make sure you check this out, seriously don’t forget!

Grab the Shell Stitch Afghan crochet pattern, my free gift to you when you subscribe to my newsletter. Click the link below for your copy.

Easy Crochet Borders – Crochet Stitch Patterns

Want to know the best crochet stitch for a border? Most borders will start with a single crochet border around the entire blanket or afghan. It creates a nice even edge to all sides of your blanket so you can start with one of the crochet designs. My popular choice is probably the shell stitch border made with clusters of double crochet stitches. But you can decide what’s your go to border because everyone is different. Let’s go.

There will always be one corner that isn’t exactly the same as the others, and that’s ok! There’s no crochet police. We will start with the easiest borders first. I’ll link projects to each that have a full free pattern and tutorial for all my examples if you need more help. You got this!

Simple Edge

Crochet Dishcloth

The slip stitch border is the most basic simple edge design you can make. It’s a simple way to give your project a uniform edge. Perfect for a dishcloth, hot pad or washcloth. Just slip stitch around the entire project. 

Crab Stitch Border

I don’t have a tutorial on this but the crab stitch is a backwards single crochet stitch. Instead of placing your crochet hook into the next chain, you place your hook into the chain behind your working chain. Insert hook into the chain to the right of your current CH, yarn over and pull through. Repeat all the way around but working backwards, don’t forget placing 3 crab stitches into all the corners. 

Ruffled Borders

There are several ways to get a ruffled border but it typically involves adding an extra stitch. By cramming more stitches into a space, the yarn will ruffle. Here are two ways to make this border.

Staggered Stitch Baby Blanket

To make the ruffled border you will be crocheting around the edge of the entire blanket so on the shorter sides (height) you will have stitches to insert your hook into but you will need to insert your hook on the longer sides (length) into the edge making your own row. Make one single crochet then chain one, single crochet, chain one, repeat until you get to the end then slip stitch. The extra stitch after your single crochet stitch causes the ruffle.

Change yarn to a new color but this time you only have to single crochet in each stitch, slip stitch when you get to the first stitch of that color. Change colors and repeat until done. I only used four colors because I didn’t have enough mustard (yellow) yarn to make it all around. 

Moss Stitch Baby Blanket

SC around the entire blanket, working 3 SC into each corner. Place 4 DC in the first CH, skip the next CH, SC in the following CH. Repeat this around the entire blanket until done. Fasten off and weave in any remaining ends with a yarn needle.

Shell Stitch Borders

Striped Baby Blanket

With blue yarn, SC around the blanket on all four sides. Please 3 SC in all four corners so you will have a nice rounded border on the corners. Change to white yarn on last stitch. (White Yarn) Place 5 DC in first stitch, skip 1 stitch, SC in next stitch, skip 1 stitch. Repeat all around the border until you get to the end. SL ST into the first SC from previous row. Tie off, weave tails and trim.

Charlotte’s Baby Blanket

I made a blanket during the start of COVID lockdown. All the stores were closed and I was bored and working from home. I started crocheting anything with yarn from my stash. I made this cute border pop by doing 3 rounds.

First round is SC around blanket, 3 SC in the corners. Second round was shell stitch – 5 DC in same stitch, skip stitch, SC repeat. Third round was using a contrasting color and SL ST around the shell stitches. It was stunning. Looks different on the front and on the back, super easy to do. This blanket is pictures in the Shell Afghan post.

Granny Stripe Border

Sunburst Granny Square Blanket

1. Join any color yarn and work a traditional granny square blanket border but placing 3 DC + CH 2 + 3 DC in all corners and 3 DC in each space with no CH in between the 3 DC clusters.
2. When adding the border over square corners that are in the middle of the blanket, add a CH 1 in between the 3 DC clusters. This will give you room for your granny stitch on the next round of your border. Our granny square blanket has 3 rounds in the border but you can opt for no border or as many rounds as you want.
3. Once the border is finished, tie off with CH 1 and pull yarn through. Cut yarn.
4. Weave in the tails (the loose ends) with yarn needle.

Granny Square Table Topper

Same steps as above using the JAYG method. Join-as-you-go is the easiest way to join granny squares, plus it creates it’s own border. Now you can make the border larger but going around the entire project again or use another border combination from this list of resources.

Even Crochet Blanket Border:

Bobble Baby Blanket

SC around the border of the entire blanket. Insert 2 extra SC STS in all corners. DC around the border of the entire blanket. Insert 2 extra DC STS in all corners. SL ST into the first SC stitch from previous row. Tie off, weave tails and trim. 

Bobble Afghan

This is my most used and loved afghan, the pictures in my post don’t do it justice. My husband was having surgery on his foot and I was mindlessly crocheting with scrap yarn while hanging out in his hospital room. Literally making it up and just giving me something to do. It’s the perfect size and will be your families favorite too! Also a great teenager blanket, a follow up to their baby blanket!

3 SC in first corner stitch. SC around all four sides for the first round of the border. Add 3 SC on each corner. Round two: 3 DC in firm corner stitch. DC in each stitch on all four sides for the last round of the border. Add 3 DC in each corner. This will ensure the afghan lays flat and won’t curl up at the corners. Tie off when done and weave in tails with

Square Pillow Cover and Candy Cane Neck Roll Pillow

Whenever I make crochet pillow covers, I will make a front and back panel, then sew them together with a SC border. 

Unique Borders

​Classic Shell Afghan

Round 1: Start off with a SC border around the entire blanket by placing SC STS around all four sides, working 3 SC in each corner. Rounds 2: DC in each ST around entire blanket, working 3 DC in each corner stitch. Round 3: DC in the back chain only, working 3 DC in each corner in the back CH only. Round 4: SC in first ST, skip 1 ST, 7 DC in next stitch, skip 1 ST, SC next stitch. Repeat around entire blanket, do not place extra STS in the corners. Fasten off and weave in tails.

Granny Stitch Blanket

This is a modified version used in the Shell Afghan but has one less round of DC STS. You could add a granny stitch border but using the same repeat from the blanket and applying it to the border. See the Sunburst Granny Square Blanket instructions up above for this pattern.

One Last Tip

The last question that most beginners have is how to handle the last couple of stitches to complete a border pattern. When you are doing a shell stitch and you need to skip a chain and work a finish shell stitch but don’t have room here’s what you do.

Modify your pattern and either place two shell stitches and remove that SC in between. This gives your corner a ruffled effect with more shell stitches rather than getting that SC ST but not having room for that final shell stitch. Or you can omit the shell stitch and skip 2 SC to get you over to the first shell stitch. Then SL ST into the first chain of the first shell stitch you made for the border.

Sew Nikki Resources

TUTORIALS

MORE FREE PATTERNS

SAVE THIS PIN FOR LATER!

This post contains ads and affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. While these ads are annoying, it helps pay for this free resource. See my full disclosure here.

ABOUT SEW NIKKI

If this is your first time stopping by, welcome! My name is Nikki. I’m a crochet pattern designer and weekend quilter with a super small sewing space. I taught myself how to sew and quilt by watching YouTube videos! My blog has How-To’s, Free Patterns and Pattern Reviews. Read more about me here.

Borders are a personal preference as you will soon see. There are borders that I find myself repeating a lot because they make baby blankets look adorable. Or that go to border for afghans or even joining granny squares. There is no right answer when it comes to the perfect border. Experiment, have fun and improvise to get your stitches to fit.

Adding borders is the perfect way to test out new stitches are designs. It’s a great way to learn how to modify your stitch pattern to fit into the final corner of the border too. 

Feel free to share your finished projects in the comments below or tag me on social media! I can’t wait to see your work!

Follow me on social media (Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter) so you get notifications when I post new patterns and tutorials. 

Want to learn how to quilt? Then check out this post, Learn How to Quilt for Absolute Beginner’s.

Sew, quilt, crochet and repeat!