Crocheting a Blanket from Granny Squares Yourself

Hi everyone!
I’ve been thinking that maybe it’s time to stop this “crochet and rip out” phase and actually make something I’d like to keep—and that’s also useful.
So I figured a really big, super cozy blanket made from lots and lots of granny squares might be just the thing.
There are tons of patterns for granny squares, including right here on CP.
I’m sure I’ll find something nice there that I can easily crochet.
I do have a few questions about the technical details, though.

Since the granny squares are all supposed to be roughly the same size—otherwise it’ll be a hassle to sew them together and it’ll look messy and lopsided—do I need to count stitches? Or is it enough if I just place each square on top of the others I’ve already made and then roughly check to see if the size works out?
I’m not really a fan of counting stitches, so if there’s an easier way, I’d prefer that.
I was just thinking I could crochet the granny squares so that I use up one skein of yarn—about 50 m per square—because then I won’t have to start weaving in ends in the middle of a square. And that way, they should all turn out roughly the same size. I’ve gotten pretty good at crocheting evenly by now. At least with relatively simple things, like crocheting in rows.

And then I have one more question
: Does it make sense to sketch out a sort of plan on a piece of paper beforehand, considering the blanket’s overall size and the color distribution?
Because if I find several granny square patterns that I like, I could also imagine combining them.
Or would it be overkill to approach this with a plan?
Do you make a plan?
Or do you just start with a few granny squares that form the center of the blanket, so to speak, and then crochet a few more squares here and there as you feel like it?

And when it comes to sewing
the squares together for a blanket, is it better to sew them together with a sewing needle, or can you crochet them together in this case?
Is it better to use slip stitches, or would crocheting them together with single crochet stitches also be an option?
I just wouldn’t like it if I used single crochet stitches—that might create a sort of mini-ridge along the edges of each square.
So would it be better to join them with slip stitches?
Sewing isn’t really my thing, although I think sewing them together with a darning needle would be faster.

You probably have to plan for the yarn needed to join them beforehand, otherwise you won’t have enough left for joining or crocheting. I think it’ll take one or two skeins, depending on how big the blanket turns out to be.

I just figure I’d like it to match color-wise, so I’m almost tempted to buy all the yarn in advance.
And it’s supposed to be a big blanket, after all. As for the pattern, I figured that using single crochet in the granny squares would take forever. So I should include double crochet stitches too, so I’m not stuck working on this until 2046.
Are double crochet stitches even suitable for blankets?
Would you use single crochet or double crochet for blankets? Or does it not make much of a difference?
As you can see, I have quite a few questions and would really appreciate it if anyone could share their thoughts.
If you’ve ever crocheted a blanket with granny squares, I’d love it if you could write a little something about your experience.

I’m also sort of considering whether I should just crochet the entire blanket with double crochets—row by row—and skip the squares altogether.
But I figure that would get pretty difficult at some point and also be a hassle to keep track of.
On the other hand, I wouldn’t have to sew anything together.
Still, I think a blanket is something I could actually see myself finishing. Because, you know, counting stitches and all that, plus constantly switching techniques and such—that’s just not really my thing.

What kind of yarn is actually best for a blanket? I could see myself wanting to wash it in the washing machine on the wool cycle sometime.
With wool detergent, of course, and it shouldn’t felt if possible.
You need a lot of yarn for a blanket, so I’d rather not go broke doing this. So, definitely not 6 euros per skein with a 50-meter length.
I’ll have to see where I can get good yarn that isn’t too expensive.

So, I’d appreciate it if you could share your thoughts on this.

It depends on how many colors you want to use.
I’ve crocheted some with 3 colors and just swapped the colors around. I kept track of the rows—for example, 4 rows per color. I crocheted them together at the end. You can find a photo in my album under “Self-made.” One is blue, one has a red background.
http://muschele.magix.net

@Bastelhilde
wow, you really are/were hardworking and creative.

I’m still not sure about the colors, whether I’d rather have something in different shades of blue or something more “lively” with red, orange, and yellow.
calming blue and something lively in yellow-red-orange are just two very different things. and it’s supposed to be a big blanket. :)

@ mützekatze, try Googling “granny square blanket.” You’ll find inspiration galore ;)
Have a great weekend
Petra

Thanks for the tip, dear Petra :)
There are some really pretty things in the Google Images search
https://laureus.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/img_0453.jpg
I think that’s really pretty, but I’m not even sure whether it’s a rug or a blanket.
But there’s definitely a lot of work in it, because the squares are relatively small too, as far as I can tell.
So you’d have to sew a lot together.
The color combination isn’t really my thing, but that’s just a matter of taste.
I love the border around it. It looks as if a very diligent person crocheted all the way around the full length and width several times.
That’s really great. Pictures need a frame, and a blanket made of squares naturally needs a border too; I hadn’t really thought of that before.
I think that crocheting around the whole thing again also stabilizes it - could that be right? Or is that not necessary at all?

So this is what it looks like before sewing it together, though I think it’s by a different designer.
https://myliestrickt.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/blog1.jpg
Kind of like a big jigsaw puzzle,
and then the cat comes along and throws everything into disarray.
I can definitely imagine that happening.
In the preview image, I thought it might be crocheted in an openwork pattern.
But since I want my blanket to be warm too, I don’t think an openwork pattern is for me. Otherwise there’d be a draft through it, and that won’t do if I want to snuggle up in it. :)

Somehow, there are quite a lot of granny squares with that kind of openwork or shell pattern.
I really need to look for a crochet pattern with fewer holes in the design.
Or are squares just always fairly "airy" like that?

Wow, the people in Google Images are really hardworking. You really have to put a lot of time and patience into something like that.
I’d like to have that too, or at least try it out.

 

Well, there are some nice ones here.

Wow, so many things I haven’t even thought about yet!
I’ll get started on planning then :D

Regards, Virginia