I am not a quilter. I do not draw. I don’t have the best attention to detail.

In the past, I have bought fleece off the bolt, measured it out, cut it, used a special rotary cutter, and did my best to make it look like an acceptable crochet-edged fleece blanket.

The truth is, if I have to measure and cut, if something needs precision, I can’t make it. I’m not a perfectionist. I’m better at building things from the ground up. I can work with pottery and sculpt a little.

Crochet is the same way. I start with yarn, and it becomes something. Each stitch is a little building block. It starts small and builds, and I am only measuring it off the previous line or the previous stitch. In this way, I work my art.

But that doesn’t mean crochet-edged blankets are out. I saw a blog post recently that made me give it a second try. I had already purchased a couple fleece blankets from Walmart at Christmastime with the idea that I could crochet on the pre-edged blanket. The blog post solidified that idea.

I already owned Around the Corner Crochet Borders by Edie Eckman, so I flipped through the book until I found one that would work.

For my first blanket, I chose Border #93 and some Red Heart Ombré in Spearmint. Teal might not be a normal choice with cheetah print, but my gamble turned out.

The four rounds took me about 5 hours to complete and used about 3/4 of the skein of yarn. The blanket cost $2.50 and is a good size—50”x60”. With its new edging, you’d never guess the blanket came from the bargain bin.

With the border, the blanket measures 55” x 65”. The fleece is thin, but plenty warm. All in all, it was a total success.

It was such a success that I decided to give it another try. This time I chose a plain gray blanket and some bright pink yarn in Impeccable by Loops & Threads. Using Border #117 from the same book, the blanket was again transformed.

Again, it’s the simplicity that makes it beautiful.

If you need to make a personal, homemade gift, but don’t have much time, this is the perfect option. The materials are inexpensive, but the blankets will “wow.”

Both blankets are available for purchase here and here. Everything on this site ships for $5 in the continental United States.