8-Bit Mario Blanket - Made from Granny Squares

This blanket is made 100% of crocheted granny squares.  To follow this instructable, you must be able to crochet a granny square.  If you have never made one, they are not difficult, please see my previous instructable here.  If you have never crocheted before, start here.

Required Supplies:
 - 1 crochet hook, size H8/5mm (nearly any size will work, this is just what I used)
 - 4 skeins of Red Heart Super Saver, Blue
 - 2 skeins of Red Heart Super Saver, Brown
 - 2 Skeins of Red Heart Super Saver, Tan
 - 3 Skeins of Red Heart Super Saver, Red
 - 1 Large Sewing Needle

Total cost - approximately $25.00 (USD)

Step 1 Planning the project

The first step to making this blanket is to thoroughly plan out your work.  Download this spreadsheet for a detailed layout.  You can edit this to your liking. 

It is a good idea to buy all of the yarn at once.  You never know when the store may run out of a needed color and not restock.  You can buy Red Heart Super Saver yarn at most places, such as Wal-Mart, Hobby Lobby, Michael's, and more.

Comments

[mmorales13]

Just started working on a Legend of Zelda blanket. I didn't really like the way 8bit Link looks so I actually found a perler bead interpretation of Windwaker Link, which made it easy to convert into pixels. I'm basically recreating the image exactly, but I'm using granny squares in place of perler beads.

Unfortunately, the detail means I'm going to be using thirteen colors and each square has to be tiny. About 1.75 inches. Otherwise it would be ridiculously huge at 1353 total squares. It's going to be amazing. I'm making it for my boyfriend and I can't wait to see his face when he gets it. I really wanted to do something that would blow his mind for Christmas since his deployment is coming up and when I saw this 8 bit Mario blanket I knew he'd love a Zelda version. Just hope I can finish in time >.<

[animemangaluver]

About how many granny squares does one skein make? I'd like to make a blanket with my own design but it would be great to get a better idea of how much yarn I'll need for each colour first.

[khu1]

Try making a few granny squares with some scrap yarn laying around that's the same gauge as the yarn you're planning to use. Unravel them and see what your average length is. You can then compare to how many yards are in each skein. Each type of yarn is different, and so is each crochet-er. Some people crochet more tightly than others and so they use less yarn and end up with a smaller, tighter product. The best way to figure it out is through experience, trial and error. Hope this has helped!

[khu1]

Hi, I'm making a Pikachu version, and I'd like to post my "key" for anybody who would like to do the same. It's a 22 x 21 granny square pattern, so it has 462 squares altogether and is quite large and almost square. However, I just adore Pokemon (always have and always will) and I had to do it!!

Keep in mind that this isn't the original 8-bit Pikachu. I've altered his ears slightly!!

[jscalese]

Hello,

I was wondering if you could send me the pattern...I would love to make this for my son for his birthday....
[e-mail]

[khu1]

I just e-mailed it to you. Good luck!

[jazzinmarch]

oh no!!
I JUST finished my Mario blanket and came on here to post... and doesn't my son see this 8-bit Pikachu and want me to make it for him!!!
ha, not on his life!
Maybe for a wedding present in 20 years??? lol
Looks like a great project as well :)

[khu1]

Haha, after having made only the body of Pikachu (still working on making all the blue granny squares) I can totally relate!!

[Katw26]

I love this instructable! So awesome, I started one of link, but I was wondering if you could possibly map out yoshi for me please

[asuominen]

I am going to start this one!! I have been wanting to figure out a blanket for my youngest, Aiden, who will be turning 6 on October 21st. This will be perfect!!!! I have made my oldest a Star Wars afghan,, and have two more of those I need to do...........but I need to get busy on this Mario one. I got out all the yarn and don't have any skin color yarn, so that will be on my shopping list.

[bsladek]

how long did this take ?

[jazzinmarch]

I finally can post to say "thank you"!!!
Just finished mine in Knit squares, instead of crocheted, thanks for the idea!!!
I never want to knit a square again!!!
I have requests coming from my son's friends and cousins for me to make them one... to which I have to decline!

[russm313]

LOL, I know what you mean about never wanting to make another square. But, it passes. I've made many more since then. I also have declined many requests :) Would love to see some pictures of the blanket you made.

Are you on ravelry?

[jazzinmarch]

So funny - I was JUST editing my info on ravelry! I haven't been on in a while, but since I finished my blanket - I'm looking for a new project! Same username there as well :)
Looking for a new project... oh, I'm funny. Maybe I should use the bags of yarn I already have in my stash first, right? My husband will roll his eyes if I don't finish his sweater-jacket for the fall! I'm making a Hudson Bay striped sweater for him. Basically Ivory, with 4 big horizontal stripes - dark blue, red, yellow and green.

[russm313]

I added you as a friend on ravelry :)

No one ever uses the yarn they have stashed...that's why stashes grow exponentially!

the sweater sounds very nice. Have fun picking a new project. I'm working on a Mario themed pillow for one of my sons right now. I'll have pictures on ravelry when it's done.

nice talking to you. Take care,
Russ

[glogirl]

Just over 2 weeks late, I finally finished my son's Christmas present. Yippee. He loved it. Thank-you so much for this pattern.

[jazzinmarch]

That's the colour pattern I did for my son as well - I showed him different variation colours and that's what he chose :) Looks great!!

[twagner-1]

This is awesome. great job

[glogirl]

Thank you very much!

[russm313]

That is awesome! Great work!

[glogirl]

Thank-you so much!

[aarnold6]

hopefully you will get this, I was just wondering if you would possibly be able to make a chart for me with Luigi or the mario star or the brown mushroom, I looked at the other images you had and I can't figure out how to chart them, My son would absolutely freak out if I made him one of these... If you could help that would be great!
Thanks!

[30stmgirl]

i m not an expert but can t you just switch red by green to have Luigi?

[dlindsey1]

I would love to give this a try, I have twin boys... do you have a Luigi pattern and maybe a princess one. When my kids saw this blanket one asked me if I could make it and the other one asked where Luigi was... they both thought they were really cool.

[autley]

I loved making this, I used a 5.00mm hook and I did 5 rounds on each square. That made the blanket large enough to comfortably cover a king size bed. Thanks for the amazing instructable! :D

[poofrabbit]

This is so cool! I'm going to see if I can do it myself, I'm very VERY excited! Thanks for the great instructable!

[T-Riz]

Do you know what the yardage is for a skein of the yarn you used? I'd love to make this, but would like to support my local yarn store, which doesn't carry Red Heart.

Thanks!

[cshreve]

A standard skein of Red Heart is 364 yards, though I don't think that you end up using the entirety of all the skeins listed. If you are going to buy something of a different yardage, I might try buying one skein, seeing how many squares you can make with it, then buying the rest of the yarn you think you'll need according to your findings. :)

[cshreve]

This is amazing! Your instructable has helped me so much with the construction of the granny square Link blanket I'm making for my boyfriend. :D I'm having a bit of difficulty figuring out how exactly to sew the point where four squares are joined at the corner, though, and was wondering if there was any way that you could post a picture a close-up of one of these joinings? That would be really awesome and very much appreciated. :)

[Ladyofevilness]

I love love love this! I just started today and have been following your videos. Until I got to where you left off then things started to look nothing like a square. So I undid everything up to where the video stopped. Now I'm kind of stuck. I guess since it's my first time doing a project not having a video three messed me up.

[sandra05]

Wow. Thankyou for sharing this pattern. I have just done one with trucks and cars for my Grandson insmaller squares from a pattern book and I have taken to this type of crochet. I really enjoyed making it like a patchwork so when I came across your site I was vey happy as my eldest son (29) loves mario and I have been trying to make blankets for my children as a keepsake. So I think I will enjoy this one. As I live in Australia I will have to organise different wool etc but as it is done to whatever size I should have no problem I love that you just used a granny square. I will attach a picture of my truck one for you.

[russm313]

that is very cool!

[Iridium7]

 I am going to make one with mega man!

[russm313]

Awesome!  I would love to see pictures.  Did you see the mega man on my other spreadsheet?

[Iridium7]

 you made another spread sheet? where?

[russm313]

In step 6, there is a link for it.  You can also click here.

[twagner-1]

just looked at this link...so many new ideas. i cant even imagine where to begin after the one up mushroom

[rndmnova]

great stuff! how do you chart it out in excel? Id like to chart a few other mario items (like the 1 up mushroom). And also just for other items. my roommate is a HUGE Domo fan (which i dont think would be too hard, but id rather chart it out). I started out knitting so its taking me time to learn crocheting, but get instructables

[twagner-1]

if you need help with the one up mushroom, i am making one now and used the mario excel and a picture of an 8 bit mushroom to help me make it. if you need the spreadsheet let me know

[rndmnova]

*great :)