SUPER Super Mario Crochet Granny Sqaure Blanket

Hi ppl!
First off this wasn't originally my idea. Don't know who first came up with it. This idea was found scrolling thru Pinterest. I saw someone make one similar and I thought... I can do that! Second, I don't own Mario... Duh lol. Third, this blanket is so massive because I never made a sample square and tried to measure so that the blanket was large enough to cover a King size bed. Wellllllllll it's bigger. Haha, my oops made for a fun surprise. Overall this took me about three months to make with a lot of my free time spent making Granny Squares! It also took me about 2 weeks to get all the final squares together. I think that's important to mention, cause if you are like me, you don't leave enough time for finishing. Enjoy!

Oh crochet level 4/10 - general knowledge and skills required, but more time consuming then anything else

Step 1: Supplies

I used Red Heart Super Saver Yarn cause it comes in multiple colors, widely available in my area, and little less expensive then some other brands.
I followed the yarns instructions and used an I-5.5 hook
Darning needle - one of those big not sharp sewing needles to cleanup tails and sew all the squares together.
Scissors
Pixel Mario picture turned into a pattern
Lots of space to lay this all out lol
Time and patience...

Step 2: Pattern

I pulled a picture of Pixel Mario from the web. You could technically do this with any pixel character.... Luigi, Yoshi, Kirby, pokemon.... Anything that you can find pixelated. One trick I found helpful is to use those popular Perler Bead Patterns. Kandi Patterns (no affiliations or anything with them) is a great place to get fan made patterns, plus they have a pattern maker as well. One square equals one Granny square. That's what makes these patterns so easy to follow.

Step 3: Granny Squares

Basic Granny Square Pattern I used:
Terms:
dc- double crochet
R - round/row
Ch- chain
Sl st- slip stitch
St- stitch
Cluster - 3 double crochet (same as dc cluster)

Fyi I left long tails so I could weave them back into the blanket. (One from the Start and from the End)
R1: Magic Ring, Ch up 2 (counts as 1st dc), dc2, ch2 * dc3, ch2, repeat from * 2 more times, sl st into 1st St.
R2: continue in ch2 space, Ch up 2 (1st dc made) 2dc, *skip DC cluster to the next ch2 & then dc3, ch2, dc3, repeat from * 2 more times, then to complete 1 cluster, ch2 & sl st to join 1st St.
R3: continue in ch2 space, Ch up2 (1st dc made) dc2 *skip DC cluster, make 1 DC cluster between clusters of previous row. Then in next ch2 space; 1dc cluster, ch2, 1 dc cluster, repeat from* 2 more times. Complete 1st corner; 1 dc cluster, ch2 & sl st to join to 1st DC.
R4: repeat R3
R5: repeat R3, after sl st finish off leaving a really long tail to weave, cut yarn and start the next square!

Step 4: Assembly

Collect all squares by color. It's actually easiest to crochet one color at a time. Then lay out your pattern as it will look when finished. I went row by row, left to right and crocheted each square across. I used the left over tails to crochet one square to the next. I didn't just start crocheting the whole blanket together just in case I had one square in the wrong place. This made things easier to pull out and try again. Once all squares were done across, then I crocheted the rows together. If you left long enough tail from the middle (where you first started your squares), then you can weave that tail up to the top eadge of your square and sew the edges together. If not, weave in that middle tail and tie off. Then take a length of yarn that matches the square you are working with (don't worry if you are sewing a light blue square to a black square, you won't notice it.) And attach that with a knot and sew the two edges together.
All you are doing is going under one set of stitches and coming up thru the other sides set of stitches, until those two squares become one.

Step 5: Double, Triple Check, and Finished!

Check for any loose ends or loose threads. If you find any just use your darning needle to hide and tie it off. When you are sure everything is sewn together and complete... This is a big one.... lift up your blanket holding the top and lift straight up. This will help you check that all rows are sewn together. I did this the night before Christmas Eve and my blanket split in half!! I didn't get to give my friends their blanket until New Years Eve! (I know it sucked!) So trust me when I say leave more time for finishing and for checking!

I like to wash my blankets (depending on what the yarn wrapper says you can do) before I give them away. It insures that the blanket is clean (duh) and that if any threads will come loose, you will be able to spot them first and hide anything away. This is up to you. It's not necessary. I would push for it, if you are giving the blankets to babies or little kids. It lets the parents know that it's safe to wash and whatnot. Whatever you choose to do when giving away the blanket also give away one (or more depending on the different brands of yarn you used) of the yarn wrappers. This lets the recipient know how to wash according to the yarns preferences. I always make a note out of it and circle the wash instructions for the recipient.

And that's it! Enjoy! Like I stated before when I first made this I didn't measure or make a gauge pattern. I knew the general size I wanted (King blanket 108x80") but that's all I knew. lol. You could probably do the math and make smaller Granny Squares (like three rows instead of five????) Good luck and feel free to share what you made I'd love to see your blanket! :)