Sunday, October 2, 2011

Thoughts on Knitting a Blanket....

Many people have asked me how to knit a blanket so I thought I’d post a blog about it.

Most knitted blankets are simply individual squares all sewn together.
The easiest way is to knit multiple squares in garter stitch with each square knitted in a different colour.
This would be great practice for a newbie knitter and if the blanket was destined for a baby, it wouldn’t take very long.

image from krees.typad.com

I love how the muted colours work so well together and how the knitter has turned certain squares around when sewing up the blanket, to give it a different flow.
Clever.

To experiment a little, you can play around with the size of the squares, use different colours within one square and generally ‘have a play’ with yarns and stitches….

image from knitting4charity.org

Don't these blankets look fab on this fence?

Once you’ve mastered garter stitch the possibilities are endless!
Blanket squares are a great way of learning new stitches.
So now not only can each square be a different colour, but it can also be a different stitch.

image from flintknits.com

In the above blanket the blues and greens work so well together but you could just as easily have each square a complete different colour.

How about a seasonal blanket. This would make a great one for Autumn.....

image from wists.com

A fab resource for blanket squares are the knitting patterns for washcloths of which there are MANY on the internet.
They’re a great way of learning new stitches and learning to work with different colours. Here are a selection….

image from patsknittingandquilting.com
image from faithdarling-dishcloths.buzznet.com
image from salihan.com

There are some wonderful books out there too on knitting blanket squares. Two of my favourites are

200 Knitted Blocks by Jan Eaton

 and

Blankets and Throws by Debbie Abrahams


And as for me, well once I've finished Milly's Blanket I'll be attempting The Great American Aran Afghan which will be quite a project.....

image from theraineysisters.com

Wish me luck!

Knitting blanket squares is fun, creative and very satisfying. Give it a go. You may find hidden abilities that you never knew you had…………..

2 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for your comment on my blog. Love these blanket ideas & the blanket you knitted for Millie is just fabulous! This post of yours is wonderful - full of inspiration & tips - just the kind of thing I could stay up all night reading & planning from! Thank you! E x

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    Replies
    1. Thanks so much Elizabeth. Knitting blankets is such fun. Easy to carry around too because you're only ever carrying one square in your bag! Stitching together can be a pain but the last one I crocheted them together and it was much more exciting! I've just bought a book called Knitting On The Edge by Nicky Epstein and it's full of edging patterns, perfect for blankets! Take care and ENJOY!!! lol x

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