Blanket Knitting - HELP

Hi.

I want to knit a blanket for winter. I started knitting a square. The plan is to knit many squares and then stich them together to make a big blanket. I was wondering whether there are any tips I should put into consideration.

Also is there a particular stich that I should adapt to make a good blanket?

I'm knitting one row and then purling another and so on.

It's really entirely up to you--there are no hard and fast rules. I would recommend doing some sketching and looking through a bunch of library books at different stitch patterns and finishing techniques until you find what suits your taste and style.

Snodgrass99 it seems like if you are planning on doing squares it might be a great opportunity to expand the different stitch patterns you know (as long as check your gauge to make your squares are the same size).

I love the Barbara Walker's books but there are many stitch pattern books out there now. You should also think about patterns that don't have a tendency to roll when finished (stockinette rolls if it doesn't have a border).

You might want to stick with reversible patterns if you want the blanket to look good on both sides.

Garter stitch like you are doing and a basic rib would both work but you might want to branch out into moss stitch or seed stitch.

I agree with Leesylou's suggestion of sketching. It will help you think about how the different stitch patterns will look next to each other.

I'd also avoid yarn over or lace patterns for now if you want it to be a thick cosy blanket because those while lovely will leave "holes" in your blanket.

Oh wow... Good tips!

I am honestly a beginner. My grandmother taught me a long time ago and I forgot most of the stiches pattern but I'll definately look up the books u mentioned.

The problem is that I chose Cash/Wool yarns. They have fine threads in opposed to the chunky fat ones.

I guess the trick is to experiment until I get it right.

Thanks guys!

You may also want to slip the first stitch of each row and purl the last stitch. This makes a more defined edge on the sides and makes it easier to pick up stitches and sew things together. Just add an extra stitch on either side of your pattern when you cast on.

As other people have mentioned, stockinette stitch (knit one row, then purl, for a smooth fabric), tends to curl on the edges if you don't have some sort of border, usually garter stitch (knitting every row).

There are lots of books out there of stitch patterns. You might also want to look into the patterns used by Warm Up America...they do a lot of blankets and such.

Garter stitch (knit every row) makes a fabric with nice thickness, that does not curl at the edges, but it uses up a lot more yarn than most other patterns. Probably not what you want to do with cash/wool. However, a garter stitch border of 2 or 3 stitches on each side can help to make your squares lie flat. Slipping the first stitch on each row, as shadrach suggested, does help when you go to assemble the squares.

this site has free patterns for several different knitted squares that don’t look too difficult. Scroll down for links to directions.

A bunch more patterns here, for squares that should finish to the same size.

Both links came from this site, which has a lot of free patterns in all categories.

Did you buy your yarn locally? If so, your local yarn shop should be willing to help you get started. Many yarn shops now have knit along sessions.

Another thing you could do is join Ravelry. It is a free online community for knitters and crocheters. They have an amazing number of regional groups that schedule regular get togethers.

Shadrach, I'll keep that in mind! I'll look up Warm Up America as well.

Oregon, the sites look interesting! Thanks! Yeah the place I got my yarn from runs a knitting session but the times weren't convenient. Might be a good idea to see if they changed them though.

Read up on grafting techniques if you're sewing blocks together.

If the squares end up not "squaring up," you'll end up with a crooked blanket that you hate. (Personal experience talking here!)

Also recommend crocheting a border around the entire blanket at the end which prevents curling and also blocks the blanket a bit.

nohrt4me, Oh I should avoid ending up with something like that :/

The crocheting sounds useful.

Thanks :)

Oh yes the tip about slipping the first stitch and purling the last stitch is a good one. All Good tips.

If the squares are not coming out quite even you can help them with some gentle blocking but not too much because you still want your blanket to stretch when you are done.

You should look into the Mason-Dixon Knitting book. They have a couple of great blankets: the log cabin and the mitered square. ADDICTIVE!

Try Barbara Walker's Learn to Knit Aghan Book. It gives you many different patterns for squares that are sized to all go together. You'll get experience in knitting different types of squares.