Since we moved into our house 2 years ago, my daughter has wanted a knitted blanket. Our new house is indeed very old (built in 1900’s) and it’s colder than in the appartment we lived before, which was much older (1850’s!) but heated also by our neighbors.
But a blanket is huge and means lots of time and work. Like all of you, I want to knit many things in winter – often much more than I can -, and I selfishly avoided saying Yes last season.
But this winter, we had a couple of cold waves from Northern Europe – brrr! – and I had to admit that she needed a blanket.
So I got drawing blankets. I first imagined a blanket with equal-sized color squares, like a patchwork, but joined seamlessly, first in a very ordinary yet safe white-blue-grey combo, then in a much brighter white-blue-grey-coral-mustard one. Playing with the last combination, I also drew a blanket with squares of various sizes, and this is the version my daughter chose, in spite of my strong “recommendation” for the patchwork version!
So I needed to calculate all the numbers of rows and stitches between the edges and squares and draw a blueprint, and this is why I’m offering you the pattern 🙂
As I had no idea about the yardage for a blanket, I based on Kex Blanket by Mr. West, which requires 2600 meters, and I hopefully supposed that as this one is mostly in garter stitch, a blanket in Stockinette stitch would need less. I prepared 26 balls of Nepal from Drops (75 meters/82 yds per ball x 26 = 1950 m / 2132 yds!), with 18 white balls.
So I knitted, knitted…
… knitted… and run out of white yarn!
I ended up with 26 white skeins, 5 grey, 2 blue and 1 pink and 1 mustard! And many ends to get rid of!
The blanket is to sleep with, but it has turned out to be a good throw on our (worn) sofa 🙂 It feels soft and squishy and I regret when my daughter takes it back to her bedroom each night.
It can make you drowsy too 🙂
The blanket pattern is available here on my site, free of course!
What a beautiful blanket. I would like to make it but I do not understand the instructions to add the border. What does this mean – With smaller needle and CC1, PU&K 5 sts out of
7 rows along left side = 316 sts. K 11 rows (6 garter
I don’t understand what picking up and knitting 6 sts out of 7 rows means. Aren’t you continuing with the existing stitches but switching color for the border?
Thanks for your help!
Hi Emily,
I haven’t seen your comment until this morning, I’m really sorry for this late reply.
Pick up and knit 5 sts out of 7 rows means, for 7 rows of left side of the blanket, you pick up and knit 5 sts. And yes, the border is knitted in garter stitch with CC1 (=grey yarn).
So concretely, after leaving the blanket body stitches on hold, join CC1 yarn at the top of the left hand side of the blanket, and using smaller needle, *(pick up and knit 1 st for 1 row) 3 times, skip 1 row, (pick up and knit 1 st for 1 row) 2 times, skip 1 row; and repeat from * along the left hand side down to the bottom. And you will pick up 316 total sts.
I hope it helps!