The blanket that ‘makes’ itself

First section of the blanket that joins itself

After my ‘blanket terror‘, I was searching the internet for a self-joining blanket, that is, one with squares that could be joined as you went along, rather than leaving the making up to the end.

I came across instructions on the blog NB Waiouru and have followed their instructions to produce my ‘part blanket’ shown in the image above. The great thing about this blanket is that it is really quick and neat, with lots of scope for different designs.

Here is the design of what I intend to knit. There are four parts with complementary colour patterns. I think I will put a border around each part, but I’m not sure what colour border yet. Note the lovely ridges in each square, which makes an attractive pattern and also gives the blanket some strength and helps it to hold its shape.

I thought I would help out with some more photos and diagrams to show others how to make this blanket, because it can get a little confusing! I’ll put the instructions on a couple of blog posts over the next few weeks.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE FIRST ROW OF SQUARES:

Materials

8 ply or DK/Light worsted yarn—a soft acrylic is best for both comfort and durability
4mm knitting needles

Abbreviations

k  knit
sts  stitches
sl  slip the stitch
ktbl  knit through the back loop of the stitch
k3tog  knit 3 stitches together

To make

First square: Cast on 49 sts. (You can cast on any odd number of sts. 49 sts makes a square of approx 10-12 cm)

1st row: Knit to end

NOTE: In every subsequent row (until you finish the square) sl the 1st stitch and ktbl on every last stitch. This creates neat edges on each square, making it easier to pick up stitches to join the squares.

2nd row: K 23 sts, k3tog, k23 sts

Next and every odd row: Knit

4th and every even row: Knit in the same pattern as row 2, but reduce the number of stitches knitted either side of the k3tog by 1 each row. So:

• the 4th row is K 22 sts, k3tog, k22 sts
• the 6th row is K 21 sts, k3tog, k21 sts
• the 8th row is K 20 sts, k3tog, k20 sts
• and so on.

Continue in this manner until one stitch is left. Change your colour in readiness for the second square.

Second square: Knit the one stitch with your new colour. Pick up 24 sts along the left-hand side of this stitch. NOTE: there are different ways to pick up stitches. My way is to poke the needle in through holes underneath the edge. Good instructions for picking up stitches along a garter stitch sample here.

Continue along to the left and cast on 24 sts (makes 49 sts in total). Knit one row. Commence instructions above at 2nd row.

That’s it for the first row of squares! Just keep repeating these instructions for the length you require. In my pattern there are five squares in the first row. Below there are some images of the work in progress.

1.

2.

3.

4.

1. First square in progress.  2. First square complete.  3. Picked up stitches for second square. 4. Cast on stitches = 49 sts for second square

5.

6.

7.

8.

5. Second square complete.  6. Picked up and cast on stitches for third square. 7. Picked up and cast on stitches for fourth square. 8. Picked up and cast on stitches for fifth square.

Go to The blanket that ‘makes’ itself Part 2