I honestly have never finished knitting anything because I always lost interest before I would finish. My family would rather I go out and buy a sweater or blanket than to make one. I met my boyfriend a year and a half ago though and he sees the value in something hand made and I am more inspired now then ever. His baby blanket he has had since birth is starting to fall apart and I’m hoping to make him something else to sleep with.
However, I don’t know where to begin at all… I want to make sure I do everything the right way. He is a Marine and a very big/built man, I want the blanket to actually be big enough and to last a long time. I don’t know what needles to use, what type of yarn, or even a pattern to use. I just know that I want the blocks to be small. I suppose I’m not of much help.
I was trying to post pictures but I am new to these forums and I cannot post any pictures yet. I wanted the blanket to be a basket weave with a knitted border, and small blocks maybe an 1 1/2 to 2 inches?
There are lots of patterns available but here’s one that sounds similar to the blanket you’re describing. You could make the blocks any size that you’d like and it has a nice variation in color but you could do all one color if you prefer.
This yarn looks beautiful and his favorite color is blue. Do you think that this yarn is, I guess, sturdy enough for a big blanket like that? I don’t know anything about yarn, I just want the blanket to last a long time. I’m really not sure how many I would need to buy either.
I think that should work. The yarn used for the pattern (Caron’s Simply Soft) is knit on a larger needle to get the 16sts/4" gauge so you may wind up using a smaller needle with the Wintuk depending on how tightly you knit. Try a swatch to make sure you get close to the correct gauge.
The pattern calls for 3045yds and the Wintuk is 130yds/skein so you’d need about 24 skeins. Good luck with the afghan!
Clovers are good needles. You should be able to get them from Joanne Fabrics if you don’t want to pay shipping and handling. Is Wintuk yarn still around? That was a favorite back in the 1970’s. I saw an old retro tv show from the 70’s last week. A sign advertising yarn was in the background. Sayelle yarn was 79 cents a skein.
I’m knitting a baby blanket right now with a thermal stitch pattern that’s very easy to do. Knit one row, purl one row, k2 p2 for two rows. Repeat the four rows for the pattern. Looks great on both sides and very thick for a Marine he man like you have.
Well, as pretty as the Wintuk yarn is it’s a bit too expensive for me. I guess I need to start looking for more yarn. I use Amazon because I have a Prime account and shipping is free so it’s a lot less expensive.
Oh! Edit: Do you have a picture of that blanket? It sounds beautiful, just need a picture to go with the thought.
Wool will shrink unless you use Superwash wool, which can be expensive. My church recommends Red Heart yarn or Simply Soft for ease in washing. Your Marine will want to put it in the washer with his uniforms. Look for yarn with no dye lots. My favorite acrylic that’s economical yet soft is Caron One Pound, no dye lots. You can maybe make it in Marine colors, I think they’re red and royal blue but you’d have to ask your guy. Another manly alternative would be Red Heart yarn in a camoflage print.
I used a 10 1/2 needle and cast on 100 stitches for the baby blanket. You’ll probably want about 200. You can go up to a size 13 so it doesn’t take you forever. This cast on is a multiple of four stitches for the k2p2 ribbing. Get the longest circular you can find so your stitches aren’t crowded. You can cast on 16 stitches and do a test swatch to see how it comes out.
Okay so, I just got my yarn and the needle in the mail today. I didn’t realize how thin the yarn was! I just need to make my own pattern now and I’m just not sure how.
First, get to know your yarn… CO about 20 sts and work a couple inches with various needles, 8 9 and 10, see what it looks like in both garter and stockinette stitches. Then determine which needle you like best with it and how many sts per inch you get. Multiply that times the width measurement you want and cast on.
Well, I only have 1 pair of circular needles and they’re size 10. I’m just not sure how big I want the blocks to be, I was thinking k15 (border), k6, p6. I just don’t want to mess up the blanket because I’ll be too embarrassed to give it to my boyfriend.
That’s why you practice with a small sample of the pattern; start with about 5 rows of knit then k5 for a border, k6 p6 k6 p6 k5. Work it for about 12 or 15 rows, see how it looks. I will say I think 15 sts might be a little wide for an edge, 10 ought to be enough.
The only way to find out is to cast on some sts and as Sue says, see if you like it. Try casting on 24 sts and k6, p6, k6, p6 and that should give you an idea of gauge and the look of the pattern you’re considering. It’s worth the time now to knit a swatch rather than guess.
I got this pattern from a sweater but used it for the blanket. This site shows what the stitch looks like. They don’t show the back of it, but that’s even prettier.