Hello! I’ve been looking on this forum for a while, but am still a relative beginner. I taught myself the basics by watching on-line tutorials and have only knitted 3 scarves with solid colour stripes (using the garter stitch) so far.
Now I’m going to tackle knitting a throw blanket with a Union Flag pattern from a rough pattern that I found on-line (basically a picture of said flag with blocks indicating how many stitches per colour/row). 
I have already attempted this once and had to scrap what i had done (about 20 rows) as my colour changing techniques where not the best. 
Doing a bit more research perhaps the intarsia method is the preferred method to change colours in this type of project (?). Also, is the garter stitch the best way to knit a blanket like this or should I go with another stitch? I have found size 10 needles that are attached with 42 inches of chord and I’m using a yarn that about twice a thick as your average yarn. I have also included the PDF file of the pattern I found. I’m planning on doubling the stitches in the rows and tripling the number of rows. Am I biting off more than I can chew?
Thanks and much love for an advice. 
What an interesting project. By average yarn, do you mean worsted weight? Average is a perception that varies from one person to another. I think that doubling the number of stitches per row and the number of rows will require charting for it. Trying to work from the picture you have might work OK for someone really experienced but I wouldn’t try it. I think intarsia would be the way to go, and that it would be a better option than Fair Isle. Stockinette would look nice but will curl. I haven’t done enough colorwork to know about using GS. IMO and FWIW you might want to try something smaller done in colorwork first.
This is definitely do-able. You might want to practice color changes in garter stitch on a small swatch so that you can see how they work on both sides of the piece. Crossing the yarns is definitely a technique you want to do with ease. The video here is very helpful and there are plenty more online.
Garter stitch is good because it will give you a nice flat throw without curling. Stockinette would be more straightforward but it would mean adding a good sized border.
This video shows garter stitch in intarsia (rooster not necessary for the technique).
- Yes, because the blocks of color are so large and you are NOT changing color every couple of stitches, intarsia would be the best method for this pattern.
If you don’t have multiple skeins of the various colors, you can create some by splitting you current skein in half/quarters. Then use the individual smaller balls to work the various sections.
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I would work the center/flag of the blanket in stockinette (RS knitted, WS purled), but create a border with ribbing, garter or seed/moss stitch to reduce curling.
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Regarding your desire to enlarge the image to fit your blanket: Are you working the short end (94 sts/row) or the long end (114st er row) of this pattern? What kind of gauge are you getting with your size 10needles? Simply doubling/tripling sts/rows may distort the image and/or be the wrong size.
Thanks for the advice. The yarn is Lion Brand Hometown USA super bulky. I’m starting the short end (94 stitches) and an also planning to start with 8 rows of white and adding 8 white stitches to each side for a full border, which would mean casting on 206 stitches if I double the pattern. I think practicing intarsia is my best bet. Also it sounds like a garter stitch border and stockinette central design might be interesting. Thanks again all! I will try to post pics of my progress…this is going to be a Huge project for me. But I look forward to the challenge!
I don’t think the border you describe will reduce curl on a stockinette blanket of this size much. It might not be a problem for you, depending on your plans for it. If I remember correctly Hometown yarn might fuzz up enough that your pattern won’t show well. I really think you might want to try something smaller first and wash it as you expect to care for the blanket, use it, and see how the yarn wears. This blanket will have a lot of hours invested and if there will be a problem with the yarn and how it wears and behaves you will be better off know beforehand.
Just thought I’d give an update.
So because I’m one of those people that will jump with both legs into the deep end without learning how to swim, i decided just to go for my blanket without practicing intarsia or stockingnette stitch. So far, after a few initial bumps, I’m really happy with how it’s turning out. I’ve done the 8 row border and about 23 rows of the blanket (11 lines of the pattern). It’s going much easier that the first time I attempted this. I think that might be to the fact that now I’m using size 10 metal needles with a stainless steel chord attached. Last time I used a cheap pair of wood needles with a plastic chord, which kept catching on the yarn. Now the stictches slide easily between the two as I move them. Intarsia is pretty easy to get used to. The thing I’m having the most trouble with is remembering when to knit and when to purl, and purling is taking me some to to get used to as well, but hopefully will get easier with time.
I will try to post progress pictures when I get home, and I’m sure I’ll have more questions as I get to the end (which will not be for quite some time), but wanted to share my excitement now with how will it’s going so far. :knitting: 
Happy it’s going so well. Having the right needles makes a world of difference.
If you’re working in stockinette, you might try putting a marker (a safety pin or a loop of yarn) on the knit side of the blanket as a reminder of when to knit and when to purl.
Enjoy completing this blanket!
I just had a thought for the next time I make this blanket (if it comes out nice, I’ll probably make one or two for family). If I were to garter stitch the central red cross along with the border and then use stockingnette for the rest, would that cut down on the curling and still end up with a nice looking blanket?
That would make that central red cross pop and add a nice texture to the blanket but I think that the stockinette stitch will still tend to curl. A fairly wide boder will help out more with the curling.
