in my search for big needle blankets, I found a blanket titled "6-Hour Afghan." I wanted to make a big needle blanket of my own, using left over Lion Brand Wool Ease yarn from my sampler afghan and various other projects. Is it possible to create a blanket like this in 6 hours? See my time log to see how the project goes.This is more of a 9 hour 32 min blanket. See my time log to understand the real time progress of this project.
Materials
- Size 50 knitting needles
(Lion Brand 'Speed Stix;' 25 mm)
- Remnant Lion Brand Wool-Ease yarn. Since I had a lot of the fisherman color left over, I hand-dyed some with koolaid . The project will take 32 balls of Wool ease yarn (6304 yards; 197 yards/ball*32 balls).
- Finished Dimensions: 60"x60" (Measured on wood floor so stretching wouldn't become part of the measurments)
- Gauge over seed stitch: 5 sts/3 inch, 16 rows/10 inches.
About 15 balls of Wool-ease yarn from my stash. I found another 11 equivalents around my apartment, and had to order 6 others to complete the project. See more details about yardage in the Time Log.
The Pattern
- Cast on 33 stitches using 8 strands of yarn on size 50 knitting needles.
- All rows: K1, *P1, K1* repeat from * across. (Seed Stitch)
- Work in the seed stitch pattern for 100 rows and bind off. This is the first rectangle.
- Repeat to make a second rectangle.
- Stitch the two panels together using 4 strands of yarn. Make sure to stitch loosely so you do not lose the give and stretch of this afghan.
- Weave in loose ends. If you choose to make a remnant afghan like I did, there will be many loose ends where you switch colors. The weave is so loose that a end woven in will stick out in some place, so you may need to play with it a bit to find something that you're happy with.
- Enjoy!
The two rectangles before stitching them together.
The Final Skein, 19.6 grams, or 1/5 of a ball remaining. Now this 1 ball is representatative of the 4th set of 8 balls. But the 32 ball estimation of the project is very reasonable. You could add a fringe with the leftover yarn! (I am out of fun colors so I will not be doing that.)
An illustration of the stretchiness of this afghan. I think you would need more than 8 strands of worsted-weight wool to make a knit that isn't so loose!
A closer look at the seam
Here I've folded the blanket so you can see the amount of color variation I have within this one blanket. You could plan one out to be uniform, or use this as an excuse to clean out your stash.
This pattern was created by ChemKnits for your personal or charity use. This pattern is not to be re-published in any other way without the permission of the author. Please send a picture of your project to chemknitsblog@gmail.com when you've finished your afghan, I'd love to see your creation! © 2010 ChemKnits
Posts
just a thought, but try a russian join, so that there are no loose ends to weave in. takes a second or two each time you need to add in a new yarn, but saves time and frustration in the end.
ReplyDeleteNice Blanket, thanks for sharing!
I wasn't thinking too much about that when I started... but that would have been a good idea.
ReplyDeleteI kept finding ends during the first week that I was using it!
Way to go, Chemmy person!!! this is from another Chem person..Organic for me. Go figure a science brain trying to figure out how to use up all that yarn. I bet I have that many skeins of LB, too, but the size of the needles, like you said, would kill my hands.
ReplyDeleteLove the blanket and glad you finished it!
Christine
Wow. Just, Wow. I would never attempt a project that big unless I could locate a long cable needle in the correct size; my hands couldn't manage that much weight on straight needles. It's gorgeous, congratulations and adulations!
ReplyDeleteCould you tell me what a Russian Join is, please?
ReplyDeleteHere is a good illustration of a Russian Join. http://www.knittinganyway.com/freethings/russianjoin.htm
ReplyDeleteIt is a great way to deal with loose ends as you work. (versus looking for them to pop out and then trim, which is what I did this time)
What a gorgeous creation! Now I simply must find out what a russian join is...
ReplyDeletei have a bunch of lion brand homespun sitting around that was gonna be a blanket i got bored with. i think i will borrow your technique here, but only use 3 or 4 strands because the yarn is kinda bigger. thanks for the inspiration!
ReplyDeleteThat would make a really comfy blanket. The lion brand homespun yarn is really cozy and warm. You're very welcome!
ReplyDeleteNice blanket!! And I love the idea of the Russian Joint to join the loose ends. I'm going to start using it all the time, ^_^
ReplyDeleteWow! That's so beautiful. You have an amazing talent!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much!
ReplyDeleteI did something similar after Hurricane Katrina using all sorts of left over yarns from my stash. I did it in straight garter st, size 50 needles. Cast on as many sts as needles would hold with 8 strands of KW in dark blues, purples, red, and black, as each ball ran out I added a slightly lighter shade and knit it to about 65". It turned out a beautiful gradation of color which someone in Biloxi, MI, hopefully enjoyed through Lion Brand's "Blankets for Biloxi" project. BTW, I knit European style and was able to keep one needle on my lap almost all the time I was knitting.
ReplyDeleteSounds like that would help with the weight!
ReplyDeleteCan you tell me what knitting "European Style" is? Thanks
ReplyDeleteThis Wikipedia article explains European (or Continental) style of knitting quite well. https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Continental_knitting
ReplyDeleteit looks fun but i would hate to have to put it sew it together..
ReplyDeleteYeah, that was a limitation of the size of the needles. I wonder if there are size 50 round knitting needles available....
ReplyDeleteReminds me of a similiar blanket...Size 50 needles, 50oz knit worsted, 50 stitches,5 strands,knit every row, fringe if wan; making fringe at least 5 inches long. All 5's. very stretchy, smaller than above pattern, not too heavy until end. Have to smash stitches on needle...but can do. Definitely do the russian join.
ReplyDeleteYeah, 50 stitches on these needles would be difficult, 33 was pushing it ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!
thank you so much for sharing this i cant wait to get started
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome. Have fun!
ReplyDeletehow many strands of yarn might one use if knitting with size 13 needles instead? i dont have size 50 and dont want to spend the extra money on a new pair of needles!! so i was wondering what you would do for size 13 needles...
ReplyDeleteHow many strands you use depends greatly on your gauge and how thick you want the fabric to be. I could have used more than 8 strands with the size 50 needles, but I wanted the fabric to be pretty loose. I would play around with some swatches until you get something that you like.
ReplyDeleteAlso, using size 13 needles You will need to increase the number of stitches and rows if you wan the blanket to be as large as it is in the pattern. (So it could take more than 10 hours this way!)
Good Luck!
thank you! my stash needs this!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! It is so cuddly, and I love the reminder of projects past as I lay wrapped in it.
ReplyDeleteAddition to previous post:the size 50 needles, 50 ounces knitted worsted weight, 5 strands, (5" of fringe...if desired). Forgot to write: 50 ridges of garter. (100 rows). Am finishing one now. Russion joins this time...no yarns will pop out. A tight tension makes it very hard to knit with these needles; keep it loose. That's also how you get 50 stitches on the needle. Fun to knit...but not very portable.
ReplyDeleteNo, this is not a portable project! I really wish I had known about Russian joins when I started my blanket. But I can say that even with the occasional end popping out, this is one of my favorite blankets to curl up with!
ReplyDeleteI made these last year for Family Christmas gifts. Everyone that received one loves it and then I had to make more for other Familie members
ReplyDeletebirthdays
Awesome! I'm glad that they are loved. :)
ReplyDeleteWow! I can't believe these are still being made! I did one in 1975 as a Christmas gift - was in such a rush to finish I knitted two days straight and gave myself tendonitis of the elbow (very painful!). My parents still use it on their bed, almost 40 years later; it has held up well. Weighs a ton.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to get back into knitting!
This afghan certainly weighs a ton! I love it dearly.
ReplyDeleteI love this pattern-it'scertainly on my to-do list (after I make my son's overdue wedding quilt and now their baby's quilt)-may have to squeeze this in- When I get tired quilting or sewing,I just pick up my needles and make a project-They don't call them UFOs for nothin'! Thank you so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome. I love snuggling with this afghan, and it is a great (and fast) project to sneak into your queue.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Rebecca
Great job on this.
ReplyDeleteI make these as well and if you want a smaller blanket, but bigger than the LB size 50 needles (and don't mind the weight of the extra stitches) I ordered a pair of size 50 needles that are 2' long from http://www.etsy.com/shop/baahurrah they weren't much for what I was requesting and I got to pick my needle end color! In hindsight, I probably should've started with an 18" pair because it took a while to get used to the length and size of the needle in addition to accommodating the weight of my projects!
Wow, 2' long needles would come in handy for this project, but the weight of it would definitely get to me after a while!
ReplyDeletehi there i am just about to start knitting this blanket i see you are using a 25mm needle the nly needle size i have is 20mm do you think i could still get the 8 strands on these thanks gillian
ReplyDeleteI suppose it depends on how tightly you knit. My gauge was pretty loose, so I would imagine that you could fit this on slightly smaller needles. If it ends up being too tight for you, go down to 7 or 6 strand.
ReplyDeleteI was very daring and I made this in a larger version. I cast on 54 stitches and I was able to do it and still keep all the stitches on the needles.
ReplyDeleteIt came out a perfect size.
I used purple and lilac, it's so beautiful.
I also made matching slippers for the recipient.
hello i love this blanket gorgeous could you knit this in all garter stitch instead of seed stitch.
ReplyDeleteYou certainly could make this in garter stitch. Most of the big needle blanket patterns out there are in garter stitch, which is why I wanted to do something a little different, but still simple. The seed stitch also retains it shape better than garter (wool/acrylic blends are much harder to block.)
ReplyDeleteI made one almost like this for a Calif. king. I used 4 strands of Simply soft on a size 50 needle, and I can hardly pick the thing up. It is warm. It took me several years to make, because I couldn't work on it unless it was cold. I made it all one piece. I took the yarn to Home Depot and matched my paint to the yarn. Turned out great. I used a circular needle (of course) and the cord was as thick as the needle. I didn't really like that. I found it hard to move the stitches.
ReplyDeleteWOW, I have never seen size 50 circular needles! I love the idea of picking a paint to go with a huge afghan.... I may need to do that when I have a house of my own someday.
DeleteI have a new pair of circular needles German made in size 17. I have made 2 Afghans (2 strands of worsted weight yarn) in one month and finished a 3rd that I started a few years ago. I want to do a 4 of 6 strand of stash yarn on these needles. Can you tell me how many stiches to cast on for a 50 x 65 (or perhaps 72) afghan using this size needle. I don't have 50s.
ReplyDeleteThank You.
Patti
Patti,
DeleteWhat is your gauge? My gauge over seed stitch was 5 sts/3 inch, so if I wanted to make a 50 inch wide afghan I would need to cast on (50/3*5) 83 stitches.
Knit a small swatch (5 inchx 5 inch square) so measure you gauge. From there you can calculate how many stitches you want for your afghan. Good luck!