Mitered square baby blanket

I made this for the neighbor’s baby who is due on October 31st. Of course, I am on a “get rid of all the acrylic yarn” bend right now, so it was made with two skeins of Lion Brand “Homespun” using a pattern I appropriated (took) from here : http://www.knitting-and.com/knitting/patterns/afghans/st_st.htm

I did make some changes to make it easier to understand and also used huge needles and thick yarn so it was super fast.

Here’s my recipe:

Mitered square baby blanket

size 13 needles
1 skein each of Lion Brand “Homespun” in Corinthian and Edwardian
blunt needle.

Abbreviations:
SSK = Slip, Slip, Knit. Slip next st from left hand needle to right hand needle knitways. Slip next st the same way. Return both sts to left hand needle in their new twisted positions and k2tog.

K2tog: Slip needle through 2 stitches at once and knit.
* Change color on the rows marked with an asterisk.

Your going to make 4 squares and then sew them together to make 1 afghan.  Or make 16 squares and have a afghan big enough to cuddle up under while watching tv.  Or make 64 and have a blanket big enough to hang off the edges of a california king bed (math, it’s a cool thing sometimes).

Notice there is a pattern to the decreases.  You will alternake SSK, K2tog, K2tog and the next time it will be SSK, SSK, K2tog.  That’s to make the corner, so don’t think that their interchangeable.

Cast on 72sts 1st row: K33, SSK, K2tog, K2tog, K to end

2nd and all alt rows: Purl (the shape does not turn out square if you work it in garter st)

3rd row: K32, SSK, SSK, K2 tog, K to end

5th row: K30, SSK, K2tog, K2tog, K to end

*7th row: (strand the previous colour up the side of the work to avoid having to sew in all the ends) K29, SSK, SSK, K2 tog, K to end

9th row: K27, SSK, K2tog, K2tog, K to end

11th row: K26, SSK, SSK, K2 tog, K to end

*13th row: K24, SSK, K2tog, K2tog, K to end

15th row: K23, SSK, SSK, K2 tog, K to end

17th row: K21, SSK, K2tog, K2tog, K to end

*19th row: K20, SSK, SSK, K2 tog, K to end

21st row; K18, SSK, K2tog, K2tog, K to end

23rd row: K17, SSK, SSK, K2 tog, K to end

*25th row: K15, SSK, K2tog, K2tog, K to end

27th row: K14, SSK, SSK, K2 tog, K to end

29th row: K12, SSK, K2tog, K2tog, K to end

*31st row: K11, SSK, SSK, K2 tog, K to end

33rd row: K9, SSK, K2tog, K2tog, K to end

35th row: K8, SSK, SSK, K2 tog, K to end

*37th row: K6, SSK, K2tog, K2tog, K to end

39th row: K5, SSK, SSK, K2 tog, K to end

41st row: K3, SSK, K2tog, K2tog, K to end

*43rd row: K2, SSK, SSK, K2 tog, K to end

45th row: SSK, K2tog, K2tog

47th row: Slip 1, K2tog, PSSO

Fasten off remaining stitch.

Take four patches and sew together so that the stripes form concentric squares

It winds up being just over 2×2 feet, which is perfect for a baby blanket as far as I know

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Darby gets a new sweater

When you live in Washington and have a chihuahua that weighs less than a sack of flour (she’s a mere puff of air at 2.5 lbs), making her fancy new sweaters is a must. So today Darby got a new sweater.

10.5 needles Double Pointed

Bulky yarn (I used Lion Brand Homespun, in an effort to get rid of my stash)

Cast on 24 30 stitches and distribute over 3 needles. Knit in a 1×1 rib for 3 inches (I did 2 and it seems a little short).

To make leg holes: knit 6 stitches, cast off the next 8 stitches, knit 2 stitches (that’s going to be between her 2 front legs) cast off 8 more stitches, knit to end of row. What you’ll have on your needles now will be 6 stitches on 1 needle, 2 on the next, 6 on the last. This way your little Darby will have room for her legs, without it being too tight around them)

Next row, continue on 1×1 rib. When you get to where you cast off those 8 stitches, cast on 8 new ones, knit the 2 stitches that go next, cast on 8 more and knit the remaining stitches. Whew, you should be back up to 24 30 stitches now. Continue knitting in 1×1 rib for 4 inches then switch to 2×2 ribbing for the last inch or two. Cast off. (you can use a regular cast off, but if you search for the 3 needle cast off, you can get a stretchier edge)

Finished! I hope your little Darby loves it as much as mine does. Send me pictures!

Hello world!

Hello world!  I’m a knitter new to Washington by way of Southern California.  Planning on sharing some patterns and some knit-related ranting.