Knitting A Cozy Blanket

My journey as a knitter has so far taken me into the realms of socks, hats, and scarves. Up until a few weeks ago, I didn’t attempt to do anything as big as a blanket. That changed as soon as I paged through the Winter 2012/2013 edition of Knit Simple magazine. About halfway through I came across a simple, yet gorgeous pattern for a cozy afghan.

I made the decision to make my first blanket while in the middle of making a scarf from the same magazine, (see Busy Knitting Needles).  Seeing as I’m a sucker for texture, I couldn’t resist the combination of a triangle and square pattern and thick, chunky yarn.

From Knit Simple Magazine

While the pattern was beautiful, I hated the color. Pumpkin Orange just isn’t part of my home decor, so I switched up the color to a more earthy tone. In addition, I decided to change the solid color palette into something more interesting – like stripes! God forbid I ever follow a pattern to the letter. My muse just won’t stand for it, no matter the creation.

The yarn I needed runs about $8 a skein, so I had to do a little planning so I could afford the required seven skeins to complete the blanket. Spending $56 to make a blanket just isn’t in the cards while on a teacher’s salary, so I waited and watched the ads until I could get a better price. Patience paid off when a 25% percent off all yarn sale met up with a 25% off your total purchase coupon. Now, that’s a deal! Here’s what I got for the bargain price of $31:

• Lion Brand Wool-Ease Chunky
  • Indigo (2 skeins)
  • Willow (2 skeins)
  • Walnut (2 skeins)
  • Wheat (1 skein)

A little more than three weeks later, I had a beautiful blanket of blues, greens, and browns. I love how the texture and colors come together to give this throw a rustic look and feel.

Warm and Toasty!

Here’s a closer look at the texture of triangles and squares. Only two stitches – knit and purl – are needed to create this pattern:

Simple, yet gorgeous!

As for my next project, I’m working on a creative way to use up a bunch of leftover yarn. We’ll see how it goes!

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c.b.w. 2013