Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Great Balls of Yarn's J. Crew Inspired Blanket--FREE PATTERN DAY!

Autumn is in the air and that always makes us think of snuggling up with a loved one, especially in front of a crackling fire...This is a simple pattern that has a JCrew feel and an interesting design element to it. We recommend Berocco Vintage for this pattern but really, any worsted weight, washable yarn will work. The pattern is sized for a baby blanket, but the simple 12 stitch square pattern repeat makes it easily adaptable to any size. Soft, squishy and a classic knit. Have fun!
FINISHED SIZE: 30 by 24 inches GAUGE: 17 sts and 32 rows = 4 inches in garter stitch MATERIALS: 4 skeins Berocco Vintage and size 8 needles (we used a 24" circular) DIRECTIONS: CO 132 sts. ROWS 1-16: Knit. BEGIN SQUARE PATTERN: ROW 1 (RS): Knit. ROW 2 (WS): Knit 8, (Purl 8, Knit 4) 9 times, Purl 8, Knit 8. ROWS 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11: Repeat Row 1. ROWS 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12: Repeat Row 2. ROWS 13-18: Knit. Repeat pattern (Rows 1-18) 11 times more. Repeat Rows 1-12 once more. Knit 16 rows for border. Bind off, and weave loose ends to wrong side of work and block to size. We have a terrific selection of Vintage and Plymouth Encore in stores now. If you choose to make this pattern using a hand-dye, be sure to interchange two balls throughout the pattern to avoid color pooling and to meld dye lots.