Directions This is a perfect blanket for a community service project, or just something to incorporate many of your stash yarns and go from there. Needle size should correspond to the yarn. Model used 2 DK weight yarns held together on a size 10.5 needle. The garter stitch is warm and thick and thermal and a great insulator. This model is for an Afghanistan hospital where they need some color and warmth!
First gather your yarns together - plan to use the same gauge yarns throughout. How you make the stripes and how many blocks you make is totally up to you and from this basic instruction you can make any size blanket. The model is 4 squares sewn together and another border added on all sides.
Here are the colors I used to help you match the instructions to the picture - A:yellow, B: blue, C:fuschia, D: orange
Making a square:
Using color A, Cast on 5 stitches. Knit for 10 rows (5 garter stitch ridges). Cut yarn and attach color B. Knit for 5 ridges and bind off, but keep the last stitch on the needle. Now turn and pick up 9 stitches with color B (you will now have 10 stitches). You have picked up one stitch for each garter ridge along color B and A. Knit for 5 ridges and then bind off. Cut yarn and tie on color C. Pick up 10 stitches - 5 along the end of the B block and 5 across the botton of Color A. Knit for 5 ridges and bind off, leaving the last stitch on the needle. Turn and pick up 14 more stitches along the end of color C and the other side of block A and B.
So you start with one color doing a little block. Then you start knitting with the second color and do a small block, then a block on the side that is 5 stitches longer. You repeat this pattern around the square until you are the desired size. You can keep going and make one giant square, but if you are using many different yarns you will want to make smaller squares and then sew them together. Once they are together (and you can practice laying them out in any way you like) you can add an additional border in one or more colors, any number of ridges that you want to use. Be creative!
Knit and enjoy!
