There is no more cozy, original, truly homely textile than a large knitted blanket. Huge knitting has become a fashion trend. It is interesting both for knitters and connoisseurs of extraordinary things. For those who have the necessary materials and free time in stock, useful tips on making such self-knots will come in handy.
This is what a chunky knit merino wool blanket looks like
Merino wool blanket for a cozy atmosphere in the home
Blankets made from thick yarn - elegant luxury of comfort.
The most successful purchase for your home will be a merino blanket. Finished products are found in the collection of the American brand Modern Wool. But prices for branded goods are steep, and delivery will cost a hefty sum. It is much more interesting and cheaper to knit a product from merino wool yourself.
Merino blanket is a high-quality product that has a completely natural composition
Thick knitting thread is available to a wide range of consumers. You can knit from conjugated fibers and combed tape.
Thick merino wool yarn in a skein
The latter is popular among knitters, but items made from unprocessed material have disadvantages:
- they cannot be washed;
- the finished product is prone to deformation;
- When working with tape, there is a high probability of rupture due to the low strength of the raw material.
Twisted merino thread is more expensive, but much better. It does not stretch, break or split into fibers. The self-knitting will not lose its shape, and with careful care it will last for many years.
Delicate, thornless, premium twisted thread made from fine merino wool fibers
Ready-made merino knitting is cozy, homey, warming and pleasant to the touch. Items made from worsted wool cannot be compared with products made from synthetic fibers and knitted cord.
Merino wool is hypoallergenic and antibacterial thanks to lanolin, a natural antiseptic, and therefore suitable for children
What are the benefits of merino yarn?
Wool is unique in its ability to maintain body temperature, preventing you from freezing in winter and overheating in summer. Delicate fleece, like silk, pleasant to the touch, has a positive effect on a person’s well-being:
- normalizes blood pressure;
- reduces headaches, back and joint pain;
- relieves muscle spasms and relaxes the nervous system;
- improves blood flow, facilitating the functioning of the cardiovascular system;
- relieves stress, giving joy and peace.
Warmth and comfort
How to make a chunky knit blanket
All that remains is to figure out how to create a soft blanket at home. If everything is clear with the choice of material, then the question regarding the tools remains open. Regular hooks will not work. Unfortunately, large-diameter tools are not sold in all stores.
Thick wooden knitting needles are quite suitable for knitting
Available means will come to the rescue: plastic tubes with a cone-shaped top, tightly rolled rolls of paper tied with tape, etc. The circumference of the tube can reach 20 cm or more. The thicker the thread, the larger the diameter should be.
A device for knitting a chunky knit blanket
Merino wool produces fluffy and light garments on large knitting needles. If you work with crochet, the fabric will come out thin. This solution is suitable for rugs and bedding, but blankets and bedspreads should be made more loose and soft.
The blanket can be knitted not only with stockinette stitch, but also with patterns
How to choose a blanket?
These blankets do not miss the opportunity to appear on the pages of glossy magazines, and bloggers can no longer imagine their photographs without a “blanket” beautifully thrown on the sofa. And we have no choice but to rush to look for an excellent specimen for our home. So where can you get it?
The founders of this “innovation” were the American company Modern Wool, which still operates today. In addition, they produce hats, scarves, pillows - everything is very thick and merino. The disadvantage of this company for the Russian consumer is the lack of delivery to Russia and significant prices. The situation is approximately the same with a fairly young Ukrainian brand, oriented primarily to the West.
It’s good that Russian manufacturers are not lagging behind. Reasonable price, good quality and the possibility of different purchasing options - these are the distinctive features of the domestic seller.
Ultra-fashionable chunky knit blanket without knitting needles
You can knit a blanket from cut strips of knitwear or combed ribbon without using the usual knitter tools - knitting needles and hooks.
Wool combed into a ribbon for felting is often called combed ribbon or tops
Thick merino wool produces voluminous fabrics made directly on the hands.
We start casting on loops on our hands
Add the second and next loops
The set is carried out on the brush, after which the resulting rings are folded into an even line without tension.
When casting on loops, you need to monitor their size
Next, the yarn is unwound to complete the first row. New loops are formed from it and pulled into existing ones. At the same time, the knitting remains, as it were, open, because there is nothing to hold the thread. However, this does not interfere with work. Due to the thickness and heavy weight of the yarn, nothing slips.
We knit the second row of our blanket on our hands
Without special tools, you can knit with front and back stitches, braids and plaits, and simple patent patterns. The last row is closed as usual: a new thread is threaded through two loops, it is thrown over the next loop and pulled out again. And so on until the row is completed.
We close the loops of the last row
The main problem when working with this technique remains maintaining even rows. If the knitting needles have a specific diameter, then the thickness of the hands varies. For this reason, it is not possible to make the broaches absolutely even, and skill is required when working.
Do-it-yourself ready-made gray blanket from thick yarn
Is it machine washable?
Taking good care of the product means delicate hand washing using conditioner. Careful flat drying and light ironing with a warm iron are required.
Full relax
If a triangle is drawn on the product label, then machine washing is allowed, but it is worth considering a delicate cycle and a water temperature of no more than 30 ° C. A lot depends on the composition of the raw materials from which the blanket is made.
Note! It is possible to add sheep wool fibers from other breeds, making the fleece more resistant to washing.
The manufacturer depicts a bowl of water on the label if the product can be hand washed. In this case, it is possible to use gentle products that exclude the presence of chlorine for bleaching.
You might be interested in what karkul and swakara are: from which animal fur are materials made?
The absence of appropriate signs indicates that you should limit yourself to dry cleaning the rug without using water. Increased attention to an expensive product that competes with alpaca products will extend its service life.
Plaid after washing
How to properly wash a merino wool blanket
It is not always possible to get rid of dirt with just dry cleaning. Shaking and periodically drying with fresh air ventilation will eliminate the need to wash the blanket.
It should be noted that if washing cannot be avoided, then the correct actions will keep the fibers in their original form. Using smooth movements without much friction, wash the blanket in warm, comfortable water with the addition of conditioner.
Note! Prolonged soaking and washing in hot water can lead to shrinkage of the product, and not always symmetrically. A large knit merino blanket requires a special approach to cleaning it from dirt.
Merino wool blanket
Frequent washing is not recommended by the manufacturer. This is justified by the fact that knitted wool is even more delicate than sheep's down, which does not require periodic washing and cleaning. Stains can be removed with ordinary white laundry soap, rinsing off the residue with warm water.
Is it possible to wring out and how to dry?
The product should not be twisted, like most knitted wool items. By squeezing a blanket, you can disrupt the structure of the fibers, so it is recommended to leave the product on a special rack or place it at the bottom of a basin so that the water can drain naturally. When the excess moisture has drained, you need to lay out the blanket, leveling it over the entire area.
Factory plaid
Proper drying of the blanket in a horizontal position will ensure that it retains its shape. Excess moisture can be collected with a terry towel. The use of hair dryers and heaters is prohibited. Drying in the sun is not recommended. There is no need to iron the blanket.
How much yarn do you need?
You can knit a blanket from thick yarn in a short period of time, because a couple of rows are enough to cover a significant area. The thread consumption is significant, so the skeins often have a larger volume than for traditional knitting. How many skeins you need depends on the desired size. It is recommended to adhere to the following scheme:
- a children's model up to 120 cm in length will cost 2 kg;
- for a product measuring 100 X 170 cm (plus or minus in one direction or another) you will need about 4 kg;
- for a full-fledged blanket for an adult, 5.5–6 kg of material is needed.
Blankets from fragments: knitting and sewing
An original blanket made from merino yarn made from multi-colored fragments sewn together
Knitting in the patchwork style is always popular, because it allows you to rationally use leftover yarn and your own imagination to create masterpieces of home textiles.
Bright and warm, soft to the touch “Autumn” blanket made of thick merino wool
For a product with a voluminous texture, you will need tools of impressive diameter, but not as huge as for seamless knitted fabrics. You can sew together scraps of different sizes and textures. The main thing is to steam all the pieces before stitching so that they take the final shape. Otherwise, the finished blanket will be lopsided.
A beautiful “Chess” blanket can be knitted from individual elements or as a whole fabric
Flaps can be made from any available raw material. It is best to sew the resulting fragments together with a contrasting thread, then the canvas will turn out to be especially expressive and bright. The same thread should be used to crochet the product around the perimeter.
To connect threads during knitting and when tying individual elements, it is better to use a special needle for felting
Features of care
An unusual piece of furniture requires some special features in care, which are determined by its size, weight and material:
- remove minor dirt using a dry brush, gently brushing the desired area with it;
- when washing, it is necessary to observe the temperature of the water - below 30? C;
- Only special products with lanolin intended for this purpose are suitable for washing;
- merino wool does not require stretching or friction during washing; the wet item should be lightly wrung out and laid out on a flat horizontal surface until completely dry;
If necessary, you can use dry cleaning. Proper care will preserve the beauty and qualities inherent in merino wool.
A beautiful and unusual item is an excellent decoration for the interior. And creating such a masterpiece with your own hands is a special pleasure.
Pompom blanket for children and more
Parents always want to create something special for their kids. Excessively large loops and stockinette as a pattern may seem too rough for children's skin. Blankets made from pompoms look much more attractive in appearance and feel more pleasant to the touch. They are easy to do, but preliminary preparation is important. First you need to create a frame, the dimensions of which should be slightly larger than the desired result (on the frame the canvas will be stretched). Long nails are driven in along the perimeter of the frame in increments of 4-5 cm. They should stick out from the block by at least 5 cm. If the pompoms are voluminous, then by 8-10 cm.
Preparing a wooden frame for threads
Next, take the warp thread (otherwise known as the backing thread) and wrap it around the nails. This must be done in a certain order. First come the horizontal rows, then the vertical ones. The procedure is repeated several times.
We wind the threads in rows horizontally and vertically, alternating
If a pattern is planned, the color is changed. To get variegated pompoms, take more than three colors. It is important that the thread is of the same thickness and similar composition. After winding, the joints are secured with knots.
We tie all intersections with reliable strong knots to prevent unraveling
And then the colored tensions are cut without affecting the substrate. The result is lush pompoms. The threads around the perimeter are also cut, leaving them in the form of tassels.
To form pompoms, cut the threads with scissors in the middle between the intersections
For a baby, such a thing will be a real gift, and if you make the frame larger, you will get a lush and cozy blanket for an adult.
A beautiful fluffy baby blanket with your own hands is ready
How long to knit by time
I knitted the blanket in two batches and spent 1.5 hours on the whole project. This also takes into account the fact that I had to photograph the process. If I didn’t want to share this story on the blog, then I would climb onto the sofa in the evening with a ball of yarn, light candles and knit a blanket in one movie and one evening. Here I am a little jealous of those who don’t have a blog and don’t have to take photos in the process.
Watch the video of how I knitted a blanket.
The finished blanket turned out very beautiful. And this despite the fact that I managed to mess up the knitting a little, forgot to slip off the first loop and, as a result, I couldn’t make a beautiful braid along the edge. If you are not so good at knitting, then you definitely won’t make such an annoying mistake. Well, I’ve warned you now, just in case!
Plus, it's super warm. While I was knitting, the blanket became longer and longer and began to cover my legs. So, I was hot while I was knitting.
Some designs are beautiful, but not very functional. I just knitted the blanket, but I’ve already spent several wonderful evenings under it. There is a risk that I will stop getting out from under the blanket and out of the house, how cozy, warm and pleasant it is.
Another unexpected bonus: when you finally get out from under the blanket, the folded corner looks mega-photogenic. No special fancy layouts are needed. The blanket is voluminous, so it looks very solid. Beautiful photos on Instagram are guaranteed.
