Snuggle up in a big, cozy blanket made by hand—literally. This blanket's pattern, designed by Teresa Carter of DeBrosse, involves arm-knitting, a technique which uses the knitter's arms instead of needles. When arm-knitting, choose yarn in a size of 6 or "super bulky." Knitters can decide the number of skeins they want to use based on desired thickness and length.
We also have a few tips for those attempting this pattern for the first time: First and foremost, depending on the size blanket you want to make, you will need to purchase varying pounds of yarn. For a small 30 x 50-inch blanket, use 6 pounds of yarn; for a large 40 x 60-inch blanket, you'll need 8 pounds. To achieve your desired final size, keep a loose tension. When you start the project, do not turn or flip your work. And if you're a beginner? Use our basic knitting how-to as a guide.
What You'll Need
Materials
- Bulky yarn
- Scissors
Instructions
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Measure 8 to 10 feet of wool. Create a slip knot by placing the tail end over the working yarn.
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Slip one hand through the loop.
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Using your hand in the loop, reach through to pull up the working yarn. (Note: Working yarn is the yarn connected to the source.)
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Pull the working yarn through the loop.
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Tighten until a slip knot forms.
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To begin your blanket, cast on your first row of stitches. To do so, loop the tail ends of the slip knot around your opposite hand's index finger and thumb.
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Slip your hand (holding the slip knot) under the loop made on your opposite hand's thumb.
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Cast the stitch onto your hand; you have cast on your first stitch.
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Cast the first few stitches onto your arm, using a loose tension and leaving wiggle room in each stitch.
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Once your arm is full, gently slip stitches off and lay on your working surface. Continue to cast on until you have 13 stitches.
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To knit the body of the blanket, pull a loop from the working yarn up through each stitch (this is emulating the knit stitch).
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On your first row, you'll work left to right; on your next row, you'll work right to left. (Note: Your cast-on stitches may appear to be laying on an angle. Always twist the stitch towards the right before knitting into them.)
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Continue arm-knitting until you only have around 7 yards of wool left.
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To finish your blanket, cast off to ensure that your stitches don't unravel. To do so, pull up loops into your first and second stitches as normal.
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Take the second loop and insert it through the first loop. You have now cast off the first stitch.
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Continue with all stitches by pulling up a loop on the next stitch, and then pulling it through the previous stitch. At the end of your last row, cut tail and pull through final loop; discretely weave end into backside of blanket.