In the past I have not been a big afghan knitter, but this fall and winter I’ve made two giant blankets (one, the Bulky Stockinette Throw, is free on Ravelry; the other I will let you know about as soon as the pattern is up) and I’m not sure I’m done yet.
Looking for more bulky knit patterns? Check these out on Etsy.
I love giant blankets for their ability to use up yarn, and when you work with bulky yarn
and/or multiple strands, it goes pretty fast, too. I love a project where you can literally see your progress!
If it’s still cold where you are — or you’re prepping for winter in the Southern Hemisphere — here are some big knit blanket options that you can knit and enjoy right away.
The Brookside Blanket by Fifty Four Ten Studio is a free pattern through Wed., Feb. 10th at 9:00 p.m. US CST, so grab it quick if you’re reading this before then. It’s a big blanket (sized from crib to large throw) with a simple stitch pattern that will go super fast and be really cozy.
Nourish and Nestle sent me a pattern for a great gigantic blanket knit in a day, worked in super-bulky Stockinette with flagpoles as needles. Really. Though you might have something else large in your house that you could use (size 50 needles would probably be OK, too).
Purl Soho always has great patterns with a luxurious simplicity, and their Double Seed Stitch Blanket is no exception. The simple texture is lovely, and the blanket is sized from baby to queen bed, but you probably don’t want to know how much it would cost you to knit in the largest size (let’s just leave it at saying it’s a four-digit number). Their Fluffy Brioche Baby Blanket is cute, too, and great if you need a baby gift stat.
I love big blankets for the stash-busting factor, which you can see in full effect in the Simply Stripes Baby/Lap Blanket by Elizabeth Smith. It’s a Garter Stitch blanket worked in stripes, so you can always cast on more stitches to make a bigger blanket, and change colors whenever you run out of yarn. The Sediment Scraps Blanket from Katie Rose Pryal is another great one for using whatever you have. It’s worked on the bias with several strands of yarn held together to make an ever-shifting-colored bulky blanket. Lion Brand’s Glowing Colors Afghan has a similar feel with a little less chaos.
Rebecca Norton’s lovely Jennie’s Wedding Afghan would be great as a scrap afghan, too, because it’s made of squares. It’s hard to see in the pictures but some of the squares have hearts, too. So cute! And the Pippin Throw by Rae Blackledge is another cute scrappy one (and both of these remind me of quilts, which is great).
And while these are all shown with just one or two colors, you could also make them with stripes or color blocking depending on what yarn you have in your stash:
Big Cabled Afghan by Joyce Vance
Susan Hanlon’s Stylish Square
Pemberly Blanket by India Grewal/Knit Picks
Cambria Washington’s Quilt and Cable Blanket
Do you have a go-to big blanket pattern you love? Share it in the comments!
I don’t usually knit with bulky yarn because it hurts my wrist, but that huge white blanket looks so cozy and warm. I love it! Thanks for sharing all these great patterns!