Another Way to Knit a Giant Chunky Blanket

By now we’ve probably all seen giant blankets knit with roving or many strands of yarn held together, worked with arm knitting or using giant knitting needles.

Both of those are valid methods, but here’s another thing to try if you don’t want to have a giant blanket hanging on your arm for a couple of hours or to hold the weight of a big blanket on a pair of knitting needles.

Lily Ardor made her chunky knit blanket using a sort of finger knitting technique in which the loops are pulled up across the row, then you make more loops to go inside those loops. Because roving sticks to itself pretty easily you don’t have to worry about the stitches dropping before you get back to them.

This is an interesting idea and might be an easier way to do it for people who can’t hold all that weight (she says her blanket is about 7 pounds) on their arms while they work, because this way it can sit on a table as you work.

Have you knit one of these giant blankets? I’d love to know how you did it.

[Photo: Lily Ardor.]

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There are certain things that just make sense to knit at this time of year, and market bags are one of them. We tend to use our canvas bags more often in the summer with trips to the farmer’s market and the library, but string bags and market bags are great to use all year.

I love the Three Oranges Bag by Hana Cho, which looks just like a knit version of a plastic shopping bag, but with three cute oranges stitched on. The bag uses intarsia to make the oranges, but you could use duplicate stitch or intarsia to add a different design if you like. It calls for fingering weight yarn and you can find the pattern on Ravelry.

Sharyn Anhalt’s Market Square bag (also on Ravelry) uses worsted weight yarn and a mosaic pattern to make a pretty bag you’ll want to use every time you go shopping. The bag comes in two sizes and is worked in two colors of the same yarn for a fun mixed up effect that’s almost like weaving.

Speaking of fun colors, the Market Bag from Hubbabubbie Art uses a multicolored cake yarn (specifically Lion Brand Mandala) to produce fun color changes without any extra work. This bag is worked from the bottom up with a crocheted bottom and knit mesh sides. It’s a free pattern on Ravelry.

The Pike Place Market Bag from Blue Bird Pine Shop looks like a massive bag to hold all your market goodies (that is a child holding it, but still). The bag calls for worsted weight cotton yarn and the mesh is worked on extra large needles to help it open up to hold everything you want held.

The Knit Farmer’s Market Bag form Design BCB is another good one, made mostly of mes with a little stockinette for extra stability. The base is also worked in stockinette so items you put in it will sit flat.

This mesh bag from Sheep and Stitch doesn’t have a base, and the body is worked flat before being joined in the round to make the top and handles. That makes it easy to make the bag just the size you want because you can stop knitting whenever you feel it’s big enough. The pattern includes a step-by-step video if you need extra assistance.

And the Eco Market String Bag from Mama in a Stitch has a solid knit base worked in a contrasting color from the mesh body. It’s an easy project that comes out a great size for your market needs without being too huge.

Do you have a favorite knit market bag pattern? I’d love to hear about it!

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