It’s well know around these parts that I’m a sucker for knitting projects that are inspired by quilting (there’s a whole post full of quilt inspired knitting patterns you can check out for reference).
What I love even more? When knitting patterns that are inspired by quilts also lean into the scrappy nature of some quilt patterns to help you use your stash.
Of course the Tumbling Cubes Afghan from Lion Brand Yarn is designed to be used with their yarn (Vanna’s Choice, to be exact) you could also use whatever worsted weight yarn you have handy to make it your own.
Inspired by the tumbling blocks quilt pattern, this deign calls for 15 different colors of yarn, but for most of the colors a ball or less is needed, and you could always mix it up and use more colors as you like. Or you can keep colors in the same family as shown in the chart (so, like, all the greens are still green but you might use different shades of green for some of them) to help use up odd balls.
If you are using odd balls be aware that your finished blanket will need to be laundered according to the needs of the most finicky yarn you used. So if you have some wool in there, it will need hand washing. Stick to superwash wool, acrylic, cotton, etc., if you need it to be machine washable.
The pattern is charted and worked in stockinette stitch using the intarsia technique and with a striped garter stitch border that is worked one side at a time after the body of the throw is done.
The pattern is rated for intermediate knitters since you need to be comfortable reading a chart and working intarsia.
You can grab the free pattern from Lion Brand’s website. I don’t need another scrappy blanket project but I have to tell you I’m tempted by this one!
[Photo: Lion Brand Yarn]
