Knit a Blanket that Looks Like a Quilt

I’ve been seeing a lot of knitting projects lately — whether they are new or older — that include elements that look like quilt blocks and I am here for it. My aunt is a quilter but I’ve never been much of one, but I love the look of classic quilt blocks incorporated into different media. Whether that’s painted on a barn or worked into a knitting project, it’s a fun way to give a nod to other traditional ares while sticking within your comfort zone.

The Stella Quilt Blanket by Laura Penrose uses a traditional nine-patch star pattern converted into modular knit garter stitch squares in a rainbow of colors. The squares are worked in short rows and are joined as you go so despite all the different colors and pieces used it’s actually worked as one piece. You star from the bottom right corner and then add the next piece to the side of the first.

There’s also an option to work each square separately and sew them together when you’re done knitting. This makes the project more portable, and if you’re using stash it might be easier for you to determine the placement of your squares once they’ve all been knit.

The idea is that you can use DK weight yarn or fingering weight held double, so it’s a great way to use mini skeins or leftovers from other projects. There are also two sizes of motifs you can use depending on the quantity of yarn leftovers or skeins you have on hand.

The project includes general sizing and needed motifs for four sizes of blankets, ranging from a lap blanket that use four motifs to a throw rectangle that is made from three by four rows of motifs. Choosing to use larger or smaller squares also changes the size, and of course you can keep adding to make an even bigger blanket if you want.

This project is suited for intermediate knitters who are comfortable with picking up stitches and working German short rows.

You can find the pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: Laura Penrose]

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I’ve been enjoying knit amigurumi animal patterns lately (see also: this adorable knit pigeon) and of course being a knitter I love llamas.

So when I saw this little llama pattern I knew I had to share it.

The appropriately named Llama patter from Annie Ahn calls for fingering weight yarn, and it uses two colors for the body and three for the little blanket. The pompom can be made to match or in another color. All of these parts take tiny amounts of yarn so you can use whatever scraps you have left over from socks or other projects and change colors whenever you need to.

It might also be fun to use some mohair or other fuzzy or textured yarn on this one to give your llama a different look. In all the project uses between 100 and 150 yards, or 91-137 m, of yarn and the llama comes out about 10 cm/4 inches tall.

The body of the llama is worked in one piece, so this project is suited to intermediate knitters or those who have comfort working in the round and with all those little pieces.

This one is made to be small so you can carry it around with you (it would be super cute on a keychain or as a zipper pull) but I think it would be a lot of fun to knit this in larger yarn, too, to make a bigger llama. You could even make a whole family in different sizes just by using different weights of yarn and corresponding needles.

The details are so cute, from the shaggy hair to its little accessories, but you could make it plain or change it up by knitting a tiny scarf or even working a little fair isle pattern on the legs or body. So many fun possibilities!

The pattern is available on Ravelry in English and Korean.

[Photo: Annie Ahn]

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