Knit a Blanket to Bring Color to Your Mornings

No matter how many blankets I am working on or have finished — knit or crochet — I feel like there’s always room for another one. Blankets can make great gifts or charity projects, and it’s also just lovely (for me, anyway) to have a handmade blanket in every room of the house.

So while I have at least three blankets “in progress” right now, I’m sorely tempted to cast on a Good Morning Blanket from Purl Soho.

If you take one look at it I’m sure you’ll feel the same way.

This luscious, colorful blanket looks so squishy in garter stitch, and it gives you practice with the log cabin technique, which you’ll want to use again and again once you learn it (this is such a fun way to use stash, for example).

The version shown here is worked in a 100 percent cotton that’s light worsted or DK weight, and the throw blanket size uses 32 colors (plus the main color, which is the large white block). Assuming you don’t want to buy all of that yarn in one go, you can use whatever yarn (and weight from DK to a heavier worsted) you have on hand for this one. The contrast color balls come in 58 yard/53 meter skeins so you can probably use a lot of little odd balls from your stash to make this one.

You can also change colors more or less frequently or use these techniques to make a blanket that is larger or smaller. The pattern includes instructions for a throw and a crib-sized baby blanket, which uses five contrasting colors along with the main color.

This looks like such a fun project, and once you get the idea down it’s smooth knitting because it’s all garter stitch. It’s a perfect TV project or for whenever you need something that doesn’t take much thought.

You can get the free pattern from Purl Soho.

[Photo: Purl Soho]

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Not too long ago I was seeing a crochet pattern for a glasses holder shaped like a bear all over the Internet. It was super cute, and also useful as a place to put your glasses on your bedside table instead of just throwing them somewhere random.

This project stewed in my brain for a little while and I decided I needed to make a knit version, but I didn’t want to make a bear. If you know anything about me you might know that I’m a cat person, so of course my version had to be a cat.

The base is just a basic little basic worked from the center out to the desired size, then up the sides as long as you want them. Knit some ears and add embellishments to make it whatever kind of animal you want.

The way I figured out to work the base from the center out was to use a crochet cast on, which gives you an easier way to pick up stitches from the back of the cast on than if you worked a more traditional cast on for a knitting project. It’s kind of fun to do things in a different way from time to time.

This little project is adorable if I do say so myself, and even as a plain little basket not made into an animal it’s a cute way to keep your glasses or other little things in one place. I’m tempted to make one for my desk to hold pens or even little little scissors and sewing needles that are always on my desk but somehow always seem to get lost on my desk.

If you need a little holder for your glasses on your table, check out the pattern at Our Daily Craft.

[Photo: Our Daily Craft]

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