Master Grafting with this Great Blog Series

Joni Coniglio has a great series of posts over on Knitting Daily all about grafting that you’re going to want to read if you’ve ever been mystified by this knitting technique or wondered if there are different ways to do it and use it in your projects.

I don’t really know why this ended up on my radar, because some of the posts are as old as 2011, but this information is all really valuable and will make you a better knitter (or at least a better finisher, which is a big part of knitting).

That link up there is to a page with links to all the posts, but in particular you’ll want to check out the grafting myths, which are, in summary:

Myth #1: Only knit stitches can be grafted. (Or this variation: It’s much easier to graft knit stitches than purl stitches.)
Myth #2: Grafted ribbing will always have a half-stitch jog.
Myth #3: A grafted row is the equivalent of one pattern row.
Myth #4: There is a universal formula that can be applied to grafting any pattern.
Myth #5: The grafting yarn must come from the back needle.

These posts are super detailed and may make your head spin a little (for example: grafting in pattern), but even if you don’t read it all at once it’s good to know this information is out there. As someone who pretty much only grafts the toes of socks, it’s good to know there’s more I can do with it, and where to go when I need to know how to do just that.

How do you feel about grafting? Most knitters seem to have a love-hate relationship with it; I’d love to hear your thoughts.

[Photo via Knitting Daily.]

Any time of year is a good time for stash busting, but if you can combine it with knitting a blanket that will keep you warm when it (finally!) gets cooler that’s even better. Let’s take a look at some fun patchwork blanket knitting patterns.

If you want to keep it super simple, you can just make blocks of garter stitch and sew them together, like the beginner’s patchwork baby blanket from Mini Baa Baa or the color block blanket from Make and Do Crew. Both projects are worked in strips and sew together, with the baby version calling for two strands of DK or light worsted weight yarn held together and the larger one using bulky yarn.

Add a little more texture with the mixed blocks of the cottage quilt throw from Mama in a Stitch. This one combines garter stitch and seed stitch and uses worsted weight yarn. She used a crochet join to make the chains on top of the blocks, but you can join them however you like. It calls for eight colors but you can use what you have, and there are three size options.

Get a real sampler style patchwork blanket with this design from Knit Sew Make. It calls for worsted weight yarn and has four size options. All of the patterns just use knit and purl stitches so this one is still pretty easy for beginners.

If you want a more complex colorwork project that will keep you entertained all season, try the Peace by Piece blanket pattern from Needle and Feather. This one is made up of two color colorwork blocks and calls for worsted weight yarn. You can choose to use just a few of the blocks and repeat them more often, or make multiples of the whole set.

The knitted patchwork recipe from Martine Ellis (free on Ravelry) uses mitered squares in fingering weight yarn, so it’s perfect for using up all your leftover sock yarn and mini skeins. This one is a tutorial more than a pattern so you can make your blanket as big as you like or keep going until you run out of yarn.

Susan B. Anderson’s 100 Squares blanket (find it on Ravelry) has a lot of mitered squares, too, but they’re arranged in fun ways and includes some quilt inspired designs as well. This one also is a bit of method more than pattern but it sure looks like a lot of fun for using all the leftovers.

Of course you can totally improvise a patchwork blanket using the yarn and stitches you like, but I hope these patterns inspire you to look at your leftover yarn in a new way.

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