Knitting

Patterns, projects and techniques

Square Knitting Needles

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Now I ask you, who would imagine that square needles would be the next greatest thing in [tag]knitting[/tag]? I’m old school and still use my [tag]Susan Bates[/tag] and [tag]Berna[/tag]t needles that are 30 years old. Though I will admit I did buy a new turbo 40” circular needle to do the [tag]Magic Loop[/tag] sock thing – more in another posting, LOL.

 

Square NeedlesQuite by accident I found [tag]Kollage Yarns[/tag] advertising [tag]square needles[/tag]. The Kollage website writes that they are easier on the hands and enable you to knit faster with more uniform stitches. Well, I wanted to put them to the test so I went in search of a pair at my LYS. My LYS only had needles sized 9 and up, darn I wanted an 8 to do a dishcloth. Oh well, 9 it is!

Yes, they really are easier on your hands!Round needles are hard to hold especially if you have arthritis, carpal tunnel, or stiffness in your hands and fingers like I do.I was able to easily knit with these needles and did not have square stitches!

Another bonus – when you cast on, your stitches lay nice and straight on the “flat” side of the needle and don’t get twisted, sister! Makes it easier to do that first row.

I want to do a whole project with these needles to see if square needles change the look of a pattern, but that will need to wait for a bit. Need to find a store that sells smaller sizes and finish some of my other projects.

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Comments

  1. I have used the square needles on multiple projects now. They really do improve teh consistency of teh guage and are erally very nice to use. I find that I am able to knit llonger without my hands starting to ach. If you are still looking, http://www.yarmbazaar.com seems to always have the full selection of sizes in stock.

  3. I have not used them I think they look great probably easier on the hands to knit with I need to get some
    Louise

Have you read?

Textured Baby Blanket Knitting Patterns

There are so many baby blanket knitting patterns out there I could probably do a post a month full of them and not run out for a very long time. This time I thought I’d look specifically at single color baby blankets that are interesting because of the inclusion of textured stitching. This makes them easy enough for new knitters but engaging for knitters of all skill levels. 

Take the Textured Checks Baby Blanket from Janet Dubbelman for example. This project is mostly stockinette stitch, with some what looks like reverse stockinette and garter stitch thrown in to make the ridges. You can use whatever yarn weight you like to make blankets of different sizes. Find the pattern on Ravelry. 

The Seedling from Modern Made Shop is just about as easy as it comes, combining seed stitch with a garter stitch border. It calls for worsted weight yarn and is perfect for beginners. 

The Julie Baby Blanket by Elisabeth Kristiansen is another one with an easy allover stitch pattern that you can knit up in a flash in whatever size you want. (The pattern notes say any gauge but it also says 28 stitches per 4 inches, which would be a superfine or fine weight yarn. Learn more on Ravelry. 

The Oscar Baby Blanket from Snufflebean is another one with an easy repeating stitch pattern that has a really fun, graphic effect. This is also great worked in a bright color, reminding us that babies don’t have to be in pastels! This one uses DK weight yarn. 

If you want to get a little fancier, check out Sammy Bristow’s Georges Blanket. This one alternates blocks of stockinette stitch with boats and anchors made by purling on the right side of the blanket. It calls for DK weight yarn and has multiple sizes for dolls through toddlers. Check it out on Ravelry.

Another cute texture is this heart blanket with diamonds that are a little reminiscent of argyle. Yarn Sonata Patterns has this one, which is worked in DK weight yarn and comes in four sizes. It includes a chart and row by row instructions. 

Or try the pretty Seton Portage baby blanket from Knitted Wishes, which has a border of trees and textured stitches that look like snow falling. The pattern includes different options for snowflakes and doing a mirror image of the trees on each end of the blanket. It’s worked in worsted weight yarn. This one includes charts, written instructions and video tutorials for special stitches.