Stitch Up Some Zen with This Easy Knit Blanket

There is just something about a garter stitch blanket. The knitting is easy and relatively mindless, and the resulting knit fabric is cozy, kind of chunky and rustic and just looks like something you want to snuggle under.

I knit a twin sized bed sized garter stitch blanket out of a bunch of yarn leftovers many years ago, and it’s still one of my favorites (even though I machine washed it and kind of felted parts of it so the sides aren’t totally even any more). I also have a never-ending garter stitch stash busting project that involves long strips of garter stitch joined as I knit. The goal with that one is to make it 6 feet by 6 feet, so it may actually never be done.

For something a little less daunting, which you don’t necessarily need to make with odd balls, though you totally could, check out the Zigzag Zen blanket from Anniina Juuti.

This pretty blanket is worked with two strands of fingering weight yarn held together to make a DK weight, or you could just use DK held singly, or even worsted weight if that’s what you have on hand.

It features alternating horizontal and vertical stripes, and you can make it with a consistent “background” color as shown or go wild and make it with all the scraps you’ve ever saved.

The pattern includes sizing for a baby blanket and a throw, but if you use a different weight of yarn your size will be a bit different. You could also just keep working the pattern with more sections added to make it as big as you want.

You can grab a copy of the pattern for this fun blanket (and see all the cool variations people have made, including one that’s crocheted instead of knit) on Ravelry.

[Photo: Anniina Juuti]

Not too long ago I did a test knit for another designer that was for a cabled cardigan. It’s really cozy and nice but it just about broke me in a ton of different ways. I couldn’t get gauge, which I suppose is my own problem, but mainly I was somehow both bored and forced to pay attention at the same time.

Because it used the same cable all over, I always had to know what row I was on, but nine out of ten of those rows, nothing in particular was going on. So I couldn’t stop paying attention, but what I needed to attend to was boring.

It may have ruined me for knitting cabled sweaters, but maybe I just need something that’s more engaging. Like this Modern Aran Cardigan pattern from Lion Brand Yarn.

This is a reworking of an old pattern from their archives, and you can tell that form the classic look of the cables and the oversized feel (nothing cropped about this one!). It has allover cables, but like a classic Aran sweater it’s not the same cable, so you’ll have to pay attention to what row you’re on and what cable turns happen for which cables on that row.

Because of this, it’s considered an intermediate knitting pattern, but if you’re comfortable working from multiple charts at once it shouldn’t be a problem for you. There are three different charts and seven different cable moves.

Also because the pattern is so big and boxy there are only two sizes available, with a finished chest measurement of either 49 or 63 inches (that’s 124.5 or 160 cm). It’s up to you to decide how much ease you would like and whether that will work for your body.

The pattern uses worsted weight yarn (and calls for another classic, Lion Brand Fisherman’s Wool). It calls for six buttons and includes pockets to make it extra cozy.

This one looks like a great winter project to make and to wear if you’re up for a bit of a challenge. You can grab the free pattern or buy a kit with the yarn needed direct from Lion Brand Yarn.

[Photo: Lion Brand Yarn]

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