Students Knit World-Record-Chasing Blanket for Mandela’s Birthday

Students, teachers parents and others affiliated with a group of schools in South Africa set to knitting what they hope will be declared the world’s largest knit blanket in honor of Nelson Mandela’s 94th birthday.

In all 70,000 squares were knit (I see some crochet in there, too), measuring just shy of 1,192 square meters (just over 3,900 square feet). The squares were stitched into small blankets that were tacked together to make the larger blanket, assembled and displayed at the Curro Aurora Private School in Randburg. It’s estimated it took 240,000 hours to knit all the squares.

One the Guinness people have a look at the blanket it will be broken down into smaller pieces and donated to charities including Hope Zone, Zandspruit Crèche, Light House and Knit a Square. Portions will also be given to the school’s maintenance staff. What a wonderful way to celebrate the life and legacy of such an important man. You can check out more pictures here.

[Photo by Sammi-Jo Botha/the Randburg Sun.]

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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