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Welcome Blankets Project Seeks to Reimagine Border Wall

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welcome blanketTalk of a wall being built between the United States and Mexico was a big part of the presidential election and is still a hot topic. But what if a wall, something designed to keep people out, could be transformed into something that would welcome people in?

That’s the idea behind Welcome Blanket, a project that aims to symbolically turn the proposed nearly 2,000 mile border wall into blankets made out of 2,000 miles of yarn.

There’s a mitered square blanket pattern designed by Kat Coyle available on the website, with crochet and quilt patterns to come, but any lap-sized blanket of around 40 inches square would be appropriate for this project. I’m thinking of making a version of my Bulky Stockinette Throw, but the mitered squares are perfect for stash-busting odd balls, too.

They’re going to need a lot of them — estimating 1,200 yards of yarn per blanket, that’s about 3,200 blankets to reach 2,000 miles of yarn. The blankets will be on display at the Smart Museum of Art at the University of Chicago from July 18 to December 17, starting with an empty space that fills as blankets come in. The deadline for sending blankets is Sept. 5; check out all the details in the FAQ. After the exhibit, the blankets will be distributed to refugees and resettlement organizations with notes welcoming them to America.

This sounds like a lovely project, and it might help some people to learn more about refugees and do some knitting for a good cause.

If you feel compelled, check it out. If you feel compelled to bring politics in here, please resist that urge.

[Photo: Kat Coyle.]

Comments

  1. If someone brings a subject up, it’s fair game. Whether political, social, religious, or just plain like/dislike. Talking about an issue in any arena is an invitation.
    But, you’re right on one thing..resisting the urge to bring a subject up in conversation is wise if you don’t want an opposite view brought up.
    I, for one, am so very ready for the wall to be built to keep illegals out (knowing it won’t keep out 100% of them). Come in legally, like so may others have done.

  2. She meant that this might not be the best forum for political discussion – and it’s not. There are plenty of other places on the web to have that debate. If you feel the need to voice your opinion, please go there. No matter your views, please be respectful.

  4. I have two legal immigrants in my family, one from Russia and one from Indonesia. I thought she was respectful.

  5. I love the concept and love the idea, and love that it comes with genuine regard, respect and should be treated as such. I love the space to create and to make a difference and I see this space as being exactly that. We need more compassion, more creativity and more sensitivity and more care of each other. Bring on the knitting needles and let the beautiful creative wall begin..

  6. While I respect the author’s opinion, I think I’ll go elsewhere for my knitting and crafting inspiration from now on. I’ve enjoyed this site for many years, but I don’t come to a craft site for politics.
    Also, kind of telling for the author to bring up a political topic, then ask everyone to refrain from discussing political topic. Don’t post them at all is a very simple solution.
    Best of luck to this site’s creators and contributors, and thanks for the years of enjoyment.

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Patchwork Blanket Knitting Patterns

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.