Knitting has always been a great way to relax and get away from the ever-increasing technological world that we live in today. Like reading a book, it allows your brain to unwind and can help you de-stress for the day. Knitting is also a great hobbie to take up because it can be done in most places: on a plane, at home, on the bus and even in a boring lecture theater.
One of the most common and popular items you can knit is a blanket. It doesn’t require too many difficult stitching maneuvers since it usually is just a giant rectangle shape; you can also make them extremely large or small depending on what your needs are. Whether it be for a baby comfort blanket or just for your own personal joy. A blanket made from good quality wool can also be very useful in Winter; Wool is a natural insulator of heat so you can wrap yourself up and be nice and snuggy during the colder months. And since Wool is in abundance, it’s not a very expensive material to get hold of- especially if you’re planning on having multiple patterns and colors in your blanket’s design.
So what are some good knitting designs for blankets?
Well one of the most popular patterns is the plaid blanket, or tartan blanket designs. These designs originate from Scotland Clans, where each clan would have a specific pattern and design associated with them. A plaid blanket is one which has a criss-cross pattern, with up to 21 different shades and colors woven into the fabric. Of course, you don’t have to have 21 different colors, you could just use 3 or 4 and the when the colors criss-cross each other, different shades will naturally come out.
Printed designs are also popular for knitted blankets. You choose a base color for your blanket and then use a printing machine to add a custom image or design onto the blanket. It is sort of cheating, since you aren’t knitting the pattern, but it’s also very easy to get a custom image on to your blanket with minimal effort.
Not only is the design of knitting important, but you can also choose on the method at which you stitch the blanket together. This can give the blanket a different texture and pattern for just a single color and still look great. Some examples of this are mesh patterns, which are simple patterns but create great patterns within the wool fabric. You’ll want to do a pattern that is close to your skill level, otherwise you may find yourself getting frustrated and that’s not good when the activity is supposed to be relaxing and fun. Of course, if you want a challenge, go ahead and pick something with a little more difficulty. There are plenty of guides on knitting patterns on the internet that give you great details on how to do these different types of knitting patterns.
Other common patterns: Poka-Dot, Stripes (horizontal or vertical), Crochet, Diagonal, garter stitch, seed stitch and plenty more.