How to Knit a Blanket on Circular Needles: A Beginner's Guide

Knitting a blanket can seem like a big undertaking! But, like every other knitting pattern, it is simple. All you need is your knitting needles, yarn, some accessories, and of course a pattern. With a little planning, you can easily create one of your own designs and have a good time making it. In this blog, we’ll discuss the nitty gritty details of knitting a blanket on circular needles with a focus on helping out a beginner. But, even if you have made blankets before, this will guide you to make one of your own. Knitting is a practice of mindfulness and a blanket project is one of the best to get started.

Gather your supplies

Get your favourite pair of circular knitting needles, preferably with cables ranging between 100 - 150cm. Having a knitting needle set is a good option as are accessories such as stitch markers, measuring tapes, blocking tools, etc.

Consider the Preferences of the Blanket's Recipient

Start with thinking about the recipient of your blanket. Is it a gift for a baby or an adult? Once you decide upon the recipient you can easily find a guide on sizes. Baby blankets are quick and fun projects. While adult-sized ones are fun but time-taking.

After the size, you need to decide upon the yarn.

Yarn Weight & Material - The yarn weight or thickness can range from fingering weight to chunky yarn but for a blanket, it is best to stick to a mid-weight range. Worsted is a good weight to start with while chunky yarn can be a good choice for a faster project. Always think about the blanket's recipient when selecting material. Wool is warm and durable, but a wool blend can be a good compromise. Cotton yarn is also a good option. Your choice of colour is wide. For a baby blanket, eco-friendly yarn is a good choice.

The Best Knitting Needles for Blankets

Circular knitting needles are great for any blanket project. An interchangeable set is a good option as they provide popular needle sizes along with cables wide enough to hold a whole blanket, given the length of the cable and needles size between US 7 and 9. 

Needle Size & Length - The size (diameter) of the knitting needle depend on the yarn and the desired gauge.  Usually, the yarn you choose has a recommended needle size shown on its label.  The best thing is to knit up a gauge swatch with the yarn you wish to use. That will help determine the best size to use for the blanket you wish to make.

Blanket Construction and Common Stitches

As far as construction goes, making a blanket is just a bigger version of knitting a gauge swatch. If it is your first time taking on such a complex and vast project, take a look at the mindful tricks for knitting. It’s knit flat, and both the right side and the wrong side are visible. While most blankets are knit all in one piece, some patterns use squares or rectangles, joined by blanket stitch or basic seaming techniques. If you are a beginner, we recommend your first blanket be a one-piece version. 

For blankets, the most often used stitches are reversible, such as garter, stockinette, and ribbing. More advanced blankets might use lace patterns but those should be avoided by new or beginning knitters. 

Edging

Since all the edges of the blanket are visible, it’s nice to have uniform edging around all sides. A simple way to do this is to slip every first or last stitch in a row or knit a seed stitch or garter stitch edge. The other option for cleaning up edges is to add on a border after you cast off.

Now that you have some basic information about knitting blankets, let's look at the instructions for a blanket.

Basic Pattern Instructions

This isn't a blanket pattern, the instructions below will give you a general idea that all blanket patterns follow.

Step 1: Cast On

You'll know how many stitches to cast on either from the gauge swatch or from the pattern you choose. Cast on these stitches. It is best recommended to use the long tail cast-on method.

Step 2: Knit the Body

Follow whatever pattern you'd like for the main part of the blanket. You can go for a simple garter or try out textured stitches. Just pay attention to when the pattern changes at the beginning and end borders.

Step 3: Cast Off

After you’ve got the measurements you wanted, get ready to cast off! Choose a stretchy cast-off so the final edge isn't tighter than the others.

Step 5: Finishing

Finishing includes binding off, weaving in ends, and blocking. You need to have a handy darning needle, sharp scissors and blocking tools.

For a blanket or any other project, you need to have creativity and the right tools. The Mindful Collection has a range of smooth stainless steel knitting needles and accessories, wonderful for blanket knitting.  Not only do you have a choice of needle sizes and a variety of cable lengths but the words shown on the needle will encourage you to reap the meditative benefits that come with knitting. Follow our blog, for more information on knitting, mindfulness, techniques, tricks, etc.