It seems like every time I go on Pinterest theses days there are chunky knits – particularly blankets – everywhere!! These blankets are gorgeous. Every time I see one I want to grab a hot tea, light a fire and curl up on my couch…..which is usually not an option since I’m usually scanning through Pinterest waiting to pick up my kiddos from school! What I also noticed is that these beautiful works of art are also super pricey. Most of them are made from 100% merino wool – pure luxuriousness.
So….I figured since I know the basics of knitting (2 stitches to be exact – I can knit & purl…done), why don’t I knit one myself. Sounds easy enough! So off I went to my local craft store to find some thick chunky yarn. I came across a thick, fleecy yarn which was extremely reasonably priced and much more livable than merino wool. Having two little people I have to be able to throw it in the wash. Since a lot of these blankets are being created by arm knitting I was set. I googled some arm knitting tutorials and came across an awesome one from Simply Maggie, she makes it look super easy and it is!
That evening I started my first arm knit project! It really was easy and did take under an hour like the tutorial suggested. However, I should have made sure both my sweet children were completely asleep before I got my arms all tied up in yarn. My hubby was out for the evening and when the kids needed something my hands were literally tied! Oh well, lesson learned. Below is a picture of my the blanket; it is a super soft fleecy material and is awesome for curling up with.
Since this blanket seemed to be a success and took no time at all I decided to try an ‘adult’ only blanket! By this I mean I splurged on some amazing cream wool from a local knitting store Knit 2 Yarns; since it is such a delicate material and can not be just thrown in the washing machine there will be no bedtime snacks being had with it.
As I became addicted to making these big easy arm knit blankets I figured I would try one with some really large US sz 50 knitting needles. This way I can make the knit a little tighter and it won’t take as long as with small needles; plus it is pretty tricky finding thick chunky yarn locally. There are so many amazing chunky yarns available on Etsy but figured I would try making my yarn thicker just by knitting with 2 balls at the same time. I made a medium size blanket for my 5 year old little guy and he loves it!! Super cozy and he drags the thing everywhere so I would consider it a success (see below pic). So much so I am now starting my sweet 8 year old girl one:)
