A step-by-step guide to knitting the Friendship Blanket
Ever gotten halfway through a project and thought “Hang on, am I even doing this right?” We have 🙋♀️
That’s why we’ve created these step-by-step guides to walk you through the knitting process.
Even if you've never knitted before, we'll take you from zero to knitting hero in no time 🦸♀️
When it comes to knitting, practice makes perfect
Before we get started we suggest you spend a bit of time learning the basic stitches and techniques in knitting.
Our blanket is made up of individual squares which are sewn together. The maker of each square gets to decide which stitch type they use in their square.
🧶 Regardless of the stitch type you choose, you'll want to be confident with the knit and purl stitches before you start because these are the basis for a huge range of stitch types. You'll also want to get a hang of tying a slip knot and casting on your stitches (AKA getting your stitches onto your needles) which is the first step in any knitting project, as well as casting off.
You can use the yarn that came in your kit to practice with. Once you've got these mastered you'll find making your square a cinch!
Total beginner? 👩🏫
For a more comprehensive lesson on the basics of knitting visit our Learn How To Knit page.
Onto the blanket!
The Friendship Blanket is the perfect project to do with a group of friends. Go Sisterhood Of The Travelling Pants and pass the kit between the group, or get everyone together and have a stitch and giggle session!
You'll make 9 squares in total and each square will measure 40cm x 40cm. Then comes the fun part, sewing the pieces together into one cosy, colourful, bangin' blanket!
⚡️What you'll need
Your kit comes with everything you'll need to make your masterpiece. In your kit you'll find;
- 9 sets of 15mm needles
- 9 balls of Cardigang Chunky Merino Wool
- A darning needle (to sew your pieces together)
- Made by me tag
You also want to have a pair of scissors and a tape measure handy.
⚡️Test your tension
Before you start your project, make sure your tension (how tightly or loosely your knitting is) is juuuust right 🥣 We do this by knitting a “tension swatch”. It's a bit like goldilocks, if the tension is too tight, your piece will be too small, and if it's too loose it may not hold its shape and might be too big.
Gauge: If done correctly, your 10x10cm knitted swatch should be 7 stitches wide and 9 rows high when knitted in stockinette stitch on your 15mm needles.
To test this, jump on your needles - use the yarn and needles that came in your kit. Cast on around 12-15 stitches, then knit in stockinette stitch (knit all stitches in your first row, purl all stitches in the next - repeat) for around 10-14 rows. Then measure a 10x10cm square and count your stitches and rows within that space to make sure you're knitting at the correct tension.
If you've got more stitches or rows than the instructions say you should have, your knitting is a little too tight, and if you've got less your knitting is too loose. Adjust your tension by holding the yarn a little more tightly/loosely as you knit.
💪 Remember learning a new skill can be a little challenging at first, and you’re bound to find yourself making some mistakes along the way. But as with learning anything, your brain and your hands slowly start to get the hang of it, muscle memory is created, and soon the thing you found tricky/daunting/scary is like second nature!
🧶 Let's knit up a storm!
Time to get click-clacking and whip up your patch or patches!
Each knitter has the choice of what stitch type they want to use. We've outlined 4 of the most popular stitches that are used often in Cardigang patterns. This is a great place to start!
Cast On
We'll all begin in the same place and that's to cast on our stitches. Cast on 30 stitches.
💭 Casting on, like many things in knitting, can be done in a number of ways so if you don't like the technique we suggested, you can pick any that’s right for you.
MAKE YOUR SQUARE
Garter Stitch
Garter stitch is the simplest stitch in the knitting world! It's created by knitting every stitch in every row - super simple hey?! 😎
If you choose this stitch, knit all rows until your piece measures 40cm. Approximately 40 rows.
Stockinette stitch
Stockinette Stitch is a basic stitch that most knitting patterns often don't explain! You create it by knitting one row and purling the next. It's the only stitch in this list that's not reversible. The 'right' side is the one where the little Vs are facing you.
If you choose this stitch you'll do around 36 rows to reach 40cm.
Seed stitch
Seed Stitch is made by alternating knit stitches and purl stitches within a row and between rows. It is called seed stitch because the stitches create little bumps that may look like seeds. Seed stitch is identical on both sides and lies flat.
If you choose this stitch you'll complete about 38 rows to reach 40cm.
CAST OFF
🕺 Time to cast off your stitches. When you cast off the second last stitch you'll be left with one stitch on your right needle. Cut your yarn from the ball (give yourself about a 25cm tail) and thread the tail back through the last stitch to secure it.
Sewing it together
🪡 Grab your darning needle, we're going to sew this baby together! You'll be sewing the squares together on vertical and horizontal seams.
To start, lay your pieces on a flat surface in the order that you like best. You'll start with your horizontal seams to sew pieces 1 to 2 and then add piece 3.
Once all your horizontal seams are joined you'll join your long strips by sewing your side seams together.
FINISHING
We're so close to being done! The final thing we need to do is weave in the ends. Using your darning needle weave any loose ends into the blanket.
D.O.N.E! You've finished your blanket, well done! Epic work 🤩 If this was your first-ever knitting project or one of many, we hope you had a blast click-clacking and making your bangin' blanket 💥❤️
In a bind and need some help?
Book in for a 15min one-on-one knitting or crochet session with the Cardigang Hotline ☎️. Whether you're just starting out, or you've got a specific question or problem (dropped a stitch, no stress!), we're here to get you out of a bind.