Friday, September 9, 2016

Third Street Blanket - New Knitting Pattern

I'm excited to announce my new blanket knitting pattern....Third Street Blanket.

This blanket is quick and easy to knit with super bulky yarn.

January 2020 Update: Third Street Blanket knitting pattern can be purchased on my new Fifty Four Ten Studio website.


The Third Street Blanket knitting pattern is also available on Ravelry, LoveKnitting and Etsy.

If you prefer worsted weight yarn...please click here to see my Making Plans blanket knitting pattern on my new Fifty Four Ten Studio website.

Third Street Blanket by Fifty Four Ten Studio
INSPIRATION FOR THE PATTERN NAME:

The name for the Third Street Blanket is inspired by maps of one of the oldest neighborhoods in  Kansas City.  Like so many towns, the streets in Kansas City were given numbered names...counting up starting at the river.

The image below is from a 1940 Kansas City road map.  (I love maps!)  The label for 3rd Street is in the center of this photo, just south of the Missouri River.  Note the grid layout of the streets with small square city blocks...this was the inspiration for the name of my new blanket!

1940 Kansas City, Missouri map showing 3rd Street & City Market.
For many years, a weekly outdoor farmer's market has taken place near 3rd Street at the City Market.  In the 1940 map above it says "new" under the City Market label.  This same location was used as a farmer's market back in the 1850's when the city was founded under the name "Town of Kansas".  (The city of Kansas City shown in the map above is actually in the state of Missouri.  There's another city also called Kansas City which is nearby...in the state of Kansas.  If this sounds confusing...it is!)

More about the blanket...

The Third Street Blanket is knit with super bulky yarn so it knits up very quickly.  The easy to remember pattern makes this a fun blanket to knit while watching football or baseball games...or your favorite movie!

Third Street Blanket - easy chunky blanket knitting pattern

INSTRUCTIONS FOR SIX SIZES:
This pattern includes instructions for six sizes including very small baby blanket size, a crib or lap size blanket...on up to an XXL Afghan blanket size.

XXL Afghan: 54.5" wide x 60.5" long
XL: 50” wide x 50.5” long
Large: 41.75” wide x 50.5” long
Medium: : 38.25” wide x 38.75” long
Small (Crib/Lap): 34.5” wide x 34” long
Baby: 28.25” wide x 28” long

It's easy to make any of the blanket sizes longer by adding pattern repeats.  Pattern includes estimates for additional yardage needed to make blankets longer.

SUPER BULKY YARN:

XXL: 1350 - 1420 yards
XL: 1040 - 1100 yards
Large: 860 - 900 yards
Medium: 610 - 650 yards
Small: 490 - 520 yards
Baby: 325 - 350 yards

I used Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick in the color 'Glacier'.  I love this icy blue colored yarn.  It is a lovely color that changes with the lighting and surroundings...sometimes appearing more gray in tone and other times appearing more blue.

This is a great, dependable yarn at an affordable price.  This pattern can be used with many other super bulky yarns such as Lion Brand Hometown USA.

Or, some knitters like to knit two strands of bulky or worsted weight yarn together to create a similar thickness of yarn. This technique would work well with this pattern.

MAY 2019 UPDATE: If you prefer worsted weight yarn....please click here to see my new Making Plans blanket knitting pattern. 


Making Plans - the worsted weight version of my popular Third Street Blanket pattern
BLOCKING RECOMMENDED:

I highly recommend blocking the finished blanket.  This is an easy process that makes a big difference in the finished results.  First, I soaked the blanket in a sink full of water for a few minutes.

January 30, 2020 UPDATE: For a full blocking tutorial with lots of photos and step-by-step tips....please click here to read my updated blog post on my new Fifty Four Ten Studio website.

Soak knitting in a sink full of water for a few minutes.
I drained the water out of the sink and allowed the blanket to sit in the sink for several minutes to let excess water drain off.  Then, I carefully gathered the wet blanket up (being sure not to wring or squeeze the blanket!) and set it on a few old towels to allow more water to drain off.

I set up my blocking mats on my water proof work table.  Then I carefully transferred the heavy wet blanket to the blocking mats and gently spread it out to the desired size.  I used a ruler and the edges of the blocking mat as a guide to make sure all the edges were straight and even.  I pinned the blanket in place using Knitters Pride T-Pins which are rust proof.

Knitting carefully set up on blocking mats with T-pins to hold knitting in place.

It took about 2-3 days for the blanket to dry completely.  It's worth the wait!

More tips and step-by-step photos on blocking on this blog post at FiftyFourTenStudio.com.

Third Street blanket knitting pattern for super bulky weight yarn.

WHERE TO GET THE PATTERN:

FiftyFourTenStudio.com: Click here to purchase the Third Street Blanket pattern.

Ravelry: Click here to purchase the pattern on Ravelry.

The pattern is also available on LoveKnitting and Etsy.

If you like this pattern, you might also like my other easy chunky blanket patterns!  Click the image below to visit my Fifty Four Ten Studio pattern shop... 


Fall is such a great time for recharging and starting new projects.  The kids are back in school starting a new year and I'm back to knitting and designing.  I feel so fortunate to be doing something that I really enjoy!

Thanks so much for reading!  Happy knitting!

Mary Lee
Fifty Four Ten Studio