Across the Diamond - Chunky Blanket Knitting Pattern

Hi knitters!  This month I used my Across the Diamond blanket knitting pattern to knit a cozy little blanket for a baby gift.  I love how it turned out! 

Across the Diamond blanket knitting pattern is available on Ravelry, Craftsy, Etsy and LoveKnitting.

Across the Diamond - blanket knitting pattern for super bulky yarn.

Our dear family friends welcomed a new baby to their family a couple weeks ago and this soft blue blanket will be the perfect gift for their little guy.  (They live in the northern part of the US where cooler temperatures are the norm and a thicker, cozy blanket will be perfect most of the year!)

The new dad is a huge baseball fan so I thought my baseball inspired blanket design would be the perfect choice.  The texture of this pattern has sets of four purl stitches in a diamond arrangement.  This stitch pattern reminds me of the bases on a baseball field!  And...this pretty bright blue yarn makes me think of clear blue sky on a beautiful spring day at the ballpark.

Across the Diamond - chunky blanket knitting pattern.

The blanket design has a seed stitch border...I love the chunky texture!

Seed stitch border on the Across the Diamond blanket design.

I used Lion Brand Hometown USA in the 'Charlotte Blue' colorway.  This yarn is easy-care, 100% acrylic and very, very soft!  The yarn has a bit of a silky texture and sheen that gives it a clean, modern appearance.  I have used this yarn for so many knitting projects and have always been very pleased with the results.  Visit the Lion Brand Yarn website to see all the pretty colors offered in Hometown USA.

Chunky blanket knit with Lion Brand Hometown USA in 'Charlotte Blue'.

FIVE BLANKET SIZES:

The pattern includes instructions for five blanket sizes.  Approximate sizes after blocking:

Baby Blanket: 30.5" wide x 32" long
Small (Crib/Lap) Blanket: 34" wide x 37" long
Medium Throw: 37.5" wide x 42" long
Large Throw: 41" wide x 47" long
XL Afghan: 48" wide x 52" long

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

I used Lion Brand's Hometown USA super bulky yarn.

SUPER BULKY YARN:

Baby: 380 - 410 yards
Small: 500 - 540 yards
Medium: 620 - 670 yards
Large: 740 - 800 yards
XL: 1000 - 1100 yards

Solid color yarn is recommended to show the texture of the pattern best.

When shopping for super bulky yarn...look for the #6 yarn symbol on the yarn label.

As noted above, I used Lion Brand Hometown USA to make my blanket.  This lovely bright blue is called 'Charlotte Blue'.

Other yarn options include Lion Brand's new Thick & Quick Bonus Bundles which are 100% acrylic and have a lot of yardage for an economical price.  If you prefer a bit of a woolly feel and texture for your yarn...check out Lion Brand's Wool-Ease Thick & Quick which is available in many colors in the standard skein size.  Wool-Ease Thick & Quick is also available in Bonus Bundles (lots of yardage...great for blanket knitting!) in a limited selection of colors.

I recommend circular needles for knitting blankets.

Blocking of the finished blanket is suggested...but it's not essential with this pattern.  If you would like tips on blocking...click here to see my blog post about blocking a blanket.

WHERE TO GET THE PATTERN:

Across the Diamond blanket knitting pattern is available on Ravelry, Craftsy, Etsy and LoveKnitting.

--> Pin this to your Pinterest knitting board to save this knitting pattern idea...

Across the Diamond chunky blanket knitting pattern.

Today is opening day for baseball in Kansas City! Our Kansas City Royals are celebrating their 50th year of major league baseball.  I'm looking forward to knitting while watching lots of games this season. :)

Thanks for stopping by and for your interest in my knitting projects.

Have a fabulous day!  Happy knitting!

Mary Lee
Fifty Four Ten Studio

My first visit to WEBS - America's Yarn Store!

This month I spent a week in the New England area visiting dear friends and family...as part of a college visit tour for my teenage daughter.  We packed in tours of six colleges, relaxing time with our friends in Vermont, dinner with my cousin and his family in Boston, and a visit to WEBS Yarn Store in Northampton, Massachusetts. (And...somehow we managed to successfully dodge two big snow storms during our trip!)

Though I am very familiar with the WEBS on-line store, this was the first time I have had the opportunity to visit their beautiful store in Northampton...it was such a treat!

WEBS has a huge inventory of yarn in every imaginable color.  The store is large, spacious, extremely well organized and has great lighting.  The WEBS team is very welcoming!  My only wish is that I had been able to spend all afternoon checking out every corner of the store!

WEBS - America's Yarn Store

WEBS has a number of my most popular Fifty Four Ten Studio knitting patterns available for sale on their website.

And...WEBS included my Westport Blanket knitting pattern in their beautiful 2018 spring catalog!! (If you have the catalog...see page 63.)  I'm so honored to be included in this publication!

If you are interested...click here to request a WEBS catalog.

They knit up the Westport Blanket pattern using their lovely Valley Yarns Valley Superwash Super Bulky in the 'Burgundy' colorway and offer a kit to make the blanket as shown in your choice of five sizes.

It was so fun to see the Westport Blanket sample in person when I visited the WEBS store...I love it!  I took a couple of quick photos shown below...thanks to my daughter for serving as the model outside on a cold New England day!

Westport Blanket knit in Valley Yarns Valley Superwash Super Bulky for a kit!

A note about the yarn color....this yarn is definitely a classic burgundy shade!  In the photos here and in the WEBS listing for the kit, the blanket can appear more of a pinkish, raspberry shade....but this yarn is a deep, rich burgundy.

You may also purchase the Westport Blanket knitting pattern separately from WEBS and then choose your own Valley Superwash Super Bulky yarn color!  This yarn is available in so many beautiful colors!  And, I love the stitch definition of this yarn...as shown here...

Westport Blanket - knitting kit from WEBS Yarn Store

Westport Blanket in Valley Superwash Super Bulky - Kit

I'm so appreciative of the WEBS team for offering my Westport Blanket as a kit in their store and online.  I'm really touched that they selected my pattern to feature in their catalog! 

You can also find my Westport Blanket knitting pattern on Ravelry and Etsy....and read more about the pattern here on my blog.

WEBS - On the Map Blanket Kit:

WEBS also offers a kit to knit my On the Map blanket in their Valley Yarns Valley Superwash in the beautiful colorway 'Colonial Blue' that I used (photo below).  This yarn is a worsted weight and it's simply lovely!

The kit includes the pattern and enough yarn to make your choice of six sizes: Baby, Small (Crib/Lap blanket), Medium Throw, Large Throw, XL & XXL Afghan.

On the Map blanket - kit available from WEBS Yarn Store

The On the Map knitting pattern is also available to purchase on WEBS, Ravelry or Etsy. 

Valley Yarns Valley Superwash is a worsted weight yarn that is available in a beautiful selection of colors on the WEBS website.

Happy Spring!

I've been home for a few days and enjoying the beautiful spring weather here in Kansas City.  I love seeing the bright sunshine!  

Spring always gets me inspired to do a little rearranging of things...tucking away heavy blankets and pulling out a few favorite lighter colored accent pieces.  In the photo below...I added one of my favorite hand knit pillows to the guest bedroom decor - The Parkway Pillow. 

I knit The Parkway Pillow using Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick in the lovely shade 'Glacier'.  See all the beautiful shades of this yarn on the Lion Brand Yarn website.

The Parkway Pillow - easy to knit with super bulky yarn

Read more about The Parkway Pillow here on my blog.  The pattern is available on Ravelry, Etsy and LoveKnitting.

Plans for the week...

In the knitting department...I'm finishing up a baby blanket using my 'Across the Diamond' knitting pattern. (Photos of this finished blanket coming soon!)  I'm currently reading (and enjoying) The Bartender's Tale by Ivan Doig.  Tomorrow, I'm planning to head to my favorite local plant nursery to pick up some pansies...my favorite for this time of year.  And...this week we'll be cheering on our favorite basketball teams in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament...the University of Kansas and Kansas State University!   

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Have a wonderful day!

Mary Lee

Fifty Four Ten Studio