My Favorite Knitting Projects from 2018

Before we get too far into the new year, I wanted to take a minute to say THANK YOU for your interest in my knitting designs, for purchasing my knitting patterns and for all your kind feedback. It means so much to me to hear that you have enjoyed using my patterns!

In November, I celebrated five years of designing and publishing knitting patterns. This past year was an outstanding and rewarding year for my little home based business...I appreciate your support so much!!

Here's a collage of my favorite knitting photos and projects from 2018...

Fifty Four Ten Studio - Favorite Knitting Projects from 2018

Here's a guide to the photos shown.  Click the links to see the blog post about each pattern:

Top Left: Childhood Wishes cable blanket knitting pattern
Top Right: Piece of Home blanket knitting pattern
Center Left: Quality Time scarf (and blanket) knitting pattern
Center: River of Dreams bed runner blanket knitting pattern
Center Right: Plymouth Select yarn I used for my Stay on the Ridge blanket pattern.
Lower Left: Game Time blanket knitting pattern
Lower Center: Stay on the Ridge blanket knitting pattern
Lower Right: Window Seat blanket knitting pattern

THREE FAVORITES:

It's hard to pick favorites...because I only publish the designs that I really love! (Yes - there are designs that didn't make it past a few inches of knitting...or I finished but wasn't pleased with the results.)  Here's my three favorite knitting pattern designs from 2018:

1. My favorite project of 2018 is my River of Dreams bed runner blanket!  I absolutely love how this project turned out!  And...I love that knitters have really enjoyed using this pattern.

My goal for this design was to create a classic style with a modern twist...take a basic, simple cable and make it really stand out with super bulky yarn.   The bed runner has a seed stitch border on all of the edges.  The pattern includes instructions for twin, full, queen and king size bed runners.  (Note: this is an accent blanket intended for the end of the bed...it does not cover the entire bed!)

River of Dreams bed runner blanket knitting pattern

River of Dreams bed runner knitting pattern is available on Ravelry, Craftsy, LoveKnitting and Etsy.

Designed for Super Bulky Yarn:
I used Lion Brand Hometown USA super bulky yarn for my River of Dreams bed runner.  I picked the 'Springfield Silver' shade which looks great with the neutral color palette in our guest room.

Lion Brand Hometown USA is very soft and very economically priced. The yarn is available in a wide range of colors. I especially love the neutrals such as 'Dallas Grey' (see it shown in my Westport Blanket knitting pattern), 'Chicago Charcoal' (see it shown in my North of the River blanket), and 'Houston Cream' (I'm working on a project with this right now!).

Note that 'Springfield Silver' is one of the "print" or "tweed" colorways and comes in 64 yard skeins.  Solid color Hometown USA skeins are 81 yards.  Be sure to double check the yardage when purchasing.

If you prefer a woolly texture and appearance...try Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick.  I've used it with many designs - such as my Game Time blanket below.

Working on my River of Dreams bed runner blanket knitting design.

2. My second favorite pattern from 2018 is my Game Time blanket (and scarf) design.  In late September, I decided I really wanted to make a fall inspired blanket and it called for branching out from my standard blue and gray color palette!  I ordered 8 skeins of the 'Mustard' colorway of Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick. The day the yarn arrived I cast on for this blanket...and I finished knitting the blanket within eight days!  I enjoyed knitting outside on some beautiful fall days when the leaves were changing colors...matching my mustard yellow yarn.

Game Time blanket knitting pattern.

Game Time blanket & scarf knitting pattern is available on Ravelry, Etsy, Craftsy    and LoveKnitting.

This pattern uses an easy to remember four row repeat stitch pattern that gives great texture and is reversible!

I made the medium size throw which is 41" wide x 45" long.  The pattern includes instructions for 6 blanket sizes...plus a scarf.

This blanket is a favorite because I loved the experience of knitting it last fall, outside when the weather was beautiful, and I'm so pleased with how the color worked with the texture of the pattern.

3. And...my third favorite pattern from 2019 is my Quality Time scarf (and blanket) knitting pattern.  It's the worsted weight version of the Game Time blanket (above).  This pattern is a favorite because of the memories of the day I bought the yarn...and because I have worn this scarf on every cold day this winter!

Quality Time scarf knitting pattern by Fifty Four Ten Studio.

Quality Time blanket and scarf knitting pattern is available on Ravelry, Etsy, LoveKnitting and Craftsy.

I used two skeins of Malabrigo Rios in 'Bobby Blue' which I bought at a cute shop in Fairfield, Iowa called At Home Store.  They have a beautiful selection of kitchen, home and baby gifts...as well as a lovely selection of yarn!  This scarf  reminds me of one of my favorite days of 2018 when I got to spend some quality time with someone special.

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Here's a sneak peak at one of the projects I'm working on right now...

Working on a new blanket knitting pattern design.

The yarn for this project is Lion Brand's new 'Color Made Easy' bulky weight yarn in the colorway 'Basalt'.  I'm thrilled with the stitch definition of this yarn and I absolutely love the color.  A really nice rich medium gray...a lovely neutral shade.

I have a long list of knitting goals for 2019!  Stay tuned!  I'll share updates on Instagram and  Facebook.  And, sign up for my email announcements using the 'Subscribe to our email list' option on the right side of your computer screen - near the top of the blog page. (This may not show up as an option when viewing on your phone - still working on how to successfully provide this option without annoying pop-ups!)  

To learn more about each of my patterns, visit my pages on Ravelry, LoveKnitting, Etsy and  Craftsy (soon to be called Bluprint).

Best wishes for a healthy and happy new year!

Mary Lee
Fifty Four Ten Studio

River of Dreams - New Chunky Cable Bed Runner Knitting Pattern!

I'm so excited to introduce my new chunky, cable bed runner knitting pattern - River of Dreams!

I'm thrilled with how this blanket bed runner came together!  The blanket has one giant cable down the center and the entire blanket is framed by a seed stitch border.

River of Dreams - Bed Runner - Cable Blanket Knitting Pattern

Click here to purchase the pattern on Ravelry.

Click here to purchase the pattern on FiftyFourTenStudio.com. 

Click here to purchase the pattern on Etsy.

January 28, 2020 UPDATE: My blog has a new location at FiftyFourTenStudio.com!  Click here if you would like to read this post on my new website.

The design is simple and classic...but the super bulky yarn gives it a modern appearance that adds great texture to any bedroom decor.

River of Dreams - bed runner knitting pattern.

I'll warn you now....when you have this blanket proudly displayed at the foot of your bed...someone is going to see it and ask you to make a 'River of Dreams' bed runner blanket for them!

This design is a variation on my chunky cable blanket knitting pattern - North of the River.

'River of Dreams' seemed the perfect name for this cozy, bed runner blanket...to bring comfort and peaceful dreams.

A giant cable gives great texture to the River of Dreams bed runner.

And...if you choose to spend a lazy Saturday morning in bed...knitting and jotting down your day dreams...this River of Dreams blanket is sure to add a layer of coziness!

River of Dreams - cozy, cable bed runner blanket knitting pattern.

FOUR BED RUNNER SIZES

The pattern includes instructions for 4 bed sizes...Twin, Full, Queen & King.

Approximate dimensions after blocking:

Twin Bed Runner: 23" wide x 65" long
Full Bed Runner: 23" wide x 81" long
Queen Bed Runner: 23" wide x 89" long
King Bed Runner: 23" long x 105" long

Bed runner length is designed to drape over each side of the bed approximately 14 - 15", depending on the thickness of blankets underneath.

Note: This is an accent blanket designed to lay across the end of the bed.  It is not designed to cover the entire bed.

Bed runner knitting pattern - River of Dreams.

SUPER BULKY YARN

This bed runner blanket knitting pattern is designed for use with super bulky weight yarns.

Yarn requirements for each size:

Twin Bed Runner: 550 - 575 yards
Full Bed Runner: 670 - 700 yards
Queen Bed Runner: 720 - 750 yards
King Bed Runner: 900 - 950 yards

I used Lion Brand Hometown USA in 'Springfield Silver'.

YARN SUGGESTIONS

I used Lion Brand Hometown in 'Springfield Silver'. I have enjoyed using Hometown USA on many projects but this was the first time I have used 'Springfield Silver'...and it won't be the last.  I love this colorway!  The gentle heather silver gray is simply lovely!

Note about Yardage on Hometown: Check the label!  Yardage varies depending on the color.  Springfield Silver is one of the "print" colorways and has 64 yards per skein.  The solid color Hometown USA options have 81 yards per skein.

This blanket will look great in any color!  However, if you are thinking about using gray yarn and want to compare 'Springfield Silver' to other shades of gray...check out 'Dallas Grey' (nice medium gray - I used it for my Westport Blanket knitting pattern) and 'Chicago Charcoal' (dark charcoal gray - I used it for my North of the River cable blanket pattern). 'Cape Cod Tweed' also looks like a great option if you like little flecks of other colors mixed in (this shade is on my list to try soon!).

Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick would also work well with this pattern. It's a blend of 80% acrylic and 20% wool.  Nice texture and great stitch definition.  I have used this yarn for many blanket projects and I'm always thrilled with the results.  Get more details and shop for this yarn on the Lion Brand website and LoveCrafts.com.  

River of Dreams - Cable Bed Runner Knitting Pattern

CABLE KNITTING EXPERIENCE RECOMMENDED

If you have basic cable knitting experience this blanket is pretty easy to knit.  If you need a reminder on how to do cables...there are lots of video tutorials available.  This one from Wool and the Gang is pretty good.  And, Mama in a Stitch blog has a step by step photo tutorial.

Basic cable knitting experience recommended.

KNITTING NEEDLES

The blanket is worked flat, back and forth.  I used US size 15 circular knitting needles because I like having lots of room for the stitches.  My needles are about 38" long (shorter will work just fine).

If you are purchasing new needles for this project...I would recommend buying long circular needles because they will be very useful if you decide to try another (wider) blanket knitting project!

However, if you already own a set of US 15 straight needles they will work fine for this project since the blanket runner is not very wide.  Just make sure your needles are at least 14" long.

Finishing the last couple of rows of the seed stitch border.

BLOCKING RECOMMENDED

Careful blocking of the finished blanket is highly recommended!  I have said this over and over...I always love how my project looks after blocking...it is really worth the extra effort!

For tips, read my blog post about blocking.

HAND WASHING RECOMMENDED

Hometown USA is a 'machine washable' yarn.  So are many other yarns.  However...I think that any hand knit project, especially a large blanket, will look better if it is hand washed, and dried flat on blocking mats.  Hand washing takes extra time but it's worth it when you have put a lot of time into knitting your blanket!

WHERE TO GET THE PATTERN

Click here to purchase the pattern on FiftyFourTenStudio.com. 

Click here to purchase the pattern on Ravelry.

Click here to purchase the pattern on Etsy.

I loved making my River of Dreams bed runner...and it looks fantastic at the foot of the bed!

Thanks so much for reading and for your interest in my knitting designs.

Happy knitting!

Mary Lee
Fifty Four Ten Studio

River of Dreams bed runner knitting pattern.