February is the month we celebrate Valentines. It calls for hearts and flowers and all things romantic.
So I went looking for a heart pattern. I found a stitch pattern called Hearts Ease. I thought it would be perfect for the February Square. Mostly because I could use the stitch pattern to create rows of multiple hearts. Also, because the name of the pattern had special meaning for me.
Hearts Ease, also known as Viola, are my favourite flower. Johnny Jump Ups is another name for them. That is what my mother-in-law called them. They are closely related to Pansy flowers, of all varieties, all of which were derived from Hearts Ease. My Wedding bouquet consisted of Daisies and Pansies. My friend baked my Wedding cake and collected and dried Pansies. She then used them to decorate my Wedding cake.
This pattern is a knit and purl textured pattern of repeating heart motifs. Each heart is centered in a square shaped textured outline
I am going to call the little extra download a “Fancy”. I intend to add something small and unique each month. This addition is something that we could choose to use to embellish our blanket. Perhaps on the corners or along the sides. Or maybe as extra embellishments on the squares themselves, like the Sea Star from last month.
For those who can crochet, here is an extra link. It’s a pattern from Knit and Crochet Daily. It features a pretty little crocheted Pansy. A few of these might be a fun addition to our blankets.
Happy Blanket Knitting
Lynette
If you are as fond of hearts as I am, check out my heart inspired patterns on Ravelry or Etsy.
Note – if you think you have read this before – you have! I somehow deleted the original post about this afghan. I am trying to replace the post and the basic start to the blanket that was included! It was truly an epic fail.
Do you find learning a new bit of technology a challenge? I certainly do. Anything I have learned I usually do fine with. New things can cause me grief.
How did this happen? I received a message that said I had two versions of the same post in two different locations. I needed to delete one. I chose “poorly”! And lost the good post! The other post was an incomplete draft! So I am finishing the draft to recreate match the post!
So Here we go Again.
Remember the Granny Afghan? Well, after writing about it, I realized how much it means to me. Surprisingly, I had never made an afghan for my grandson Logan. I haven’t even knitted him a baby blanket (a story for another time). I have knit him quite a few things over the years, but not “keeping” or “memory” things!
I felt that needed to change. I needed to create something that Logan to have to remember his Granny.
I have made copies of the crocheted blanket, a few times, for friends or family. Copying it carefully, counting every stitch and crocheting painfully from start to finish. I am not much of a crocheter, but I can work a chain st and a single crochet. This is not me, I am a knitter, not a crocheter. Crochet has never resonated with me in the same way as knitting has. This project had to come from my love of the craft, but…
I wanted to do something similar for Logan. I aimed for something fun and not the squares. The squares are my other blanket project for this year. I wanted to knit him something fun like the Granny Blanket.
Ray, a co-worker, pointed out to me that I could knit a version of it. In fact, I had already done so. ‘What was I thinking about’! Sometimes it just takes someone else to point out the obvious.
I few years ago I knit the Shetland Wheel. It is a laceweight Shetland style lace shawl, with a center of wedges, just like the Granny Afghan. This shawl is soft and fine and I love it, but it is way to delicate for a growing boy.
I want to make the blanket out of wool. It shouldn’t be too heavy. It needs to be strong enough to endure the “careful” handling of a boy to teenager and then to man. Maybe he will keep this blanket as long as I have kept my Grandmothers.
I am going to full (felt) the blanket so that it will be washable. So my swatch is much larger than average and in all the colours. Why?
Not all wools felt evenly. Sometimes the dyes themselves affect the rate of the fulling process. And I like to use my swatches. In fact many of my hat designs were the product of a swatch. Sometimes the best way to know how a yarn will work is to knit it into something.
So lets have a pillow to go with the blanket.
Sequence of events for this project:
Pick your colours – I picked blue
Pick a needle size – in this case 5.0mm – I don’t want a hard felt, just a soft fulling
Second make a swatch – make a large swatch
Third felt the swatch
Fourth figure out how big to make the blanket from the swatch
Fifth cast on the first wedge for the blanket
Sixth turn the swatch into a pillow
Seventh figure how to finish the blanket – right now I am thinking about a knitted fringe
So I have started.
I picked my yarn, Estelle Yarns, Eco Shetland Worsted, in eight colours. Most of them in shades of Blue – Logans current favourite colour. Which has something to do with his favourite teams. The Edmonton Oilers and the Toronto Blue Jays!
I picked my needles, a 5mm US #8.
And I cast-on. The journey needs to begin with a cast-on. The knitting will take a little time, but we have that. This is easy knitting, all garter st, with rows that shrink down and then start all over.
Pick your coloursChoose your needle size – 5.0mm in this caseAI finished sketch from my poor attempt at sketching.Knitting has started. This may take awhile. Maybe a gift for his birthday – say September!The knitting is progressing.
So what is the difference between felting and fulling.
1.) Felting traditionally is worked from the fibre itself
2.) Fulling is created when you take a fabric, woven or knitted, and felt it.
Felting is what happens when you take hot water, soap and agitation and ruin your favourite sweater. That is our usual experience, but when you felt with intent, different things can happen.
Fulling occurs when wool has been worked into a woven or knitted fabric. You achieve this when you take hot water, soap, and agitation, and you felt with intent. The resulting fabric is denser, and is often softer and easier to work with. It can be cut without unravelling and will keep its shape much longer.
If you want to join me on the journey, download the instructions below. They provide some “pithy” guidance to work from.
This year is turning into the Year of Blankets, not just the Year of Blanket Squares. These are big projects so nothing is happening in a hurry. There will lots of time for experimentation. These are fun projects, nothing is heavy lifting. So lets just have fun and play a little.
I am working on a year long Blanket Project. It is supposed to comprise of one blanket square per month with tip and advice on how to put the squares together. I think that the project is definitely going to be bigger than I anticipated…
An Extra Square idea came to mind and I just had to try it out!
Greta posted a note on Ravelry about a yarn she was contemplating for her blanket, a pretty tweed, she was working with it in a modular pattern. So my brain went instantly to this blanket and a new square!
Modular, Domino or Mitred knitting is a method of creating square, or other shapes by using interior (usually) decreases to shape the outsides of the square. It was made popular here a few years ago by Vivian Hoxbro and her book Domino Knitting. There are other publications by other designers as well! But I am most familliar with this book! Once learned the technique is incredibly easy and a lot of fun.
Have you ever tried Modular Knitting? It is a technique for creating a fabric that is built piece by piece from a base piece or cast-on. Well, the mitred square that I created for the blanket could also be the base of a whole blanket starting from that square. A project for another day.
Entrelac or Swedish basketweave is a style of modular knitting. The tam below is entrelac and the close up of a glove cuff is also entrelac.
So, new modular square, what do you think?
I think it has a lot of punch. I went with the two most contrasting colours in my blanket, navy and natural. I wonder what it would look like in two close colours? I need to knit a second one anyway. This one is a little on the large size and I made sure to fix that in the pattern below.
Please note – the actual pattern is four ridges shorter than the square shown (just in case you count the stripes). My first attempt was a little big. The fix is already in the pattern.
If you want to try something a little more interesting with modular knitting – The Mitered Modular Cowl is one of my earlier patterns. I was playing with hand-dyed yarns and trying to move colours around differently as I knit. I was really pleased with the effect.
It is knit flat and then is seamed together. It only takes about 400m.
Why did I choose to knit a blanket this year? The simplest answer is that I need one. I am finding my new home cooler than my old one and I am not going to add to my bills by putting up the heat! But for some reason buying more yarn makes more sense! Go Figure!
It is also a way of adding more of “me” to my home! It is a way of saying welcome, stay a while and be cozy at the same time.
There is a lot of symbolism in a blanket. It is welcoming – what is the first thing we think of making for a new baby. Something warm, a physical representation of a hug, why a blanket of course. It fits everyone and will last a lifetime! Not only is a blanket welcoming, it offers protection from life, a cozy place to curl up in, reading or knitting in hand, and ignore the world.
For example: my daughter was given a beautiful handmade quilt when she was born. When she was a baby she slept under it every night. When I new she was expecting I gave it to her. When her son was born my daughter used that blanket for her son and when he outgrew it and the crib she hung it on the wall above his bed. I have an Afghan that my grandmother made me over 50 years ago, and I treasure it!
The 50 year old blanket my Grandmother made for me. It has seen the wars but it is still here and still used. Sophie, our beagle made it her blanket when she was a puppy, you can see a little of her work in spots. This is a simple crocheted piece. So simple that I have copied it a few times to make baby blankets for friends and family. It is only chain and single crochet and as you can see it can use up lots of of colours!
I have quilts from my Aunty Evie and a gorgeous crochet coverlet that my Grandmother made. I will share some pictures when It comes out of storage! As well, I have my fathers Hudson Bay blanket, a little shrunken but still going strong. Blankets mean warmth, caring and love. And in Canada blankets have history.
I am not saying that blankets don’t have history everywhere, but I am in Canada and I grew up with the Hudson’s Bay and the Hudson’s Bay Blanket!
There is meaning attached to a Hudson’s Bay Blanket. There is more than 350 years of history. They were a cornerstone of trade for hundreds of years. They have been made into Voyageurs coats have covered the beds of many Canadians! They became a worldwide symbol of Canada. They were that iconic, instantly recognizable and valued highly by everyone who received one as a gift.
1936 Catalogue Ad. Don’t you just love the style! It’s still a classic.
Is my blanket going to be that iconic? Is yours? Highly doubtful, but will it be prized by the recipient? It certainly will, because it comes with your love knit into every square! Okay that might be a little flowery, but it is true. When you knit you are often thinking of the recipient, how much you care and how much they will love what you have created!
Why Squares?
For me they are a very personal choice. Squares allow me to me more creative, to try out different techniques and to play with colour. The design options are multiple. I also get bored easily. Knitting an Afghan in rows would bore me to tears. I also am a bit of a magpie, I love colour and texture! making a multiple of styles of squares will also allow me to pick and choose my squares for my blanket. Some of the squares may not make the blanket, I may relegate some of the squares to pillow covers of some type. Or maybe a great big bolster!
Public domain photo – lots of pillows – don’t they look like fun!
I just googled for an image of a bolster! They were so boring! So maybe a big bright bolster just jumped higher on my list!
Blankets and afghans have purpose, they are useful. They warm up a room by simply being on a piece of furniture and they warm up a body when used! They can be stunningly beautiful or even a little raggety around the edges and that simple note of heavy use is also has a beauty of its’ own. I have always loved the William Morris quote:
I try to keep that in mind when I look at things for my home. Now, I want a beautiful (to me), and useful blanket that I have made with my own hands on my couch. Something that I can see and use every day. I already have lots of beautiful dust collectors, mine, my mothers, and my grandmothers in my home, and blankets galore, but nothing made by me. Nothing for me to use or my daughter to keep.
Are you knitting for yourself or for someone special? Think about it as it may help you choose your colours!
2026 is going to be the Year of Making a Blanket. I need a new blanket for my new living room with my new couch and my new carpet! Every month I am going to make a new square or two. Do you need a new blanket or Afghan? Do you want to join me? This will be free. With a Blog post every month with a new square. You will need to subscribe to get the emails regularly! Post it where ever you knit with the hashtags #newblanket and #letissierdesigns. I would love to see your progress.
I am going to be working the squares in Cascade 220 wool. I just started my first one! You can choose any worsted weight yarn you like. Or a fingering weight yarn, or any yarn. These are just going to be some squares. Some will be simple, others maybe not, it sort of depends on the other designs I will be working on, I may be trying out some different stitches. Sort of pre-swatching!
Most of these squares will be based on the blanket I did 11 years ago with The Buffalo Wool Co. I am going to remake the squares in the cascade 220, the originals were done in the Tracks Sock. These will be quite a bit bigger!
Look for some purple Sea Stars here and there! It is going to be called the Sea Star Blanket! Or maybe the West Coast Blanket!
I have already started my first square. This is the informal or soft start of the project. I will be adding it formally to Ravelry next month!
– Knit one square a month – there will be a lap blanket at the end of the project.
– Knit two squares a month – there will be a full size Afghan blanket at the end of the project.
– Knit three or more squares a month – there will be a large bed sized blanket at the end of the project.
So pick out a yarn, and the appropriate needle size.
Fingering 3.25mm US #3 – Double Knit 4.0mm US #6 – Worsted Weight 4.5mm US #7
Diagonal Rib Square for January (Shush! I am starting early, so can you!)
Cast-on 56 sts
Row 1 – *(K2, P2); repeat from * to the end of the row.
Row 2 – *(K2, P2); repeat from * to the end of the row.
Row 3 – K1, *(P2, K2); repeat from *. end the last repeat with K1.
Row 4 – P1, *(K2, P2); repeat from *, end the last repeat with P1.
Row 5 – *(P2, K2); repeat from * to the end of the row.
Row 6 – *(P2, K2); repeat from * to the end of the row.
Row 7 – P1, *(K2, P2); repeat from *, end the last repeat P1.
Row 8 – K1, *(P2, K2); repeat from *, end the last repeat K1.
Repeat the 8 row pattern 9 times. Cast-off evenly. It should be close to 11-12 inches square! I don’t know the size yet! But I will add it here as soon as I finish the block! LOL!
