How to Knit a Patchwork Blanket

Co-authored by Gregory Patrick and Jessica Gibson

Last Updated: January 13, 2022 Approved

If you're overwhelmed by knitting, start by choosing a simple project that comes together quickly. A patchwork blanket creates an impressive blanket. But, it's easy to do since it's made by knitting individual squares and sewing them together. Choosing chunky yarn and large needles will also make the blanket come together quickly and can hide any beginner's mistakes.

Part 1

Part 1 of 4:

Casting On

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1
Gather your yarn and knitting needles. There aren't any hard and fast rules when it comes to knitting needle requirements for working with certain types of yarn. Choose a yarn that you enjoy and realize that chunkier yarns will knit up faster than thin or fine yarn. The same is true of your needles. If you'd like a larger looser blanket, work on larger needles.
- Consider using size 19 US or 15.0 mm needles and super chunky yarn to create a large blanket that comes together quickly.^{[1]
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2
Make a slip knot. Find the end of your yarn which is usually tucked into the middle of the ball of yarn. Make a loop near the end of the yarn as though you're going to tie a knot. The long end should be on top of the short end. Fold the top loop over to the inside of the loop. Pick up the loop and pull it through tightly. Slip this loop onto one of your knitting needles and pull the end to tighten it.
- You'll know you've correctly made a slip knot if you can can simply continue pulling the loop and it comes apart.
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Hold the needle with the slip knot in your right hand. Drape the working yarn over the palm of your left hand so your fingers can close into a loose fist and grab it. Wrap your thumb around the yarn so that it threads behind your thumb (if your palm is facing you). Use the point of your needle to thread underneath your thumb. Pull the needle through so that the yarn is lifted off your your thumb and onto your needle.^{[2]
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4
Continue casting on. Cast on until you have 14 stitches on your needle. This will eventually be an edge of one of your patchwork squares. Each square will measure about 20cm (7.5 inches). Transfer the needle with the stitches to your left hand so you can begin knitting.^{[3]
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- Continue grasping the yarn in your palm with your fingertips, this will keep it out of the way and create tension so that you can quickly cast on.

Part 2

Part 2 of 4:

Doing the Knit Stitch

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1
Insert the right needle. Hold the needle that doesn't have any stitches on it in your right hand. Insert the tip of this needle into the stitch closest to the tip of the other needle.
- You should insert it under the stitch so that the needle goes from front to back and forms an "X".
2
Wrap the yarn around the needle. Grab the working yarn with your right hand and wrap it around the right needle so that it's in between the needles. Slowly pull the right needle down and through the yarn on the left needle.
- You should keep the working yarn between the needles while you do this.
3
Complete the stitch. Your right needle should now be on top of the left needle. Pull this stitch off the left needle by lifting the right needle up and away from the left needle. This will transfer the stitch from the left needle to the right needle.^{[4]
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- Try to work near the end of the needles so that the stitches don't become tight on the middle of the needles. But, make sure that they're not so close to the ends of the needles that the stitches fall off.
4
Continue knitting. Knit each of the stitches that you cast on until you come to the end. This makes a complete row of garter stitches. Transfer the needle with the stitches to your left hand and continue knitting them to make another row. Knit rows until your square measures 20cm (7.5 inches).^{[5]
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- Make sure you knit into the stitches that are looped onto the left needle, not the stitches of the row you just completed.

Part 3

Part 3 of 4:

Casting Off

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1
Knit. Keep the needle that has your knitted square in your left hand. Knit two stitches onto the empty needle in your right hand. You'll use these stitches to cast off the rest of the square that's on the other needle. You should always have two stitches on the right needle.^{[6]
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- Casting off or binding off will work the square off of the needles. This means you'll be able to take it off the needles without worrying that it will come undone. You'll be able to sew this square to another completed square when you assemble the blanket.
Push the tip of the left needle into the first stitch on your right needle. This should be the first stitch that you knit on this needle.^{[7]
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Use the tip of the left needle to lift the first stitch over the second stitch. This means you'll be lifting the stitch and sliding it off of the right needle. You should now have only one stitch on the right needle.^{[8]
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Knit another stitch and cast it off. You'll always need two stitches on the right needle so that you can lift up and over a stitch to cast it off. Continue casting off the stitches until you reach the end of the row.^{[9]
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- You should have a completely empty needle and only one stitch still on the other needle.
5
Tie off the square. Remove the needle from the last stitch. You should see a big loop. Hold onto this so that it doesn't come unraveled and use scissors to cut the working yarn. Leave about an arm's length of yarn when you cut it. Take the yarn and tie it through the loop, pulling it tightly.^{[10]
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- You'll still have extra yarn tailing from the end of your square after you've tied it off. You'll use this to sew the squares together.

Part 4

Part 4 of 4:

Sewing the Squares Together

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1
Knit more squares. You can make the blanket as large as you like, keeping in mind that you'll need to knit more squares. For a large square blanket, you might want to use seven squares across by seven squares down.^{[11]
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- Consider laying out your squares on a large surface so you can arrange them, especially if you used different colored yarn. Alternate the squares so that the rows are vertical next to a square where the rows are turned horizontal.
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Thread the yarn. Select the squares you'll be sewing together. Take a large sewing needle and thread the yarn from a square's tail. Adjust the square so that the square you're sewing it to is turned opposite.^{[12]
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- For example, if the square with the sewing tail has rows arranged horizontally, the square you're sewing it to should be arranged vertically.
3
Sew the edges of two squares together. Take the threaded sewing needle and insert it into the stitch of the square that's laying next to it. Pull the needle so the yarn tightens. Insert the needle back into the square with the tail you're using. You should be stitching the two squares together by going back and forth with the yarn.^{[13]
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- Continue doing this till you reach the end of the squares. The two squares should be completely sewn together now.
4
Weave in the ends. You'll be left with tails of yarn on your squares that you won't need to sew into other squares. Take your tail and thread it onto the needle. But, instead of using it to connect to another square, simply weave it in between the knots on one square's edge. Make a knot in the yarn and cut it off so that it doesn't come undone.^{[14]
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- Weaving in the end can prevent a loose end from unraveling and can make your knitting look more polished.
5
Assemble your blanket. Continue sewing together squares until you have seven squares in a row. Create seven of these rows total so you can stitch together every row and make a large blanket. Or, make a smaller blanket by using fewer squares. You can also make a rectangular blanket by making the rows shorter than the blanket is long.^{[15]
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- Consider adding beads and other decorative objects to your knitting. You could also just sew on the beads afterwards. Also consider adding knit flowers, leaves, or decorative edging.

Expert Q&A

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Question

How many stitches do you need for a blanket square?

Gregory Patrick
Knitting Specialist
Gregory Patrick is a knitter who runs the popular blog Madman Knitting. He is also the author of the book "Mad Man Knitting or The Waiter and the Fly". He has been knitting and writing about knitting for over 10 years.

Gregory Patrick

Knitting Specialist

Expert Answer

The size of your blanket will depend on the thickness of the yarn and the tightness of your stitches. When you're knitting, bulky or sport weight yarn will have fewer stitches than a finger weight yarn. Tension is also a factor, or how tight or loose your stitches are when you knit. This is why many patterns call for a swatch before you begin, especially with patterns that require precise measurements. The pattern will let you know with a quick 1" square practice piece how many stitches you should have.

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Question

How many square do I need to make a full size afghan?

Community Answer

It depends on how big your squares are. If you follow the size of the squares in this article, you'll probably need 9x9, so 81 squares in total. if you do bigger squares, you won't need as many.

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Question

I only have 9mm needles. Will the rows/stitches remain the same?

Community Answer

Yes, your needles will work just fine. The only difference is that the stitches in your blanket will be tighter than that one and not as much air will circulate through it, but it will work. Do double the amount of stitches and rows so yours will be a little more even.

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