Are you ready for your next quick project? This knit throw is made with chunky yarn, big knitting needles, and a little faux fur to finish. This warm and cozy project is affordable and happens to make beautiful Christmas gifts. Follow this step-by-step tutorial to make a big fat hygge blanket of your own.
It has been a long time since I’ve shared a knitting project with you. I’ve had difficulty with hand pain, for the past couple of years, so I had to take a break. I’m so thrilled to be feeling better though and am SO excited to share with you a super easy hand knit blanket.
Blankets can be labor intensive, but this one can be finished in just a few evenings, thanks to this super bulky yarn!
These chunky knit blankets have been catching my eye A LOT on Etsy. Most of these are made with a chunky , merino wool roving yarn that create big beautiful stitches. They also cost a pretty penny to purchase or even to diy yourself.
I stumbled upon the Bernat Blanket Big yarn, on a recent trip to the craft store, and absolutely loved the feel of it. This is, honestly, the coziest yarn and I knew it would make the perfect blanket.
Originally, I had planned to cable knit this blanket, but I quickly realized that working with these big needles and yarn made it difficult to work with and the thickness felt unnecessary.
I inspected a few of the patterns, sold online, and noticed that most offered a 2 x 2 ribbing or they were knitted in a simple stockinette stitch (knitting one row, purling the next, knitting one row, purling the next, etc..)
I settled on the 2 x 2 rib, mostly because I find it slightly more impressive and I like the variation in the stiching.
I’m nicknaming this blanket, “the big fat hygge blanket,” because I’m ALL ABOUT THE HYGGE in the winter time.
Not familiar with hygge?
In Danish culture, hygge refers to coziness , comfort, and a general feeling of contentment. When I think of hygge, I think of warm drinks, cozy slippers, a big stack of books, tea, and a big blanket.
Even as I knitted this blanket, I was feeling all the hygge feelings because this yarn is so darn cozy.
I have never arm knitted a blanket, but I do know that many people use this strategy to knit blankets like these.
Instead, I bought some big needles (here is my exact pair) and knitted the blanket that way.
My kids thought that these needles were a decoration for our home and got a big laugh out of seeing me use these.
Seriously, they are so big that they could be hung as decorative art, like people do with oars or surfboards.
No one was laughing though when the blanket was finished and they all wanted one for themselves.
Who is laughing now, kids?
I even got my first birthday request from my girl and have a big stack of pink yarn to knit through next.
How to Knit a DIY Chunky Blanket
Here are a few tips for knitting a super chunky blanket of your own!
Master All the Basic Techniques
If you are a brand new knitter, WELCOME TO THE CLUB! Bulky projects are super satisfying because of how quickly you can make them. I love this super simple illustrated guide to explain basic knitting techniques. You can also learn a lot through YouTube, Bluprint, or Skillshare.
Personally, I’m addicted to Skillshare because of its affordability and the variety of classes offered. It is how I have been learning about loom knitting AND about digital marketing.
I’m a girl with many hats.
I find this yarn is hard to see the stitches, but still wanted to show you a few of the basic techniques with your Bernat Blanket Big Yarn!
here is a picture tutorial on how to cast on your yarn for your diy chunky blanket
here is a picture tutorial on how to do the knit stitch
here is a picture tutorial on how to do the purl stitch
Do you see how differently these two stitches look? Two have humps and two don’t. Not only does this help you with your counting, but it also gives you an indication of what row you are working on. After you do your first row, flip your work, and take a peek at the back. This will help you if you lose track of your even and odd numbered rows.
Learn the 2×2 Ribbing Pattern Before You Start
If you have never done a 2×2 pattern, try practicing this with a smooth thin yarn and smaller knitting needles. Since this yarn is super bulky, it can be difficult to see what you are doing on the back of your work and this practice project will help you figure out what this will look like.
Normally, a 2 x 2 ribbing is set in multiples of 4 (K2, P2). Since we want this blanket to begin and end on our two knitted stitches, the blanket pattern has added 2 additional stitches (written separately like this- K2, *P2, K2*) so we end and start our rows with 2 knit stitches.
Make Sure You Understand the Pattern Fully- This is a fun beginner project, but you might be confused what certain abbreviations mean. I know that I was when I first started knitting and had to look a lot of terms up.
For this pattern, you will need to know these abbreviations:
CO- Cast on
K- Knit
K2- Knit two stitches
P- Purl
P2- Purl two stitches
*blah, blah, blah*- This means that the pattern will be repeating. In our pattern, for example, it is a *P2, K2* so we will want to repeat what is between those asterisks until the next direction in our pattern. In the case of this pattern, you will just be doing the *P2, K2* or *K2, P2* all the way to the end. How easy is that?
Keep Your Stitches Loose
You do not want to cast your stitches on tightly or knit them tightly because it makes it very hard to slip your needles in and out. Try to maintain consistency so your stitches look similar throughout the project.
Are you ready to get knitting? Follow the directions below or scroll all the way to the end for a free printable pattern.
DIY Chunky Knit Blanket
4 skeins of Bernat Blanket Big Yarn
U.S. 50 Knitting Needles
Big Eye Wooden Needle for threading yarn
Faux Fur Pom-Pom Balls (optional)
Directions
Cast on 18 stitches
Row 1- K2, *P2, K2* to end
Row 2- P2 *K2, P2* to end
Repeat Row 1 on all odd-numbered rows.
Repeat Row 2 on all even-numbered rows.
Repeat until you come close to the end of your fourth skein.
Cast off LOOSELY and finish with fur accents, homemade tassels, or even four yarn pom-poms. I have the ultimate yarn pom pom tutorial, if you haven’t tried making these before! These would be beautiful in an accent color. I love the Lion Brand chunky yarn, in particular, for a fat pom-pom.
Good luck tackling this fun project!
Want a printable version of this? Well, here you go!
DIY Chunky Blanket FREE Pattern from MomAdvice.com
If you have caught the knitting, bug I have loads more knitting and yarn projects to check out!
Happy crafting friends!
*this post contains affiliate links*
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