Blue Sky Fibers Knit Quilt

Blue Sky Fibers Knit Quilt by Kim Hamlin

Project Overview

The Blue Sky Fibers Knit Quilt is a blanket and throw project designed by Kim Hamlin, crafted using the knitting technique with stranded colorwork. This downloadable PDF pattern creates a finished blanket measuring 45" x 66", making it an ideal size for a cozy throw or lap blanket. The project is worked flat and combines multiple knitted squares with coordinating borders to create a patchwork-style quilt effect.

Techniques and Construction

This pattern employs stranded knitting as its primary colorwork technique, allowing crafters to work with two colors simultaneously to create intricate patterned squares. The blanket is worked flat rather than in the round, which simplifies construction and makes it accessible to intermediate-level knitters. The modular construction approach involves creating individual squares that are then assembled together, with borders added to frame the finished piece.

Square Construction

The pattern calls for creating 12 squaresstranded stockinette stitch, a fundamental stitch pattern that creates a smooth, flat fabric ideal for displaying colorwork. After completing the 31-row chart pattern, all stitches are bound off. The squares are then blocked to finished measurements before assembly.

Border Details

Four coordinating border strips frame the completed quilt. Borders are worked by picking up stitches along the edges of the assembled blanket. The right and left borders each pick up 114 stitches along the corresponding edges (accounting for 27 stitches per square plus 1 stitch on each side of the seams between squares). These borders begin with a wrong-side (purl) row and are worked in stranded stockinette stitch before binding off all stitches. The top and bottom borders pick up approximately 106 stitches, including 6 stitches in the corner borders and 30 stitches per square across the width.

Yarn Requirements

This project uses Blue Sky Bulky yarn, a super chunky weight yarn that works up quickly to create a substantial, cozy blanket. The pattern requires 16 hanks of main color (MC) and 12 hanks of contrasting color (CC). Each hank of Blue Sky Bulky contains 100 grams and yields 45 yards, providing ample yardage for the entire 45" x 66" blanket.

Needles and Tools

The pattern calls for two different needle sizes to accommodate the yarn weight and achieve proper gauge. Size 13 (9 mm) circular needles are used as the primary needles for working the main squares and borders; at least one 32-inch circular needle is required. Additionally, two size 11 (8 mm) circular needles, each at least 32 inches long, are needed for specific sections of the pattern. Circular needles are recommended even for flat knitting to accommodate the large number of stitches required for this blanket project.

Finishing

After all squares and borders are complete, loose ends are woven in and the entire blanket is blocked to finished measurements, ensuring even edges and proper drape of the stranded colorwork pattern.