Brenda's Basic Baby Blanket

34 inch blanket in progress on 36-peg large gauge round loom

Peg-doubling 

One of the biggest complaints regarding the common large gauge looms (aka, Knifty Knitter, Boye, Darice, etc.) is you can't make a baby blanket or afghan without seaming panels. Well, I just happen to have a solution to the problem: the peg-doubling technique. This technique makes it possible to create a flat panel that is double what is typically made on the round loom. In simplest terms, this is accomplished by:

• casting on two stitches per peg & one stitch on the last peg;
• knitting & shifting the top stitch to the previous peg;
• knitting the bottom stitch; and
• repeat across the row.  

Using the peg-doubling technique makes creating a blanket or afghan on the large gauge loom both easy and more portable for those who loom knit on the go. While designed for the large gauge looms, these techniques are easily adaptable to any knitting loom. The addition of edging, embroidery or other embellishment will make each blanket your own unique design.

Completed 34 inch blanket made on the 36-peg large gauge round loom

Double flat knit stitch
The stitch pattern used for this project is the double flat knit stitch (referred to originally as the 2-peg stitch in the Irish Washerwoman post), but other stitch patterns can be adapted to this technique, as well. The double flat knit stitch has become one of my favorite stitch patterns.  I've used it on many different projects, including berets, scarves, dish clothes, etc. It makes a nice textured stockinette stitch that resists rolling without using purl stitches and works very well with the peg-doubling technique.

Loom knitted picot edging
The picot edging shown on the blanket in this blog post was done using the same 36-peg large gauge round loom on which the blanket was knitted. It is a very simple technique that uses two pegs to work an I-cord picot; bind off one stitch; then pick up and add a new stitch. It's done in a similar method to the picot bind off shown in my Patriot Pin post from two years ago.

Close-up of loom knitted picot edging

Instructional links

I've been teaching this class on the Yahoo LoomClass Group for the past week and we have one more week to go. In the meantime, here are the links to help you learn how to make your own basic baby blanket:

• Blanket Video Tutorial
• Blanket Pattern Instructions

The 20 minute video focuses on making a sampler square to practice the peg-doubling technique, while the pattern instructions detail how to apply the technique to make the actual baby blanket. 

A separate video is available that shows how to add the loom knitted picot edging

• Loom Knitted Picot I-cord Edging

Sunflower coasters

Popping in to share a fun quick project in honor of Earth Day (April 22, 2013) and International Sunflower Guerrilla Gardening Day (May 1). Sunflowers have much symbolism worldwide and in Native American culture as the "fourth sister" to the better known three sisters combination of corn, beans, and squash when gardening. It has also played an important part in American history and became the state flower of Kansas.

So, what better way to say "green" than to knit up a stack of sunflower coasters? These are such a fun and quick project to do, once you've mastered the cast on/bind off technique for the petals. Not only are they great for coasters, but these large six inch diameter sunflowers can be incorporated into hats, handbags, scarves, afghans, kitchen accessories and home decor. 

Happy Easter!

As usual, I'm running behind. However, I wanted to share pictures of my little ducks. This was such fun to do and sort of evolved as I made them. The big duck is made in two main pieces (head & body), but the little duckie is in one main piece. The most difficult part of designing these for the loom was making the beaks. The feet are still forthcoming, but I just had to show them off for Easter. 

The white basket is the larger 24 peg version of the Jelly Bean Basket. The eggs are decorated revisions of the original Easter Eggs pattern.

I am particularly proud of the seamless cast on on the little duckie shown below.

Hope your day is just duckie!

Baby turtle shell

Loom Knitted "Baby Turtle Shell & Hat" made by Darlene Bordon. Photos courtesy of Roxanne Marie Photography.

Darlene Bordon, one of my blog readers, contacted me at the end of April and said that someone wanted her to make a turtle shell back and matching hat for a photo prop - similar to this picture. Since she doesn't crochet, but does loom knit, Darlene thought my Baby Gran Hexagon pattern would work just fine and she mainly needed advice on how to seam the hexagonal motifs together. I suggested that she use either the mattress stitch or whip stitch. Lion Brand also as an excellent photo tutorial that has become my favorite on How to Invisibly Seam Granny Squares. 

As you can see, Darlene's loom knitted Baby Turtle Shell & Hat worked great! A big "Thank You!!!" to both Darlene and Roxanne Marie Photography for sharing these precious photos and their creativity.

Here is an overall shot of just the Baby Turtle Shell & Hat:

If you have pictures of projects you have made from my patterns that you would like to share, please contact me.