The Knit McKinley

Using leftover yarn to create cozy memory blankets

Any crafter will find themselves with leftover materials and for knitters, that leftover material is most often yarn. If you frequently knit with a certain weight of yarn (worsted, fingering, sport, etc.) ,you may find yourself with a lot of scraps that can be knit together into a project.

In 2023, I found myself trying to figure out what to do with a lot of leftover worsted weight yarns. I even had half and almost full skeins leftover from projects where I only needed a little bit of a certain yarn or color. I used these leftovers to knit myself two scrappy yarn blankets using a really simple diagonal garter stitch pattern. I worked on the blankets in between other projects over the course of about six months.

Making these scrappy blankets not only created something useful and beautiful for my home, but was a reminder of the projects I’ve made over the last few years. I loved knitting all of those past projects into something new.

I knit these two square blankets using the same basic pattern . One blanket was created with chunky stripes and one with narrow stripes of alternating colors. For the chunky stripes, I knit a yarn until it was used up. For the narrow stripes, I worked with two yarns at a time and alternated colors every other row. Below is a recipe, including materials and instructions, for knitting these blankets. I’m calling this a recipe as opposed to a knitting pattern because it isn’t as complete and thorough as a full pattern would be, but there’s enough for you to make your own version of this blanket.

Knitting recipe for scrappy diagonal blankets

Pattern Info

• Skill Level: Advanced beginner
• Skills Needed: knitting, increasing by KFB, and decreasing by SSK
• Gauge: 18 stitches and 34 row per 4″ square in garter stitch.

A note about gauge: Gauge really isn’t important for this pattern, but what is important is that you knit a comfortable blanket. You may want to use a larger needle to create a looser knit fabric or go down to a US 7 or even 6 to create a denser fabric. Using a different gauge will mean you’ll need a different yardage then listed below.

Materials

• US 8 needles circular needles with 40″ cable
• Worsted weight yarn, approximately 2,000 yards for a 52″ by 52″ blanket and 2,400 yards for a 60″ by 60″ blanket. Samples shown have acrylic, wool, and alpaca yarns.
• Stitch marker
• Yarn needle (for weaving in ends)
• Scissors (for trimming yarn ends)

Stripe Patterns & Tips

This blanket is shaped as a square and knit on a diagonal which means the stripes in the middle are the longest and need the greatest yardage. For both blankets, I reserved the yarns with the greatest yardage for the middle part of the blanket.

To make the blanket, you’ll knit increase rows until the edges are the desired length for your finished blanket (mine were 52″ and 60″) and your blanket will be a triangle shape. Once you’ve knit to the desired length as measured by the edges of the triangle with the slipped stitches (not your live stitches), you’ll then begin decreasing each row until your square is complete.

Here’s how to create the two stripe patterns:

Chunky Stripes: For this stripe pattern, use one yarn at a time until it’s used up. The stripes will vary in length based on the amount of yarn you have to knit. Work each color until there is not enough yarn to complete another two rows, and switch to a new color on a right side row.

Narrow Stripes: To knit the narrow stripes, use two yarns (different colors) and alternate the working yarn every other row. Add a new yarn/color on a right side row when you run out of a yarn. As with the chunky stripes, running out of yarn means there’s not enough yarn to complete another 2 rows. Each stripe is two rows (one garter ridge). Don’t cut the yarn after each two row repeat; carry the yarn up the work until you run out.

Whether you do chunky or narrow stripes, keep track of the right side of your blanket and add colors on the right side.

Abbreviations:

• CDD: Center double decrease: slip the next two stitches together, knit the next stitch, slip the two slipped stitches over the knit stitch.
• CO: Cast On: Long tail cast on
• k: knit
• kfb: knit front back: knit into the front and back of the stitch
• sl1 wyif: slip 1 stitch with yarn in front
• ssk: slip slip knit: slip next two stitches knitwise, then knit them together

Instructions

Cast-on and set up rows:
CO 3 sts on US 8 needles.
Row 1: sl1 wyif, kfb, kfb, (5 sts)
Row 2: sl1 wyif, k1, kfb, k2 (6 sts). Note: if knitting narrow stripes, add second yarn and begin alternating yarns every other row. If knitting chunky stripes, continue with your cast-on yarn until you run out, then add a new yarn on a right side row.
Row 3: sl1, k1, place stitch marker, kfp, k3 (7 sts). Note: Placing the stitch marker near beginning of this row marks is at the Right side.

Increase rows:
Row 4: sl1 wyif, k1, kfb, knit to end of row.
Repeat row 4 until blanket is desired width, adding new colors when working a right side row.

Decrease rows:
Row 5: sl1 wyif, k1, ssk, knit to end of row
Repeat row 5 until 5 stitches remain.

Final rows:
Row 6 :sl1 wyif, k1, ssk, k1 (4 sts remain)
Row 7: sl1 wyif, ssk, k1 (3 sts remain)
Row 8: CDD (1 stitch remains).
Cut yarn leaving a 6” tail. Weave tail through remaining live stitch and pull to finish knitting. Weave in all loose ends and trim.

Happy Knitting,

Kara