This pattern will give you a blanket approximately 24 inches by 24 inches, a blanket for one cat or a small dog. This pattern is perfect for a beginning knitters, it allows for practice with the basic knitting stitch. Basic sewing skills are also necessary. This is a good pattern for a family or group of 4 (or less) to work together on as well. Each person can knit a section of the blanket and then it can be sewn together.
Finished Product
The finished product will contain four squares, two of two colors. The squares will be sewn together in order to form the blanket.
Materials
- Size 11 (8mm) knitting needles
- 2 skeins (different colors) of Coats & Clark Red Heart Yarn (it may be somewhat difficult to work with but it is a good deal and once the project is completed, just wash it and the stiffness will disappear)
- Yarn needle
Casting On and Knitting
You will want to cast on 35 stitches. Knit for approximately 12 inches, or until you have a square. (Fold the square along the diagonal to check if you have equal lengths for a quick approximation) Cast off and bind, but do not cut the strings at the corners, you will need them later. Repeat this process three times, being sure to have two squares of each color.
Sewing
Here comes the tricky part - sewing the pieces together. Place the squares in the pattern so that the top (casting off row) of one square can be sewn to the bottom (casting on row) of the square above it and so that the edges (the sides resulting from the knitting) will meet. Using leftover yarn, sew the pieces together, tying the sewing yarn to the yarn that was leftover from the casting on and off. Cut all excess string. If desired, wash the blanket in order to soften it. Congratulations, you are done!
Placement
The beauty of this blanket is that it is easily portable, so you can move it between rooms in your house. Don't worry if your cat doesn't sleep on it right away; it may be confused as to the new cover. If you have a lap cat, use the blanket in your lap in order to encourage your cat to use it. They generally will not enjoy being under the blanket, but it will give them something soft (and relatively cheap) to sleep on.
Variations
If you want to make a larger blanket for a larger dog or multiple cats, cast on 60 stitches rather than 35. This will give you a blanket approximately four times larger than what the pattern calls for. You will also need to double the amount of yarn, either using four different colors or buying two skeins of each color. If you want to use a different type of yarn, you will need to adjust the number of stitches as well. If you use a thinner yarn, increase the number of stitches, or knit with two strands at once. Thicker yarn will require you to reduce the number of stitches and possibly require larger needles. The pattern can also be done with size 13 needles if you want to finish it faster, but, it will leave larger holes between stitches and will come out bigger than 24 in. x 24 in.
