Thursday 30 October 2014

Creating a Handmade Childhood: Make a Thick and Cozy Throw

I am not an accomplished knitter. In fact I can knit squares but don't understand knitting patterns at all, something I hope to change because I honestly enjoy knitting. It has the advantage of being something I can do sprawled on the couch watching TV and it assuages my guilt, because I feel like I am doing something constructive.

The throw is quite heavy and thick which will be perfect for laying the baby on and cushioning her from our concrete floors. As you can see, Pablo approves greatly of it.

A friend of ours came over at the weekend and saw what I was working on. He went on to describe a quilt he still has from his childhood, that his mother made for him. He talked about sneeking upstairs when everyone had gone to bed (his room was downstairs) with his quilt and sleeping in the hallway because he felt safe.

It occurred to me that these projects are not just about creating objects, but about creating a world for our own child. A childhood of patterns and soft heavy throws, of helping her carve out a place in the world that is all her own.

Make a Thick and Cozy Throw
This is an ideal way to get started with knitting. You are using one type of stitch and chunky wool which is much easier to work with when starting out - trust me!
To make this throw, I used:
Steps:
If you are new to knitting
Go here for how to cast on
Go here for how to do the knit stitch
Go here for how to cast off when you are done with your knitted square
  1. Choose your color, each square is done in one color
  2. Cast on 50 stitches
  3. Knit 70 rows
  4.  Cast off
  5. Repeat for the other 5 squares
  6. When you are done, take some of the yarn which you should have left over, cut a length of about 10 inches
  7. You will see the yarn is made up of four strands. Split the strands into two 
  8. Take two strands together and thread your darning needle
  9. Sew the squares together as shown here

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