Log Cabin Blanket

This blanket is inspired by log cabin quilting and a family history of homemade knitted/crocheted blankets from grandmas and aunts down the years.

The whole process is about making squares that can fit together. This makes the project ideal for knitting groups wanting to do charity knitting collaborations. Everyone can do a few squares to make a blanket that can be sold to raise money or sent to those in need. Garter stitch is the basic knitting stitch people start off with so everyone can join in. Even the odd square that was all one colour from the true beginner wouldn't seem out of place.

Each piece is a square that I will explain how to knit in the next few steps. It's end size is roughly 7 by 7 inches (16 by 16 cm).

I use old style number 8 needles and acrylic yarn double knit or arran but I would recommend the spirit of the blanket is to use your favourite size needle and favourite type of yarn. It's not how long each square takes to make that matters but the pleasure you have doing it. They do need to be all the same type of yarn though - otherwise washing is a nightmare. I like my battered old needles and acrylic yarn I like because I can wash it (I am the world's worst laundress so things have to be easy and non delicate), also acrylic comes in some really cool colours.

So cast on 14 stitches and garter stitch a square

then knit in a new colour and do about four rows in that

cast off leaving the needle hooked in to the final loop.

Twist the square in your hand round and using the thread that is attached to the end loop cast on to the adjacent line. See, in this example above, I started with a blue square, cast on and made into a rectangle using the pink then cast on back through the pink into the blue to make a block line of pink. Then I knitted in a green block and cast off, turned and took the green across the green end, pink and blue. So there is a lot of casting on and off and turning involved.

You can make the pattern up as you go so each square is unique or you can try for a uniform pattern. Just pick new colours out of your yarn basket and have fun.

It might be useful to have a piece of paper handy with the size you aim you square to be. I just keep going and compare one on top of the other as above though I am told this isn't very neat or scientific.

The only thing with this method is that there are a lot of loose threads that need sewing in on each square.

Now I am sure some people could connect all these squares with a clever crochet technique but I am not that confident at crochet so I just sew each square up to the next. I sew a row of them together and then a row on top of a row. I also tend to sew in blocks as I go - hence the one above is a work in progress. I just find it means there is more satisfaction seeing it grow.

So keep going until you get the blanket the size and shape you want.