How to make a chunky knit blanket DIY for beginners

 

This project is quick, easy, and affordable! I have been toying with the idea of making a chunky yarn blanket, and finally, I did it!

I had no idea how to hand knit a blanket, but let me tell you it is the easiest DIY I did lately, and I was done with it in an hour.

Who doesn’t like a cozy fluffy blanket? They can be used while watching TV, being outside by the campfire, or decoration pieces in your living room.

Aaand they are a perfect thoughtful gift too!

 

Check out the video tutorial and see for yourself how easy this craft is. If you want to read the instructions too, scroll a little bit more for the step-by-step instructions.

I usually do both when I want to learn a new DIY project.

Can you make a chunky blanket without needles?

 

Although my grandma taught me how to knit with needles, I didn’t want to purchase giant needles for this project. So the question remained, how to make a chunky knit blanket if you have no needles?

I chose the hand knitting method, which allows you to work on a flat surface, and actually, your arms are free, and you can leave your project and come back to finish it later. Easy on your shoulders, and you can keep a comfortable posture while knitting.

Different types of yarns can be used with the hand knitting method, and if you keep reading, I tell you which one I chose and why. 

On the other hand, I found arm-knitting a little uncomfortable. (for me at least) I had a hard time casting on the stitches with my arms. That made me super mad. Then you start building the stitches on your arms feel like getting arrested.

Let’s not talk about the pain in my shoulder, so that method was rapidly going to rest.

 

How much yarn do you need to hand knit a chunky blanket?

 

Please note that this article contains affiliate links.  Please see my full disclosure at the bottom of the page.

 

It depends on the size of your knitted blanket. Here is a quick guideline to plan your blanket size.

1. Baby: 30″ x 40″
2. Crib: 36′ x 52″
3. Throw: 50″ x 65″
4. Twin: 70″ x 90″
5. Double or Full: 85″ x 108″
6. Queen: 90″ x 108″
7. King: 110″ 108″

 

So now that you chose the blanket size, you need help to find out how many skeins of yarn you’ll use.

Here is my experience, and you can adjust these measurements.

Since it was my first time hand knitting and I didn’t know what to expect, I went with the smallest one and aimed to make a baby blanket.

Based on my research, I bought 3 skeins of bulky chenille yarn, and of course, I was short… I had to buy another one. The rolls I bought are 8oz each, and to finish my 30 * 40 blanket, I needed 4 skeins.  

When you buy your chunky yarn, make sure you read the description and note the weight of the skein. Then you can calculate how many rolls you will need for your DIY project.

BTW some of the online sellers give you a guideline on how much yarn you’ll need to finish a blanket project with their yarn.

 

What is the best yarn to use for hand knitting?

When I finally decided I want to make my own chunky, coziest-ever-blanket, I researched what kind of materials are out there.

So let’s talk about them a little to help you choose the right bulky yarn for your family and home.

 

Tube Yarns

These are COOL! Usually, they are made of cotton, and a tube is created, which is filled with polyester fiber.

Tube yarns are strong and durable, but they are still cozy, and you can make a beautiful hand-knitted blanket.

I like the idea of using tube yarn because they are washable plus children and pet-friendly.

I’m thinking about making a dog bed and bathroom runner with them. Hint….my next DIY yarn project. 😉

 I researched, and my favorites are Becozi and Ohhio chunky yarns.

My only cons: It is quite expensive, just like a merino wool chunky yarn.

Merino wool

I’m sure you heard about chunky or bulky wool yarns. They are the most popular to be used in DIY projects.

It’s because there are sooo many ways to use them. For example, you can use them as wool felt, needle felting and needle knitting, and of course, arm or hand-knitting.

They are super soft and look very cozy.

Why didn’t I choose wool yarn?

1. Because they are not washing machine friendly and I have 2 dogs who shed like crazy. I can’t have a material in my house that I can’t clean.
2. They can be expensive.

 

Bulky chenille yarn

Aaaand the winner is chenille for hand knitting.

Do you know how trendy mustard yellow is nowadays? I love to incorporate this warm yellow tone into my home decor, so I decided to make my blanket with this vibrant color. (not the cheapest chenille yarn color BTW.)

Chenille yarn looks as chunky as its wool friend, and if I can say, they feel softer and cozier. I worked before with this material and made a cute patterned pom pom rug. 

The yarn can be made from many different types of fibers. The most common are cotton, rayon, acrylic, or polypropylene. The newest versions are microfiber polyester and silk.

I love it because they are washing machinable too. Although I think I will wash my blanket by hand in cold water to make sure it keeps its shape.

Also, they are the cheapest chunky yarns.

 

Now, let’s get to the fun part, the tutorial!

 

How do you hand knit a blanket step by step.

 

1st Step

1. You’ll need to make a slip knot to start your blanket project. You want to wrap the end of the yarn around your hand twice.
2. Pull the back loop (which is closer to your wrist) over the front loop
3. Pull the back loop over the front loop again
4. Lastly, grab the back loop and pull it.

 

Our slip knot and the beginning of the project is done. Congratulation!

 

One more tip: I left the loop big enough so I can fit my thumb and pointing finger through it because we will start grabbing the yarn through it in the next step.

 

2nd Step

1. Place your thumb and pointing finger through the loop and grab the working yarn
2. Pull the working yarn through the loop
3. This is the first stitch.
4. Keep repeating the 2nd step until you have enough stitches.

 

How many stitches do you need?

You remember, I chose to make a baby blanket. Its size is 30 * 40. It means I want my first row to be 30 inches long.

To achieve that with the mustard yellow chenille yarn, I stopped at 19 stitches.

Important tip: On the first try, I made the first row with a little tight loops/ stitches, and it didn’t feel right.

If you scroll back, you can see on the pictures my loop was big enough to fit my 2 fingers through it. For the 2nd try, I created my first row with a little bit longer loops, so it is now flexible (doesn’t curl up) and flows nicely with the rest of the blanket.

 

3rd Step

Let’s start building our rows. The real hand-knitting begins.

1. Lay your row of stitches on a table in front of you. Place the row on the bottom close to you and the working yarn on the top section of the table.
2. Now, pull your working yarn through the loop.
3. Continue pulling the yarn through each stitch and making loops all the way to the end.

Loop sizes tip: I wanted to create a comfortable and cozy looking blanket. Not too heavy and tight and not too loose so it would have holes in between the stitches. I created my loops about as tall as my thumb.

 

4th Step

1. To do another row, place your working yarn to the other top section of the table. Where it is comfortable for you to pull it from.
2. Pull the working yarn through the first loop and continue pulling the working yarn through each loop as you did before.
3. Keep knitting the rows until the desired size. My blanket is 40 long, and I knitted 40 rows.

 

5th Step How to finish a hand-knit blanket

We need to finish our cozy blanket. So let’s bind off.

1. You’ll loop the first 2 stitches as you did before.
2. Put your thumb and pointing finger through both loops.
3. Then pull the working yarn through both loops
4. The 1st 2 stitches are binded off now.
5. Pick up the next stitch as usual and pull up a loop
6. Pull the working yarn through both loops This is the 2nd binded stitch.
7. Now repeat until you are at the end of the blanket.
8. After you pull the working yarn through the last 2 loops, cut your yarn and weave in the ends.

 

How to fix a dropped stitch in knitting

It’s actually not that bad as it looks. A dropped stitch is easy to fix and you can do it with your fingers or crochet hook. If the yarn is super chunky use only your fingers.

1. Insert the crochet hook or your finger into the stitch that has dropped.
2. Catch the first loose strand of yarn behind the stitch.
3. Pull the yarn through the stitch. One row is now complete.
4. Catch the next loose strand that is behind the new stitch.
5. Pull the loose strand through, one more row is complete. Continue like this until you have worked all the rows.
6. Once your stitch is aligned with the last row on your blanket you can finish your project.

 

What patterns to choose?

This tutorial is showing you the basic hand knitting technic. I chose to stick with “no pattern” this time because I think the mustard yellow speaks for itself, and I was a beginner at hand knitting.

 

I wanted to test the water first before I try a more complicated blanket knitting pattern.

BUT for those of you who wonders what pattern you can do and/or purchase here are some ideas:

1. Chunky basket weave
2. Seed stitch
3. Arm knit garter stitch
4. Ribbed blanket pattern

How to make a chunky knit blanket DIY experience

It was so much fun! I hope you got inspired, and with the information in this post now, you know how much yarn you’ll need to buy.

Your material can be tube yarn, wool, and chenille. All of them are bulky, chunky, and work perfectly for hand knitting and arm knitting projects. 

Once you chose the size and color of the blanket, you can buy chunky yarns online (I got mine on Amazon) and in stores, like Michael’s Walmart, etc. My only problem is going to the stores, that usually they don’t have enough skeins of the same colors.

In the end, you might have some leftover yarn and wonder…

 

What can I make with a super bulky yarn?

Good news is that the list of creative ways to use chunky yarn is endless. You can make:

• scarves.
• pillow covers
• pet bed
• bean bag cover
• giant bunny
• poufs
• flower planter holder

 

Do you want to see more home decor DIY projects? Check out my:

• pom-pom rug tutorial
• bean bag from fleece blankets tutorial
• How create a cozy home decor with blankets?
• rustic driftwood decor tips and tricks

 

Let me know in the comment if I left something out of the creative list. 😉

As always, happy DIYing, and don’t forget to PIN it for later!