Loom Knitting: Make a simple afghan or blanket

I'm going to explain how to make your own pattern for an afghan or blanket using a knitting loom.  These directions will work no matter what size you are making or what yarn and loom you are using.
Start by picking your yarn and loom.  Do a swatch, to determine the gauge you are getting using the yarn you picked with the loom you are working with.  I explain how to do a swatch here:  Ask Mary:  Do I have to do a gauge swatch?

After you know how many stitches and rows you need to make the size you want, pick a cast on method.  I suggest using one of the cast on method demonstrated and discussed in this video:

I suggest using one of these because further down I will tell you how to keep your edges neat and give another video of bind off methods to pick from which will have all four edges of your piece looking very neat and matching.

Cast on the required number of pegs you need.  If you need all the pegs on your loom mark the first and last pegs so that you remember to turn on them and not keep going as if you were knitting in the round.

All knitting curls unless you mix some purls in with the knit stitches to stop it.  So making a garter stitch border around the whole piece as you go will stop the curling.  Use the numbers from your gauge swatch to determine how to many rows at the beginning and ending need to be done in garter stitch and how many pegs on each side of every row need to be done in garter stitch.  This is where many new loom knitters start to get frustrated.  Don't let yourself get bogged down with this, take a deep breath and wade right in... once you get the hang of it, you will think it is simple.  If you are having trouble with this part leave a comment below or reach me on Facebook at:  Loomaholics Anonymous Group

A side note here... when working a garter stitch it doesn't matter which type of knit stitch you use with the purls.  You can use a regular (or some call it a true knit) stitch, a U stitch, a L stitch or an ewrap stitch.  They all work.  So use whichever one you prefer.

A way to keep your edges nice and neat is to use a slip stitch on both ends of every row from start to finish.  If you are not familiar with how to do a slip stitch watch this video:

After your garter rows use what ever stitch you want for your afghan or blanket.  The ewrap is a popular stitch because it is so fast and blankets tend to take so much time just because of their size.  Don't forget to do the garter stitches on both sides (ends of the row) of the whole blanket though to keep those edges from curling.  Mark those pegs so you remember.

When you are finished with the main part of your blanket, do the same number of garter rows before you bind off.  Pick one of the 2 bind off methods demonstrated and discussed in this video to match your cast on edge:

I hope this helps you to make your first afghan or blanket on a knitting loom and takes the stress out of figuring it all out!  If you have any questions or comments please don't hesitate to leave me a comment below or join Loomaholics Anonymous Group on Facebook to get in touch with me.

Loom Knit Stitch: Andaluz - Andalusian

I found this stitch on Pinterest and after doing some research I can not really find anything written in English with any information.  I typed ‘Andaluz’ into Google translate to come up with the name ‘Andalusian’.  This may be wrong.

This is a double knitting stitch for a knitting loom.  Both sides look different.

Multiples of 3 + 2

Front Board Side

Back Board Side

This is the original wrapping diagram picture that I worked from, found on Pinterest.  I wrapped starting on the left side, following the red line.  I do not flip or turn my board, so when I got to the end I followed the blue line from right to left to wrap the remaining pegs.

I worked my swatch using:  Loops & threads Snuggly Wuggly in Fresh Green on the Tadpole Knitting Board 6 inch made by Authentic Knitting Board.

Loom Knit Stitch: Barra Inglesa Simulada - Simulated English Bar

I found this stitch on Pinterest and after doing some research I can not really find anything written in English with any information.  I typed Barra Inglesa Simulada into Google translate, which gave me Simulated English Bar.  

This is a double knitting stitch for a knitting loom.  Both sides look the same.

Multiples of 4

This is the original wrapping diagram picture that I worked from, found on Pinterest.  I wrapped starting on the left side, following the red line.  I do not flip or turn my board, so when I got to the end I followed the blue line from right to left to wrap the remaining pegs.

I worked my swatch using:  Caron Simply Soft White on the Tadpole Knitting Board 6 inch made by Authentic Knitting Board.

Loom Knit Stitch: Croque

I found this stitch on Pinterest and after doing some research I can not really find anything written in English with any information.  I typed ‘Croque’ into Google translate, which gave me ‘crunches’.  I did find a few references to Ponto Croque, which Google translate to:  Point Croque in Portuguese.  If you happen to know the English name of this stitch please leave me a comment.

This is a double knitting stitch for a knitting loom.  Both sides look the same.

Multiples of 4 +1 pegs per board

This is the original wrapping diagram picture that I worked from, found on Pinterest.  I wrapped starting on the left side, wrapping to the right.  All pegs are wrapped in one pass.  Your working yarn is then on the right side of the board (if you don't turn the board).  To make learning this stitch easier, I did turn my board, then wrapped from left to right again, following the diagram.

I worked my swatch using:  Loops & Threads Snuggly Wuggly in Fresh Green on the Tadpole Knitting Board 6 inch made by Authentic Knitting Board.

Spring Cleaning: Kitchen Organization

I took a whole day to work on the deep cleaning of the kitchen, pulling the stove and refrigerator out to clean under and behind them, but while I was at it I decided there were a few areas that needed just a little more organizing.

Here are the before and afters of the few areas I re-did.  Hopefully this will give you some ideas for your kitchen too.

Time:  Less than 5 minutes  I used a Double Duty Caddy by Thirty-One because of the 2 different sides and 4 outer pockets.

Time:  Less than 5 minutes  I used 4 of the Oh-Snap Bins from Thirty-One because they snap together and will stay put.

My extra plastic shopping bags were all piled in the floor and all over the pantry, so there is no before picture.

Time:  About 5 minutes  I used reusable shopping bags to stuff all the plastic ones into and then hung them from the shelf with a Hang-It Up Key Fob from Thirty-One

I hope this has given you some ideas.  If you have any kitchen organization tips you would like to share, please leave a comment.