The Chunkiest Blanket I've Made

You have seen the really big chunky blankets today that people are making and selling.  Well, I finally made one. Only because it was requested of me.  The things you do for love.

This is not a project I normally elect to do but this year my husband requested that I make him one.  So he had a birthday approaching and I thought now is the time if I'm going to do this. I will share with you my thought on making the blanket and the yarn I worked with. I will also share my final thoughts about the blanket now that a month has passed.

The first thing one does is shop the yarn. There are so many option when it come to super chunky yarn along with price ranges.  In order to make this blanket long enough to cover his chest to his feet and wide enough to cover across his body (5 ft by 4.5 ft)  I had to calculate how much yarn was needed.  There are a few online sources to help with this calculation.

Once I knew how much yarn I needed I went shopping. This required simply googling chunky yarn and as luck would have it, totally shocking, I found it at Michaels online. So I took the chance of going to my local Michaels to see if they carried it in the store. Yes, they did and it was on sale!  OH!! Nice.

A quick note, if you were not aware, it works best to knit up or crochet up by hand. That means no needles or hook, not to say you couldn't use them. But it makes it much much easier to work this thick yarn by hand.  Never fear there are lots of online videos to show you how to hand knit/crochet yarn. You will also need plenty of space to work. Have an open space on the floor or a good size table to work your project.  This is a physical project so a break from time to time maybe needed but you'll get a good arm workout.  It only took me a couple of hours to get it done with breaks.

Like I mentioned earlier, there are several yarn options but keep in mind the wool is not tightly woven. So with time there will be shedding. This is the one major con I have about such yarns.  After just an evening of enjoying the blanket, shedding took place. I did let him know this would happen and he was okay with it. I on the other hand was annoyed. All that work and my project was slowly coming apart. But the important things was he loves his blanket. Like a little kid. LOL.

If you are curious and want to make one I would suggest staring with a small rug. Trust me the smaller project take less work and you can see if you want to spend the money and energy to make a big blanket.

A couple of other notes I want to add regarding my blank that may help you. My husband is 5'11" so this required 6 ball of yarn with 56yds/35oz. It think my total price with the sales discount came to $80. I used my hands and a large fold out table. So if you a few hours to spare, go for it.  Warning this blanket has a little weight to it so don't expect a light blanket.  It's heavy.  I also had to purchase an extra large basket to put it in when he didn't want it on the chair.

If you were to ask if I'd make this again...only for someone I loved. I'd love to hear if you have tried a project with the big chunky yarn. Please share in the comments and if you have any questions, let me know.