DiaryofaCreativeFanatic

Needlecrafts - Knit, How to Arm Knit

Basket stitch blanket | blanket kit available for purchase here

Blanket pattern | free pattern available here
Premier Yarns - Couture Jazz | available for purchase here

Simply Maggie | How to Arm Knit a Blanket in 45 Minutes

When I first saw the arm knitting craze happening, I have to admit I wasn't impressed. Quickie ideas for knitting have come and gone in the past.
One such fad was the "Condo Pattern". Sales of 12mm needles hit the roof to supply knitters wanting to make this open stitch pullover.
At the time, I was working for a chain of yarn shops and, of course, we had to publish several patterns with this design to support our in-house brand yarns.
Everybody was ecstatic with the results until it came time to wash the garments. Not everyone was careful with these very open and very loose knits.
So, you guessed it, they stretched beyond belief, and you can see why I thought "Oh yeah another form of condo knitting!".
But inevitably, cruising the web, I came across the blanket featured in the first photo and I was taken aback at how this design looked so finished and well made. I became a believer again.
Really heavy yarn helps to fill in spaces, as shown in the second image but doubling bulky yarn and keeping the "arm gauge" consistent and tight helps to maintain an even fabric and, therefore, a beautiful finish.
Finger knitting is a great way to get kids to understand and develop a love for knitting.

Be sure to see several small accessory projects for arm knitting and very helpful tutorials and videos to get you started.