DIY Chunky Knit Blanket

There is nothing I love more than something that is useful and decorative. A chunky knit blanket is just that. It keeps you so warm but when you aren't cuddled up on the couch it looks pleasing to the eye draped over a bed or chair. 
Below you can see just how to make your own ribbed chunky knit blanket.

 I used this yarn in the color Pewter. 
How to calculate how big you want your blanket
If you want your blanket 30x30 you will measure the width of your yarn, mine is 2.5  inches wide. So I will take 30 (this is how long I want it to be) and divide that by 2.5. So now I know I will need 12 stitches going across and up.
I  used 3 rolls of the Yarn bee yarn. 
Remember the hand you use to cast on and off is important  

Step 1

Place your yarn in a "n" shape

Take your 'working' yarn (arrow) and cross it over to make a cursive e

Now that you have your 'e' we are going to start our first chain. 
Put your hand thru the front of the loop like this

(Don't mind my tan line)
Using your left hand loop the yarn on your wrist like a bracelet grab the working yarn and pull it thru the loop.
​Like this.. 
Note: The shorter your loops are the smaller the "gaps" in your blanket will be.
My loops are about 2-3 inches long. 

So now your first loop should look like this

Repeat this motion for as many links you want, ( I did 20) This will determine the width of your blanket. 
​ See the top of this post to learn how to calculate how big you want your blanket. 
Use your left hand until you have finished this row.
Put your hand through the loop you just created and pull to make a new loop, put your hand through the new loop and so on until you have the number of "chains" or loops you want.
It helps if you try and keep all the loops the same size.

To end your chain switch to using your right hand to pull the yarn thru, This makes the direction of the chain go toward the left.
(Not pictured)
Your first row should look like this when you are finished. 
(This technique can also be used to create a scarf) 

Step 2

​Now we are going to start our second chain going the opposite direction.
There is one extra step in this chain.
You will be using your right hand to grab the working yarn in this row.

Now look for this hole in the bottom of your second to last chain.
Insert your right hand into the hole and grab your working yarn and pull it thru from behind the row

This is what your first chain in your second row should look like.
repeat the same process on the next chains.
pay close attention to only use the bottom hole on your chains and to not skip one.
The number of chains you started with in your first row should be the same in the second and so on. 
Use your right hand for this row.

The end of your second row should look something like this.
​See my loops are not all exactly the same size and I'm okay with that. If you are a perfectionist you can make your loops all the exact same size by taking extra time and measuring them. 

Step 3

This step requires some thinking. We are going to use a Technic called "ribbing knitting" 
This will give your blanket the ribbed look. 
So in the previous rows we have been pulling the working yarn from the front.
Now we will be pulling from the front and the back.
I will show you what I mean.

I am going to go Front, back, front, back. This is also called pearl & knit. 
To make your ribbed area bigger you can do Front, Front, back, back or whatever, as long as you alternate. I don't suggest doing more than two of the same techniques at a time. 
This row you will be using both hands.
This is kinda hard to picture but I will try my best.
To see a video of knitting and pearling you can go to my Instagram page and look under my 'diy' highlights 
​

This is doing the same thing we have been doing, pulling the working yarn from the front, thru the hole and out. 
The working yarn should lay in front of your loop.

For the "back" pull the working yarn from behind the loop so the working yarn lays behind the loop.

Continue this pattern until you have enough yarn left to only do one more row.

Step 4

When you are finished it is time to cast off.
From this point we have been going in one loop at a time, To cast off you are going to go in two loops at a time. When doing this make sure your working yarn is behind the loops.

Working from left to right, Grab your first two loops and pull the working yarn from the left thru the loops to make one single new loop.

This is my new loop that I just made. Now grab your new loop and the next loop in line and pull the yarn thru it again.

In the picture my working yarn is in front of my loops, it should be behind them.

Repeat this technique of looping two loops at a time until you run out of yarn, if you have a little extra you can tuck it in your blanket. 

Your finished product should look something like this. Don't worry if it doesn't this is a learning process and like everything it will get better with practice.
Hope you love your new blanket!
You can check out Pinterest for different colors or styles of chunky blankets