How to Finger Knit with Loop Yarn and Make an Easy Blanket

Create an easy throw blanket with finger loop yarn, no knitting needles or crochet hooks required! This is a fun winter project that you can complete in a weekend to keep you warm and cozy.

Happy Monday!

How about a fun craft project to keep you warm and cozy this winter?

We had a couple of weekends in a row of wintry weather with snow, ice and below average freezing temperatures. . . weather that makes you want to curl up with a blanket and a mug of something warm to drink!

I’ve fallen in love with loop yarn, specifically, Bernat Alize Blanket-EZ yarn! I discovered this yarn last year at JOANN fabric and craft store when I made a couple of throw blankets for gifts. It’s SO incredibly soft, fluffy and chenille-like, and comes in a wide variety of variegated as well as solid colors. The color yarn I used for this blanket is a variegated ‘Burgundy’. It looks more pinkish / rose in person but appears more brownish on the website.

 Are you familiar with loop yarn? The loops in the yarn allow you to knit with your fingers, rather than needles! As I’m not a knitter or crocheter, the loop yarn is ideal for someone like me. The Bernat Alize Blanket EZ yarn comes in 18 yard skeins and is considered a jumbo size #7 gauge yarn. You’ll need (6) 18-yard skeins (108 yards total) to make a throw approximately 51 x 60 inches.

 I followed the simple Alize EZ Afghan pattern that doesn’t require any counting other than your first row to get started.

It’s best to start on a table or desk where you can lay out your yarn and count off your loops to get started. After you have completed 3 or 4 rows, you can move over to the sofa to work, while binge watching your favorite Netflix series. In just a couple of hours, you’ll have enough blanket looped together to shield your eyes if you’re too stressed out to watch what’s happening with Ruth, Darlene Snell and the Byrde family on Ozark. 😱. . . 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦💵💊🎰

To start, count out 65 loops for your foundation row. Mark your 65th loop with a safety pin or clip of some sort. (I used a plastic Christmas ornament hanger.)

Place your working yarn with the loops facing up in a row behind your foundation row of 65 loops.

Working from left to right, pull the 66th loop from your ‘working yarn’ up through the 65th loop (last loop of foundation row) to create a knit stitch. Pull your next loop from your working yarn up through next loop on your foundation row. Continue until your first row has been connected to a loop from the second row.

Second row: Working from right to left, pull the next loop from working yarn up from behind through last stitch worked on previous row. Repeat across to the end of the row. Continue with your rows until you need to add a new skein.

There are a couple of ways to join a new skein of yarn. My preferred method is to hold the last loop of your previous skein and first loop of your new skein together and work as if they are a single loop. Treat them as a single loop again when you come back to them on the next row. I like to mark the double loops with a clip so I made sure to pick up both loops together until I work them into a row.

Another method to join your skeins is to snip the threads of the last two loops and your first two loops on your new skein and tie the tails together. You’ll weave the loose tails back through your knitted stitches when finished.

 I thought I was paying attention but realized I had dropped a loop after I was already several rows ahead. I used a bobby pin to weave the loop back through back of the throw to secure it. The fluffy yarn is very forgiving so an extra loop can be camouflaged, threading it through the loops on the back without it being obvious.

When you get to end of your final skein, you’ll bind off your stitches to complete your blanket.

Bind off working in same direction as your last row, pulling the 2nd stitch up through first stitch. Pull the 3rd stitch up through the 2nd stitch and so on. Continue to the end of the row.

 Cut the last two loops, snipping them apart by the thread that creates the loop to create a yarn ‘tail’.

The binding off directions sound more complicated than they actually are; I found it helpful to watch a video, here.

Pull the tail through your last loop to secure it, then weave the tail through the back of your stitches to secure and conceal it.

When you’re finished you’ll want to secure any other loose tails, weaving them through the back of the throw.

Several videos I watched recommended using a tapestry or darning needle to secure any loose yarn tails. I just used a bobby pin again.

 Helpful tips:

♥ Keep your working yarn with the loops facing up behind your current row of loops. The loops from your working yarn are always pulled through the previous row of loops from the back to the front.

♥ Check your work every 10 stitches or so to make sure you haven’t dropped a loop. Straighten your working yarn and untwist the “squiggly” loops to prevent skipping or dropping loops in your rows.

♥ If I stopped, I clipped my next set of loops together to make it easier to find and pick up where I left off.

♥  Look for coupons available from JOANN to buy online and pick up at your local store or order with free shipping. I purchase my yarn online as my local store didn’t have enough skeins.

You can find the printable pdf directions from Yarnspirations, HERE.

Don’t you love an easy craft project?!

It’s such a satisfying project and one that keeps you warm while you work!

Lola and Sophie agreed to pose and model their Valentine heart headband photos with the promise of a treat! 🐾🐾

Love is a four-legged word. . .

🐾 ♥ 🐾 ♥

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