We Are Knitters Udon Blanket

So, if you haven’t picked up on it already, I’ve always been a very creative person. WAAY before the DIY movement came about, and WAY before it was cool. I actually got made fun of quite a lot for all of the crafty/artsy things I used to do. There is one time in particular that stands out rather lucidly. 

I was in the 6th grade. We were embarking on a trip to Sports World out in Kitchener. To my 11 year old self, the 45 minute bus ride seemed like an eternity.  Thus, I brought along some knitting to keep me occupied (so practical of me!). I was making a scarf just for practice. When I look back now, I remember how utterly hideous that scarf would have been. I used a thick royal blue Icelandic wool and paired it with a thin deep rosy pink and leaf green to make big stripes of colour. Ick. So embarrassing was the experience that I can still vividly remember that half finished hideous scarf.

ANYWAYS, when I brought my knitting out on the bus, I got made fun of by a number of people, chief among them being my friends. At the time, I was mortified that I had done something that was such a faux pas. I wasn’t an old lady with 6 cats sitting in a rocking chair on a Sunday afternoon. What was I thinking? After only a few rows and  wildly inflamed cheeks, I put my knitting away and never brought it out again unless I was in the comfort of my own room.

Fast forward 14 years and I’ve come to terms with my love of knitting. All my 6th grade classmates who teased me can suck it. I love doing it, and I make gorgeous winter accessories, gifts, and now blankets. 

The blanket in question that I recently finished is the Udon Blanket from We Are Knitters.

I’ve loved the kits from We Are Knitters for a very long time, and finally decided to ask for a kit for Christmas. I love the Udon Blanket, but wanted my blanket to be bigger, so I planned on buying extra wool once it went on sale after Christmas.

Low and behold, right after I asked for the Udon Blanket kit, the Udon Blanket XXL kit came out. Not one to shy away from a creative challenge, I decided that I would just order more wool to yield my own version of the Udon Blanket XXL. However, they are more expensive than your average skein, so I waited for them to go on sale.

In the meantime, I knit away fiercely with the skeins that I had. I was aiming for a blanket that would be about 6′ x 4 1/2′ when finished. In order to try and do this, I cast on 80 stitches. I was delighted to find that the knitting moved along super quickly due to the large gauge of the yarn.

The pattern uses the moss stitch and has you slip a stitch at the beginning of each row. This makes for a lovely braided looking border when finished. I quickly burned through the 5 skeins in the kit and then had to wait a few weeks for the yarn to go on sale. When it finally did, I scooped up another 5 skeins right away and had the blanket done within a few days. Kudos to We Are Knitters for having incredibly quick shipping!

Finished Blanket:

Once I finished the blanket, the size wasn’t exactly the right dimensions, but I still love it! It measures about 5′ x 5′ and is SUUUPER cozy! I’ve always wanted to knit a blanket, so I’m thrilled that I actually finished one and love it.

I usually keep it on the chair pictured here, and curl up in it when I’m reading. I have also been sleeping with it on cold winter nights - the heavier weight of the blanket makes for a real cozy sleep. The cat even likes to curl up in the box where it sits a lot of the time! 

So if you’ve been thinking about making a blanket for yourself, I would definitely recommend We Are Knitters. The patterns are super easy to follow, and the quality of the wool is top notch! A lot of the time wool can be itchy and irritating, but this is still amazingly soft! My family warned me that the colour might not be the same if I didn’t buy all the wool at once, but I trusted We Are Knitters, and was glad I did. The colour of the wool was exactly the same, even though they were purchased on two separate occasions.

Like I said, it is a bit on the expensive side, but they do have sales quite often. There are also a ton of different colours to choose from! I actually had a really hard time picking, but eventually figured that a classic neutral would be best for my apartment.

Let me know what you think of my Udon Blanket! Also feel free to share any embarrassing knitting stories of your own 🙂

xo, tess.