Long live the scraps

Long Live the Scraps Blanket by Christiane Burkhard

What is Being Made

Long Live the Scraps is a blanket design created by independent designer Christiane Burkhard that transforms yarn scraps, leftovers, and single skeins into a finished heirloom blanket. Rather than discarding unused yarn, this pattern provides a practical and creative solution for repurposing small quantities of yarn into a cohesive, wearable textile project.

Project Structure and Construction Method

The blanket is constructed using a strip-based approach where individual strips are knitted separately and then joined together as you progress through the pattern. This modular construction method makes the project particularly suitable for using multiple yarn weights and stitch patterns within a single blanket, allowing crafters to incorporate various scraps without requiring color or weight consistency.

Knitting Techniques Used

The pattern emphasizes several important technical elements to ensure professional finishing and ease of assembly:

• Slip stitch edge treatment: Always slip the first stitch of each row as if to purl with the yarn held in the front. When continuing with a knit stitch, bring the yarn to the back between the needles before working the knit stitch.
• Chain edging: Always knit the last stitch of every row regardless of the stitch pattern being used. This creates a distinctive chain edging along the sides of each strip, which serves both aesthetic and functional purposes.
• Stitch pickup for joining: The chain edging created by knitting the final stitch makes it easier to pick up stitches when joining the strips together and when adding borders to complete the blanket.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns

The pattern offers flexibility in stitch selection, allowing knitters to use any stitch pattern of their choice within the strip construction. This adaptability makes Long Live the Scraps an excellent project for exploring different knitting stitches and textures while working with yarn scraps of varying types.

Materials

The pattern accommodates yarn of any weight, making it ideal for using up scraps from previous projects. Knitting needles appropriate to the yarn weight being used are required. The modular strip construction means crafters can work with multiple needle sizes throughout the project if using different yarn weights for different strips.

Difficulty Level

Designed as a beginner-friendly project, Long Live the Scraps is accessible to knitters new to the craft while remaining engaging for more experienced makers. The straightforward strip-and-join construction combined with basic stitch techniques makes this an ideal pattern for developing fundamental knitting skills.

Pattern Information

This downloadable PDF pattern is provided by Christiane Burkhard and is available for personal, non-profit, and charity use only. The pattern encourages sustainable crafting practices by giving new purpose to yarn that might otherwise be discarded.