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Knitting a baby blanket on a tight deadline is no small feat, but with the help of my online knitting community, I turned a potential disaster into a worthy project. Here’s how connecting with other knitters saved the day—and why you should join the conversation, too!
Connecting With Knitters Online
In this post, I’ll show off my baby blanket and I’ll share my favorite ways to connect with other knitters online.
Before we get too far into the weeds, I’ll go ahead and ask you to please follow me on social media. I’m most active on Instagram, Bluesky, and Pinterest right now:
Here’s where to find me on the socials:
- @PepperKnitsBlog on Instagram, Threads, Facebook, and Pinterest
- @PepperKnits.com on Bluesky
- @PepperKnits on TikTok
Social Media for Knitters
Pinterest is a great place to find inspiration and lots of how-to tips, but it’s not a great place to start a conversation. It’s possible to comment on pins, but in my observations, it seems that most people who do that have something negative to say. It’s definitely not where I would go to get advice.
Instagram used to be my go-to, but they have made a lot of changes to the platform that make it harder to connect with “regular knitters” – like removing recent posts from hashtag searches and changing it so you can’t follow hashtags at all. It’s easy to connect with the bigger creators/designers on Instagram who post beautiful photos, so it’s still a wonderful place to discover new patterns and find inspiration.
If you want to build a community of knitting friends on Instagram, I recommend diving into the comments of the bigger accounts and looking for people who stand out to you, then check their profile to see if it’s public and if they post knit pics – then click follow!
You can also check out Threads, but I find it a little harder to navigate. I’ve really been into Bluesky lately – the feeds make it really easy to zero in on conversations you care about, like just sock knitting, etc. On both Bluesky and Threads, I love being able to post without the pressure of taking a beautiful photo, like you are expected to on Instagram. And both platforms are much more conversational.
Facebook Groups for Knitters
I’ve been in a few Facebook groups for knitters. Right now I’m just in one: Together We Knit, which is moderated by the team at Knit Picks. I find everyone in the group to be super kind and supportive, though lately, there have been a lot of designers blatantly self-promoting their patterns, which I don’t love, but I understand the need to hustle. Still, I just want to connect with your average-joe knitters. Still, it’s a positive place and I like it. (Once a group starts to get negative vibes, I bounce. I don’t need that in my life!)
If you are a member of a positive-vibe kind of knitting group on Facebook, please post in the comments! They are hard to find and I’d love to join!
Ravelry Forums
Finally, I’d be remiss to forget Ravelry! The Ravelry forums are probably the number one place to connect with fellow knitters and you can get super niche with your topics. The positive/negative vibes vary by group. Both are on there. I’m not active in any Ravelry forums right now because it can be time-consuming to keep up with all the conversations and I’m in my “Busy Era.”
The Story Behind My Baby Blanket
Okay, so now we get into the story of why making connections with fellow knitters online is so helpful.
My husband dropped a last-minute request in my lap to knit a baby blanket for a colleague of his. Luckily I always keep a blanket quantity of bulky yarn in a gender-neutral color in my stash, because last minute baby blanket projects come up more than you’d think.
Anyway, I had about a month to knit this blanket and I was already a week into it when I realized that it was narrower than I would normally knit a baby blanket at just 24’’ wide. (The pattern totally said this was a 24” baby blanket, I guess I just didn’t pay attention).
I didn’t have time to rip it out and start over, so I shared my situation on social and got loads of ideas and support.
First, there is always the person who has an idea of how to fix it! In this case, someone gave me the brilliant idea that I could make it wider by knitting an additional panel and seaming it on at the end. I really loved this idea but time didn’t allow for it.
Next, there is the crew of supporters who insist that your project is lovely exactly the way it is. I absolutely love this kind of affirmation and the reminder that knitting is supposed to be fun, not something to stress about.
Finally, there is the voice that is a mix of the two. The one that doesn’t necessarily offer a fix but acknowledges that it’s not great (in a kind way!) These people told me that the narrow width would make it suitable as a stroller blanket and that I only need to knit it a little taller vs. shaping it as a square
That last one is definitely the narrative I’m going with, so, without further ado, I present my creation: Love is a Stroller Blanket.
The Pattern: Love is a Blanket
This baby blanket is a free pattern by Marji LaFreniere called “Love is a Blanket,” and you can download it on Ravelry. You knit it on size 10 needles with Bulky yarn so it knits up quick, but it’s got loads of interesting elements like the cables and the textured heart panel so you don’t get bored.
You can knit this as is and call it a stroller blanket if need be, or you can cast on more stitches and make the side panels wider. Probably 10-12 more stitches on each side would make a world of difference.
The Yarn: Knit Picks Mighty Stitch
I knitted this with Knit Picks Mighty Stitch Bulky in Mint, and, if you love this yarn, I have good news and bad news: Knit Picks has discontinued the bulky weight Mighty Stitch, but they have this color in the worsted weight version and you could just hold two strands together to get the bulkier weight that will knit up quick.
Here is the full blanket:
And there you have it! This has been a long post but thanks for sticking with me!
This project reminded me just how much knitting communities can enrich our craft. Whether it’s getting practical advice or simply hearing words of encouragement, fellow knitters are the best cheerleaders. I do hope you’ll give me a follow on your favorite social channel and feel free to add your handle in the comments so I can follow you too!
yarn details
Knit Picks Mighty Stitch Bulky in Mint (discontinued, but check out the worsted weight version)
Bulky Weight
80% Acrylic, 20% Superwash Wool
Machine Washable & Dryable
100 g / 208 yd balls
project details
pattern: “Love is a Blanket” by Marji LaFreniere (free pattern available to download on Ravelry)
needles: US size 9 (5.5 mm) and 10 (6.0 mm), wood circular needles from my Sunstruck Interchangeable Needle Set
additional supplies: cable needle (this one is my favorite!) and stitch markers (my gold heart stitch markers are from Global Backyard)
yarn used: 490 yards (3.6 balls)
finished size: 24” by 32”’
duration: Nov 21 -Dec 28, 2024
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