Stitches

How many stitches do I need to cast on for a throw?

I am using size 17 needles (they are circular 29") and size 4 Lion Brand Vanna's Choice yarn. I was planning on knitting with two yarns at once, I don't know what that is called. How many stitches should I use? Should I do the stockinette stitch?

Public Comments

1. Practice a bit with the double yarn and knit a swatch. Cast on 15 or so stitches and knit until your piece is about 3" or 4" long. Use a ruler and measure 4" across the middle. Count the stitches in 4" (going across) of your swatch. Divide by 4. (It may seem easier to measure just one inch's worth of stitches, but it honestly is not, since your answer may not be a whole number.) Figure out how wide a throw should be (48" x 54" and 54" x 60" are common sizes.) Multiply the width by the number of stitches you get per inch. That's how many you should cast on. If you get 2 stitches per inch and want your trhow to be 48" wide, cast on 96 stitches. If you use the stockinette stitch, your edges will curl. They will. For a flat item you'll need to use the seed stitch or the garter stitch or an alternating pattern of mixed knit and purl. (For example, if you do k4p4 all the way across and p4k4 all the way back, then change every few rows, you'll get a fun checkered pattern that will lay flat.)
2. holding two strands of a size 4 yarns would make a size 5 yarn or a bulky weight yarn. How big you want the blanket will determine how many stitches you need to cast on.