Stitches

Knitting: Casting on?

If I want to make a blanket/afghan that's approximately 50" x 60" (or anywhere close to that, really), about how many stitches should cast on with? If I want to knit an afghan/blanket that's approximately 50" by 60" (or anything close to that really), how many stitches should I cast on? I'm using size 10 1/2 needles, the wool is 4 ply, and the stitches are moderately tight.

Public Comments

1. depends on what ply wool you use, what size needles you use and how tight or loose you knit i have a pattern for a baby blanket knitted in fingering weight wool, which is any yarn that lists the guage as 7st = 1 in. the pattern is for a 38 " x 38" blanket and it recommends castin g on 199 stitches, this does have a pattern hence the odd amount of stitches. but it may give you an idea to play with. email me if you need more help
2. I'd do a test swatch, cast on 20 stitches and knit 20 rows in the pattern you'll be using. Then measure the swatch. That will give you an idea of how many sts to cast on and how many rows to work.
3. With 4 ply yarn and size 10 1/2 needles, I'd cast on around 180 stitches. But, the pattern you knit it makes a difference in the number of stitches you cast on. And, I'd definitely do a test swatch!
4. Definitely swatch and multiply the number of stitches you get per inch by the width you want. You'll probably get 3 to 3.5 stitches per inch, possibly 4, depending on your own personal knitting gauge and the stitch pattern you use.
5. youll want to know what your knitting tension is. how many stitches per inch and how many rows per inch, take a look at this site if you have no idea on how to make a swatch. http://learntoknit.lionbrand.com/cgi-bin/faq-search.cgi?store=/stores/eyarn&faqKey=7 after you have your stitches per inch (going from left to right) times 50 and youll get how many stitches you need to cast on, take your rows per inch (going up and down) times 60 and youll know how many rows to work.
6. Cast on 20, do a swatch with the stitch design you are going to use, knit about 20 rows, measure your piece, then you can approx know how many to cast on, ex. if your swatch measures 4" wide for 20 sts you would then cast on 260 for 52" wide. knit until your afghan is as long as you want it to be.