How to Make an EZ Loop Yarn Throw Blanket

Are you familiar with loop yarn? I discovered it last year when I had the January Blues and finally got around to making a throw on my ‘to-do’ list.

Procrastination, thy name is Mary :)

 I used Bernet Alize Blanket-EZ yarn that I found at JOANN fabric and craft store. The Alize Blanket EZ yarn comes in 18 yard skeins and is considered a No. 7 jumbo size gauge yarn. You’ll need 6 skeins (108 yards total) to make a throw approximately 51 x 60- inches. The Alize chenille yarn is SO soft and comes in pretty variegated colors as well as solids.

I loved it so much I bought more yarn to make a second throw as a gift!

It’s a perfect project for when you’re stuck indoors and one you can finish over a weekend. After the first few rows, you easily get into a rhythm. Start on a table or desk where you can lay your yarn out flat and count off your loops to get started. After you have 4 or 5 rows completed, you can move over to the sofa to work while you’re binge watching your favorite Netflix series.

To begin, count out 65 loops for your foundation row. Mark your 65th loop with a safety pin or clip of some sort. I used a plastic Christmas ornament hanger.

Place your working yarn with the loops facing up in a row behind your foundation row of 65 loops.

Second row: Working from right to left, pull the next loop from working yarn up from behind through last stitch worked on previous row. Repeat across to the end of the row. Continue with your rows until you need to add a new skein.

There are a couple of ways to join a new skein. The method that I found the easiest is to hold the last loop of your previous skein and first loop of your new skein together and work as if they are a single loop. Treat them as a single loop again when you come back to them on the next row. I found it helped to mark the double loops with a clip so I would be sure to pick both of them both up together.

Another method to join your skein is to snip the threads of the last two loops and your first two loops on your new skein and tie the tails together. You’ll weave the loose tails back through your knitted stitches when finished.

I realized I dropped a loop after I was several rows ahead. . .oops! I used a bobby pin to weave the loop back through back of throw to secure it. The fluffy chenille yarn is very forgiving so an extra loop can be camouflaged without being too obvious.

When you get to end of your final skein, you’ll bind off your stitches to complete your throw. Bind off working in same direction as your last row, pulling the 2nd stitch up through first stitch. Pull the 3rd stitch up through the 2nd stitch and so on. Continue to end of row. Cut the last two loops, snipping them apart by the thread that creates the loop to create a yarn ‘tail’.

Pull the tail through your last loop to secure it, then weave the tail through the back of your stitches to secure and conceal it.

The binding off directions sound more complicated than they are and I found it helpful to watch a couple of YouTube videos.

When you’re finished you’ll want to secure any other loose tails, weaving them through the back of the throw.

Several videos I watched recommended using a tapestry or darning needle to secure loose yarn tails. I reached for a bobby pin again but in truth the yarn is so fluffy and the loops are loose enough that you can use your fingers to weave any loose tails of yarn through your stitches to secure them.

 Helpful tips:

• Keep your working yarn behind your current row of loops. The loops from your working yarn are always pulled through the previous row of loops from the back to the front.
• Check your work every 10 stitches or so to make sure you haven’t dropped a loop. Straighten your working yarn and untwist the “squiggly” loops to prevent skipping or dropping loops in your rows.
• If I stopped for a while, I clipped my next set of loops together to make it easier to pick up where I left off.
•  Look for coupons available from JOANN to buy online and pick up at your local store or download their mobile app to your phone to access their weekly coupon when you shop.

Working at a normal pace, it took me about 1 1/2 hours to complete a skein so I completed a throw in about 9 hours over a weekend.

Lola and Sophie say the finished throw blanket is so soft and warm and perfect for napping!