How to Make an Arm Knit Blanket in Less Than an Hour
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Learn how to make a beautiful and soft arm knit blanket in less than an hour. I’m sharing a helpful arm knitting video tutorial and where to find the chunky yarn for the DIY blanket!
Would you believe me if I told you I knit a beautiful, soft fluffy blanket in less than an hour before Christmas? It’s true! I’ve tried my hand at arm-knitting before (or “tried my arms”…) when I made this scarf. Here’s how I made this beautiful squishy blanket – it’s so easy and fun!
This post was first published in January 2016 and has since been updated.
Best yarn for an arm knit blanket
First of all, to get the same voluminous (or non-holey) effect like I did, make sure you use super-thick yarn, doubled.
I found this massive yarn called “Ginormous” by Loops & Threads at Michaels (100 yards/ 91 meters each):
It’s regularly $20/skein, but I managed to grab it on sale for half price! 2 skeins made my lap-sized blanket that measures about 36 x 40″. If you can’t find this yarn, look for something similar – it’s a “Super Bulky” yarn at 5-6 WPI (wraps per inch).
Here are some other super bulky yarns you can find on Amazon:
Arm knitting a blanket with chunky yarn
I doubled the yarn when I was arm knitting, so I used both skeins at once. (I held the two yarns together from each skein, and knitted them together as one.) This gave my blanket a nice cushy look with less of a holey look that I’ve seen in other arm-knitting – I really like it!
Can you knit one with thin yarn?
If you’re using a thinner yarn like a worsted weight, you could triple or quadruple the yarn for a similar look.
Easy arm knit blanket tutorial
Want to make one too? Here’s the video tutorial I used by Simply Maggie. There’s no way I could do a better video than hers – she explains everything so perfectly. My blanket is not quite as long as hers, so if you want to make a larger one buy 4 skeins of the yarn I used.
Let me know if you try your own arm-knit blanket; I’d love to see yours! Don’t you think this is just the perfect blanket for a winter living room to cuddle with?
Arm knit blanket step by step – with a fringe!
If you like this arm knit blanket post, you might like my new fringed arm knit blanket tutorial and video! It contains step-by-step instructions for arm knitting as well as a video tutorial. Click here or on the image below to check it out.
Pin me:
Happy arm knitting!
LOVE this blanket! You did a great job and love the chair! 🙂 x
Ok I need to make one of these asap! It looks like the perfect thing to curl up under and watch netflix with!
That’s awesome! I’ve just got into knitting, and I reckon I could scale up to arm knitting. Looks fun!
Love this idea…and your Dane!
How many yards did this use?
How many stitches and rows did you use? I just bought this yarn and new to arm knitting.
Christina has tried to make the blanket a lap size blanket. So she measured out that it would be approx. 36″x40″. I would recommend to measure to your desires dimensions 🙂
I loved this tutorial! My sister recently got diagnosed with breast cancer and we saw this on pinterest! We’re going to try to make this blanket while sitting for her chemo treatments. It will be a good way to pass the time and make something fun! Thanks for sharing and making it so easy to understand!
So sorry to hear that Kristen. Pray that she has a speedy recovery. We are so happy that you are able to make this blanket together. How very special 🙂
Love the blanket and great job! Good video too.
Thank you Sharon for your kind words 🙂
Hi Christina
This is my first time seeing this. I’m looking forward in trying this. Just need to know where to get the yarn. Thank you so much for sharing.
How exciting Diane! Go to Michael’s. Make sure you use their daily coupons and you can get yourself a great deal on the yarn!
This idea is so cool, and in less than an hour wow!!!
You did such a great job explaining how to make the chunky blanket. Your picture description was excellent as well. Thanks for making this video.
Thank you, Joyce!
Has anyone tried it with 2 colours?
No, Christina has only tried it with the one colour. But what a great idea!
Hi, I am not crafty nor do I sew, but would like to attempt this.
My one question is, what did you mean when you referenced your blanket having less wholes because you used two skiens at once?
You can most definitely do this! When Christina used both her skeins it just gave it a fuller look. More holes the blanket does not seem as chunky 🙂
How many yards were each of your skeins? I can’t find that yarn at Michaels.
Hello Amanda, Christina has included similar yarn options from Amazon on her blog post that would work great. If you are looking to make the same size as Christina, buy two skeins 🙂
Hey Christina,
Thanks for sharing. It looks lovely.
I am just curious, when you said you used 2 skeins at once: did you mean you combined two yarns to make one thicker one?
Or did you mean you used 1 skien first and when it finished you used another.
I apologize if my question is unclear, it’s hard to phrase.
Thanks,
Elle
This is also my question and I’m thinking it’s doubled to make it thicker as #6 is thick, but not crazy thick. In the video the premier yarns is actually thicker but it’s very difficult to find that yarn in stores (most places have it as an online only product- I went out yesterday looking for it). After doing some research on the gignormous yarn I found out it’s #6 and 100 yards so I bought something similar and 2 balls of it under the assumption this project takes 200 yards. I’m going to make it now and I’ll let you know if that worked.
Yes please let us know how it works out for you! We love hearing different ways of doing your fav DIY projects. Thank you for offering your tips 🙂
How many yards of wool do you need for this?
Hi. When I make my blanket, it comes out way too long. It’s like 3 ft wide by 8 ft Long. What am I doing wrong?
Hi Christina
I know this has been asked a few times but I don’t think it’s been answered. When you say you doubled the yarn do you mean you took 2 skeins and put them together on top of each other and then knitted?
Hello Theresa,
Thank you for the question. Christina did take the 2 skeins and put them together on top of each other and then began to knit. 🙂
Happy crafting!!
I see that the yarn you’re using is different than the yarn she uses in the tutorial. What is the difference? Is your yarn a tiny bit skinnier?
I have a question …ow many skeins of the yarn would I need to make aprox. regular to queen size blanket?
Every time i try this, the blanket has loose holes and isn’t very tight knit even though i tighten each one asi go. I’m also using Yarn Bee Astounding teal i picked up at hobby lobby on clearance. It’s #6 super bulky. What do i do?
Hey Jacquelynne,
Thanks for stopping by 🙂 There are a few factors that come into place as to why your arm knit blanket is loose.
Check out this article from a fellow blogger that goes into detail about loose arm knit blankets. ?
https://www.flaxandtwine.com/2016/04/arm-knitting-tighter/?m
I agree with all the questions about yardage, this particular yarn is no longer available, they’ve changed it since this tutorial was done. It would be really nice to know how much yardage was used for this blanket. (And I do understand there’s some examples listed with the amazon shopping links, but they are all different yardages, there’s no telling how much to buy)
HI Monica, I believe the skeins I used were 100 yards each.
Thanks Christiana!
When I went looking for the yarn they’ve changed the yardage to 87 yard skeins now, so the blanket would be considerably smaller with only two. Good to know! I’ve been wanting to make one of these for a friend, and it’s so hard to find a good buy on this type of yarn.
I made this blanket (using Maggie’s instructions) and it’s cute…but the knots are SO noticeable. I’m not even sure I can give it as a gift…weaving the ends in is awful, but I’m afraid to cut the end instead. Thoughts?
Hello,
How do you go about washing this blanket? Looks so comfy and warm, I can’t wait to try this out!!
Thank you 🙂
You never wash it, just kidding ?. We recommend hand washing it with cold water and squeezing it to dry with a towel.
Hey Christina, I made a blanket inspired by yours! Are you on Ravelry? I’d love to link up my project to yours.
Hey Joy,
Christina isn’t on Ravelry. However, thanks for stopping by. So awesome you felt inspired!
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What a fun and cosy project Christina. Thank you for sharing it at Create, Bake, Grow & Gather this week. I’ve just pinned your arm knit blanket to our party board.
Hugs,
Kerryanne
Thanks for sharing such an amazing arm kit blanket DIY!
This is really helpful for this winter.
This is really helpful for me on this winter.
Impressive tutorail and very clear explanations.
Take care
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Looks so cozy, like I needed yet another project to do??♀️
Oh, I love this! I have never tried arm knitting, but I love these chunky blankets. I’m wondering how well it has held up. Is it something you actually use, or is it just for decor purposes? Pinning for later. 🙂
Christina uses it for both! LOL
Thank you for sharing your idea. I am working on it. However, I am a bit clumsy
I love your website, I have so much fun learning to do things.