Here’s something different: a knitting pattern.

I’m not great at writing patterns because, like cooking, when it looks right, that’s what I do. I’ve been making these squares out of various Lion Brand Homespun yarns in doctor waiting rooms for probably a couple of years now. Since my kids have therapy, group, procedures, and infusions regularly (plus all the other medical appointments I have or go along on), I have a fair number of squares now. The main colorway I use is Painted Desert but I also have turquoise, magenta, and other solids. I haven’t decided how to piece it yet but I figured I should record the pattern since I added it as a project on Ravelry.

What I like about this is that it’s really a one-skein project in terms of portability. I keep it in my car and only work on it when I’m out (I’ll piece it at home… probably). It’s also a good way to use up yarn. That’s why my main colorway is Painted Desert: it has many of my odd skeins’ colors in it). It would be really cool to knit half a square (BO after you have those 55 sts on your even row needle or even CO 55 and just do decreases to 5 sts) and make it out of triangles rather than squares.

Waiting Room Blanket

• CO 5 sts.
• All odd rows: Sl 1, K to end.
• Even rows: Sl 1, k1, m1; K to penultimate stitch; m1, K. (IOW you’re adding one stitch to both ends, one stitch in from the edge stitch).
• When there are 55 sts K on your odd row (your previous even row was Sl 1, k1, m1, k 49, k1, m1, k1 so the following odd row is Sl 1, k 54), stop increasing.
• All odd rows: Sl 1, K to end.
• Even rows: Sl 1, K2tog, K until 3 sts are left, k2tog, K1  (IOW you’re decreasing by one stitch on both ends, one stitch in from the edge stitch).
• When even row has 5 sts (you’ve done “Sl 1, K2tog, K1, K2tog, K1”), BO on odd row.
• Piece squares together as desired.