Afternoon Tea Blanket KAL

So, what is a knit along? It's where knitters from all over the world knit the same pattern at the same time, sharing their progress as they go or simply enjoying the mystery as the project unfolds before their eyes.

Pop the kettle on, it's time for our Afternoon Tea Blanket Knit Along (KAL) with a beautiful patchwork pattern by Woman's Weekly. We’re so glad you could join us!

Our Afternoon Tea Blanket KAL features a pattern created by Woman's Weekly that's ideal for Intermediate knitters who would like to try or are already comfortable with colour work and stranded knitting. We will take you through each piece step-by-step to make this project an enjoyable way to hone your skills or just to create something beautiful for your home. Stranded knitting simply means knitting a project in more than one colour and stranding the colours not in use along the back of the work.

Get your colour pack ready to start the knit along next week for only £15.99.

Afternoon Tea is a lovely British tradition dating back to the early 1840’s. Traditionally served in the late afternoon, it was introduced to fill the hungry gap before the evening meal and includes delightful treats such as finger sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and jam, sweet pastries and cakes, along with plenty of tea. Your finished blanket will encompass all these delightful things!

The first instalment of the Afternoon Tea Blanket KAL will be shared on the blog on Wednesday 17th July and we'll be revealing the pattern each week as we go along - who doesn't love a good mystery? The knit along will run for 5 weeks, finishing on Wednesday 14th August. At the end of the 5 weeks we will have shown you everything you need to know to complete your wonderful Afternoon Tea Blanket! If you can't live with this much mystery, we'll give you a few hints about what to expect....

Knitted in the beautifully soft Stylecraft Special DK yarn, the blanket feature a palette of vintage tones. Each piece is a snippet of all thing’s afternoon tea. The blue window-pane check, reminiscent of vintage check tea towels; the green gingham, reminding us of old-fashioned tablecloths; the pink, yellow and cream stripe, a delicious slice of Angel cake; the dark pink and yellow polka dot, mouth-watering fresh strawberries and last, but by no means least, the pink, green and cream roses, taking us to beautiful English country gardens.

As well as being delicious, enjoying afternoon tea is also a good excuse to slow down, sit back and take some time out in the middle of our often-hectic days. The idea of taking time to slow down is so important and we hope our Afternoon Tea Blanket KAL will be a relaxing antidote to the busy world around us.

In the first week we’ll show you how to make the gorgeous strawberry motif. The boldest pieces on the blanket, this pretty polka-dot motif is the perfect start to the project, and a great way to perfect your stranded knitting skills.

You can get ready for the KAL now and buy your Afternoon Tea Blanket Colour Pack here. You will also need a pair of 3 3⁄4mm (No. 9) and 4mm (No. 8) knitting needles, which are not included in the pack. A size 3.00 crochet hook is required for the blanket edging and some simple chain stitch. We'll be using the hashtag #afternoonteakal throughout this project. If you include it with your posts on social media, we'll be able to find them and see how you're getting on! Plus, don't forget to join our brand new Facebook group, Knit Along with The Knitting Network, to share your progress and ask for any help along the way!

Although tea and cake are not included in our blanket pack, we think they go quite well with a bit of knitting! So, when our Afternoon Tea KAL starts and the afternoon comes, settle down with your knitting, a refreshing cup of tea, a little slice of something you fancy and relax.