FREE KNITTED MINION BLANKET PATTERN

We travel to horse shows and coach where it is cold.  Everyone loves a cute wrap/throw blankie and everyone loves Minions.  (If you aren't a minion lover--go away.  They are adorable and you know it.  Yes, they are now overly commercialized and everywhere, but, Minions didn't ask for fame--it was simply thrust upon them.)

Minion throw wrapped around a person

So, what follows is a basic throw blanket pattern that can be worked by hand on a longggggg afghan needle.  The one you see was knit using two Incredible Sweater Machines linked together.  Lots of walking to work back and forth is required.


Yarn snobbery also follows to knitting machine snobbery.  About 12 years ago, I started on an Incredible Sweater Machine (called ISMs or USMs) which are plastic and very, very basic.  I was thrilled to get it--using a Michael's 50% off coupon and my Christmas money.  It is pretty neat, and extremely frustrating to get it work...but, like riding a bike, once you get it, you get it.  The ISM can be blamed for one of the few times I let a swear word fly in front of my mother-in-law.  I said the word that follows Hoover, and it's not vacuum. As in the thing that holds back water.  I said it loudly. OK, very loudly. Why?  I got snagged and the entire thing flipped over off of the counter, sending my work, most of the ISMs parts, and a zillion hook-shaped needles everywhere.  What I said pales in comparison to what I was thinking.
Regardless, I've used the ISM successfully on numerous projects, and I think it's a fantastic way to introduce machine knitting to newbies economically.  Also, the "next level" of metal bed machines are so awesome it's hard to describe.  Simply awesome.
However, you can't hook two of these together to knock out large pieces of basic stockinette.  Here, the ISM wins out. 
Following my intro to machine knitting via the ISM, I now own a bunch of higher-end machines that I've collected via Christmas, birthday, and "oh please" (begging) of the hubby over the last 10+ years.  I love each of them, and I've kept my ISM too.
Again, as yarn snobbery is a real thing, so is snobbery toward the ISM.  Sad. 


THE PATTERN:  EASY  MINION THROW
Note, I don't include directions for the crochet circle eye.  My crochet "machine" Katie made the eye, so I'll try to track her down for some directions.  I have included close up photos as it's just DC worked in a circle, so, for those of you who crochet, the pic is probably all you need anyway. 

MATERIALS: 
Yarn:
Shown is Red Heart Super Saver.   Please don't hate me because I didn't write down how much yarn I used...I forgot : (  Amounts below are approximate:
Royal blue:  ~2 skeins
Lemon Yellow:  ~3-4 skeins?
Black < 1 skein for sure
White < 1 skein--only needed for crochet eye
Heather grey <1 skein--only needed for rim of goggle


For a hand knit version, a long afghan needle in size 7 would probably work best. 
For the ISM version, hook 2 ISMs together and use a mid-sized key plate.  For other machines, use a tension somewhere between 3-4 and you will need to seam the panels together before adding the eye or seam as you go. 

Crochet hook:

~5.5 mm hook for single crochet edging.  Note, this edging will prevent rolling of the edge but it will fold over like this in most cases:

Gauge and Measurements
Sorry to be confusing, but in the interest of full disclosure:
When measured over 4":  15 st x 22 R which equates to 3.75 st x 5.5 R per inch
The finished throw is 69" wide by 82" long. 
So, when I do the math--over the whole blanket excluding the DC edging, it comes out to 2.9 st x 4.67 rows.  Weird.  And I did the measurements about 10 times.  For most purposes, the actual size (width/length) isn't critical, but you want it to look "minion-ey."  It took several trials before I got the blue/yellow/black/yellow proportions to my liking. 
INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1.  Cast on 200 stitches. 
Step 2.  Work 188 R Royal Blue, 160 R Lemon Yellow, 20 R Black, 80 R lemon yellow.  Total rows = 378. How long would this take by hand???? That's 75,600 individual stitches! Even with the ISM I walked back and forth for days...
Step 3.  Call Katie, offer yarn in exchange for crochet eye/goggle.  Receive adorable eyeball. 

Step 4.  Apply eye in center of black stripe.
Step 5.  Using pins, decide placement of smirky smile and use crochet hook from RS to pull yarn through from WS to make a chain on the WS.  Follow your pin placement.
Step 6.  Changing colors to match stripes on throw, work double crochet edging in the back seat of the truck on holiday trips while husband is unaware that you are working on his Christmas surprise.  Get carsick.  Continue edging anyway, proceeding carefully as to not barf on project.  
Step 7.  Weave in the 487 loose ends.  I know--it was like 20--but I hate weaving ends.


This throw has been worn, washed, abused in every way known to man.  It has a few pills and picks from the abuse, but, we still hear loud "OHHHH it's so cute!" every where we take it.  HOORAY for Super Saver!

Minion after use and abuse!