If you like unconventional construction this could be the blanket for you. If you don’t like picking up stitches then you should stop reading now.

The design consists of a series of concentric circles. It is up to you how many circles you make so it could be anything from a cushion to a large rug or throw. The main version shown is 110 cm (44”) in diameter.

• Half of the circles are worked backwards and forwards on long circular needles and create circles of garter stitch ridges (There are a lot of stitches by the time you get to the outside edge.)
• The other circles are worked as short ‘spokes’ radiating out. For these circles there are no more than ten stitches on the needle at a time.

To show the construction to best effect you will need one ‘colour-changing’ yarn and one or more solid yarns to tone with it. Colour-changing yarns vary a lot. The yarn I used has irregular changes of colour. If you make the first version, the spacing of the colour changes, in any yarn, will vary because the rings are not all the same width. The pattern includes another version to use for a more regular effect. An example is shown in the photos.

Any thickness of yarn can be used but this will change the overall size. The main version shown used Stylecraft yarns:

• WonderSoft Merry Go Round - Rainbow - 600 metres (660 yards)
• Special DK - Citron - 150 metres (165 yards)
• Special DK - Violet - 150 metres (165 yards)
• Special DK - Spice - 70 metres (80 yards)
• Special DK - Turquoise - 130 metres (145 yards)
• Special DK - Fuchsia Purple - 160 metres (175 yards)

Mathematical note
It seems counter-intuitive that the same small number of stitches should be added on every round of knitting to make the circle keep growing and to lie flat but that is exactly what happens.

The design of the blanket has much in common with

Rope around the world problem

• Imagine a piece of string wrapped around the Earth’s equator, which is a distance of about 40,000 km. How much string would you need to add to make it sit 15 cm above the surface? (Go to my project page for the answer.)