Barb's Rectangular Afghan

Most of my afghans are mindless knitting, but I have to do something different to make me want to knit them. I'm working on a charity rectangular stockinette one in various browns, knit from the inside out.
 
I cast on twice the length that I want the difference between the length and width to be (say 48 by 66 size = 18" difference, so I cast on about 36").
 
Put a distinctive marker for beginning of the round, then knit half the stitches (minus 1), place a marker, k one, place a marker, knit half the stitches (minus 1), place marker, knit 1--that's the first round.
 
On every other round increase one on each side of the markers (like what is done in making a raglan sweater circularly from the top). Making 8 increases every other round. Use an increase that will make a decorative hole. That should help make it lie flat.

NOTE from CA: On my first afghan, I cast on 100 sts using #17 needles with two strands of worsted weight yarn. 

I change colors when I want or when I run out of a particular yarn until I get to the size I want or the end of the yarn I had alloted for the afghan.
 
Some time while I'm knitting, I graft the center closed. It looks really funny until that's done.
 
I've found that it takes 1 1/2 pounds of yarn at the very minimum to make an afghan. I usually use a 9 needle with stockinette stitch and a 10 or 10-1/2 with the garter stitch. If I have it, I knit a lace mohair yarn along with the worsted wool and use an 11 needle. If I do RH acrylic, I use 2 strands together and a 15 needle. Barb
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Hi Barb. I'm going to be using worsted yarn holding two strands together, and will most likely use a #15 needle. How many stitches would you suggest I cast on? I want a really big afghan.
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I get between 2, 2 1/2, and 3 stitches per inch. I'm never sure exactly because my gauge changes between my swatch and my afghan. So, if you were planning about a 40"x60" afghan, you'd want to cast on at least 80 stitches and up to about 100 stitches or a bit more. Then just follow the directions with the placing markers, etc. When I get several inches done I carefully stitch the center long sides together. Then it begins to look like an afghan in progress. Before that it looks like a very large sweater for someone with an enormous head. I guess you wouldn't have to stitch the center together until you were done, but I like to.
You can knit it as big as you want. The only thing to remember is "how big a difference between the width and the length. I would think 20" would be okay for about any size you want. For example a queen size bed is 60"x80" (20" difference). Good Luck.
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I plan to make a square one with some other brown shades I have. That would be a square starting with 8 stitches--two each on four dpns and increase each side of the four corners every other row. I think when I get around the width size I want, I'd just work on one end then the other. Haven't done it yet so don't know exactly how it will work out.
Barb
 
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I use a M1 by picking up the horizontal bar before and after the marker. I knit in the back of the picked up loop. But I think that any increase that you use for raglan sweaters would be okay. Keep increasing every other row until the end of the afghan--for me that is the end of the yarn I've got or the size I want--including the seed stitch border.

I have never counted the number of stitches at the end. Using #15 needles, you wouldn't have as many stitches as I have using 10 1/2s or 11s. You would need to use a shorter needle than 47" to start. It probably would be long enough; although your stitches will be squished together. For this one, I'm actually using two 29" ones, like you do when you knit a sock on two circulars. I am on my next to last half skeins of yarn. Hoping it will be big enough; it will be almost 1 1/2# of yarn. If it's not quite big enough, I do have more yarn in these last two colors. Good luck with the afghan. Barb