This is the final step in attaching the two fabrics. Hand tying is the faster of the two techniques outlined below, and good option if you are not keen on sewing.

HAND TYING

You may choose to hand tie your blanket with yarn that matches your knitting or something completely different.  Light worsted or worsted/aran weight yarn is a good choice for strong, medium sized ties.

   1. If your knitting is a grid of squares, like patchwork, you may want to hand tie each corner.  If your knitting is one solid color or another pattern, use a ruler to determine a grid. Place a safety pin (different than the ones used for basting), bobby pin, or removable stitch marker at each interval along the grid as a guide.
   2. Cut a 24 - 36 inch length of yarn and thread it through an embroidery needle. You do not need to knot the ends.
   3. Begin by pushing the needle through both layers at the first guide or mark.  Leave a generous 3 - 4 inch tail.
   4. Bring the needle back up about 1/4 inch away from the start. Check to make sure you captured both the knitting and the fabric layer! Cut the yarn, leaving a 3 - 4 inch tail.
   5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 along one whole row of your grid or until you run out of yarn, removing the guides as you go along.
   6. Tie each pair of ends together securely and trim them to the desired length (for a baby's quilt, no longer than one inch).
   7. Continue until your entire grid has been tyed.

 
MACHINE OR HAND QUILTING

   1. Choose thread that will blend inconspicuously with the color of your knitting.
   2. Machine or hand stitch a simple grid of vertical and horizontal lines to secure the layers. Machine quilters:  continue all machine work with the knitting side facing up.  

If your knitting is a grid of squares, you may want to stitch along the edges of each block; this method is called "stitch in the ditch" quilting. As a general guide, the lines should be no further than about 5 inches apart.  Back stitch at each end of each line.