Gifted to my niece for her bday she loved it

Bought for my 8yo daughter who LOVES to tie knots, this kit arrived quickly and contents were as described. First off, SIZE: If you're looking for a bed-sized (even a twin) finished product, you'll need to purchase at least two or three kits. There are 48, 9x9 squares. However, the ties are cut 1.5" into the fabric making the finished (knotted edge) square only about 6x6. Do the math, this is a couch cuddler, lap blanket or something that could be sewn onto a larger piece to get a bigger size without using multiple kits.

Second, FABRIC: Thin yet colorful fleece that, once tied, is fuzzy on the outside (knotted) and smooth on the inside. Saw some other reviews that had great issue with the fabric so I was a little worried. Thin or not, even just covering up with it while knotting its a mighty warm little blankie. Most people really seemed to have issue with the tying part and the stretchiness of the fabric. That said...

Third, The Process: I've made many a knotted fleece blanket in my time, but always with just two large pieces knotted together on the outer edge. This "quilt" starts out as more work than even the biggest I've made based solely on the 48 individual squares requiring knotting basically all the way around. Also, the nature of fleece is that 2 opposite edges of each piece will have VERY stretchy ties, the other two edges will be less so, but not impossible (this is one of the areas where patience comes into play). The key is in assembly, which I'll try to outline below.

Finally, Age Appropriateness: When left to her own devices, my daughter became frustrated rather quickly but this has more to do with her own instant gratification issues and the project being more time consuming than she wanted. Also, the ties are small and if she wasn't paying close attention she'd wind up skipping ties, retying ones that were already tied, etc. SO, this became a mommy & me project, whereby I line up the ties and hold the other pieces out of the way while she gets to tie the knots. This actually made it better because we can knot it while sitting together watching a movie or listening to music.

Assembly: After a false start, I think the best way to approach it is to make all the "rows" and then knot each of them together, one at a time. 48 squares is 6x8. 6 different color squares meant 8 "rows" of 6 for us (though you can play with the color pattern however you want). With regard to the nature of the fabric, this is probably the most helpful hint - match up the edges to knot by stretchiness. While we were knotting "rows" together, we would join those squares by the most stretchy edges. Once we had two rows, they were joined by the less stretchy edges. This takes a bit of time but again, watching a movie is a great way to go. The fabric is remarkably forgiving, so if you find your knots have caused the fabric to bunch up or if the knot spacing is uneven, gentle pulls and tugs around the knots will straighten it out fine.

Lastly, Completion Time: Gave it on Christmas Day. Have spent about 4 hours total so far and we have a 3 square by 6 square piece completed. 5 more rows to tie then add to the whole and its looking like it'll wind up being a 12 or so hour project. Not to shabby, good things take time and its a wonderful way to spend time with my daughter.

Overall, product arrived quickly and was as described though the pic on the box is somewhat misleading as to size. Solid 4â­ product. Would give 5 if squares were larger and came with 60 or so, but then I would expect to pay more too. For the price and the "quality time" factor alone, this is great.

I love this. I love making them. I have made over 10 and I made a really big one with two kits. I'm also waiting on 2 kits to come in the mail today. They are really cute and fun to make. Makes a great gift and very easy to do.

I'm using this as an adult. Don't judge. At least it's not a coloring book. It is weirdly compelling. I knit. I crochet. I don't lack for crafting options, but sometimes it's nice to have something that's simple and relaxing and this fills that need. It's a sort of quick craft -- I've been on it for a few weeks now, which is certainly less time than even a crocheted blanket, but not instant gratification -- and it's easy. It's incredibly relaxing, so much so that I've already ordered the chevron version (which I will work on when I should be working on my Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt) and will probably pick up more. The resulting blanket is very soft and comfortable.

There is a right side and a wrong side to the squares. I realized this halfway into the second row (that could be because I started while watching a movie in the dark). It's good to be mindful of that from the start.

I find that it's easiest to knot the first and last ties, then a few spaced in the middle, to reduce the risk of skipping one and having to start over. If you need to unknot, a double pointed knitting needing does a great job of opening the knot.

I also found some of the pieces not perfectly cut (thin strands hold them together) so keeping a scissor at hand is convenient.

Crafty people of all ages will adore this.

The media could not be loaded. Putting this blanket together takes time, but it is definitely worth it! It's a great activity to do with a bunch of friends/family. You can match the colors however you like, and it still turns out so colorful and comfy! Definitely plan to purchase another one in the future!