Shimmering Stripes Blanket: Free Knitting Pattern

Введение

Shimmering Stripes Blanket

Luminous bands of color seem to vibrate, mirage-like, in our Shimmering Stripes Blanket, but the allure of this project is no illusion. The power of color, the appeal of graphic simplicity, the joy when every stripe is a surprise… Pick up two different Nine-Note Bundles and have an unforgettable knitting experience!

While most of our Nine-Note projects keep the bundle’s gradient in order, you can trust in color magic for this one. Alternating bundles creates an overall pattern of two-color stripes, but by choosing each skein at random, you layer within that pattern subtle, unpremeditated shifts in color that result in a mesmerizing shimmer.

Totally gorgeous, but also very fun to knit… “One more stripe!” you’ll think, as you find yourself pulled along by the mystery of what’s next! 

Each Nine-Note Bundle is a carefully calibrated scale of nine skeins of light worsted/dk weight yarn, ranging from very pale to very saturated. This very special yarn is made from some of the finest merino in the world and the softest-of-the-soft baby alpaca… It must be experienced to be believed! It’s bouncy and exquisitely soft, with beautiful complexity in every color.

Kick off the colorful fun by selecting two Nine-Note Bundles that sing in harmony together. For our blankets, we brought together Penny + Bluegrass (up top), Begonia + Tidewater (right above)…

… Apple + Pomelo (above), and Beautyberry + Wild Iris (below).

There are 12 Nine-Note Bundles to play with, and while we couldn’t knit all the possibilities, we did explore a bunch of color combos by wrapping the yarn around strips of cardstock. Here are the dazzling results of that really fun morning (and we name the colors in the pattern below)…

Unbelievably soft and an endless source of colorful fascination, this blanket will make a splendid gift for a very lucky baby, a color-loving friend or family member, or from yourself to yourself!

In easy-as-can-be garter stitch on size 7 needles, with the pleasurable suspense of choosing each new color to spur you on, the Shimmering Stripes Blanket will fly off your needles. Revel in the joy of knitting each stripe as the shimmering illusion takes shape!

Yarn lovers, if you adore the yarn used in this project, you’ll love exploring all of our other yarn collections! Discover over 55 thoughtfully designed yarns in nearly every natural fiber and in every spectacular color you can imagine. Only available here at Purl Soho’s online yarn store, where every skein is created with care and your creativity in mind!

Pattern designed and written by Purl Soho founder and co-owner, Joelle Hoverson.

Story written by Andrea Lotz for Purl Soho.

Want to print this pattern? On desktop, find the “print” icon in the right margin, and on mobile, scroll to the end of the pattern for it. Use the on-screen instructions to remove anything you don’t want to print!

Materials

You will need 2 of Purl Soho’s Nine-Note Bundles. One bundle includes…

• 9 skeins of 80% extra fine merino wool and 20% baby alpaca yarn. Each bundle is 900 yards/ 450 grams; approximately 1800 total yards required. For our samples we used the colors Apple + Pomelo, Beautyberry + Wild Iris, Penny + Bluegrass, and Begonia + Tidewater (some colors are no longer available). (NOTE: This yarn is only available in the Nine-Note Bundle.)

You will also need…

• US 7 (4.5 mm), 47- or 60-inch circular needles

We came up with 11 sparkling combinations to inspire you, including the ones we knit for our samples! From left to right they are…

Sketchbook + Mulberry; Mulberry + Pomelo; Mulberry + Wild Iris; Penny + Bluegrass; Wishing Well + Bluegrass; Begonia + Tidewater; Wishing Well + Dragon Fruit; Beautyberry + Wild Iris; Penny + Dragon Fruit; Pomelo + Begonia; Apple + Pomelo

GAUGE

19 stitches and 38 rows (19 ridges) = 4 inches in garter stitch

NOTE: To ensure all your stripes are the same length, we recommend not cutting your swatch yarn, reusing it, and keeping tails short.

SIZE

Finished Dimensions: 42 inches wide x 38 inches long

NOTES

SLIP STITCHES

Slip all stitches knitwise with yarn in back.

CONSTRUCTION

Note that, for this blanket, you cast on the “long way,” which means the measurement from cast-on edge to bind-off edge will be shorter than the overall width of the blanket.

COLOR ORDER

RANDOM METHOD

We knit our blankets using the “organized chaos” method. To do the same, first decide which bundle will be Color A and which will be Color B. Then…

Grab four vessels (we used paper bags). Wind the entirety of your Color A bundle and place it into one bag, then do the same for the Color B bundle. When the pattern indicates to work Color A, close your eyes and select one color from the Color A bag, knit your stripe using this ball, then place the ball into a second bag for Color A. Follow the same logic for Color B stripes, closing your eyes and selecting a color from the Color B bag, knitting your stripe with it, then placing it into a second Color B bag. Repeat until all of the balls are transferred to the second set of bags, and your original bags are empty, then repeat the process one more time. Enjoy the surprise of what comes next!

OR REPLICATE OUR BLANKETS

If you’d rather not put your trust in controlled chaos and want to make your Shimmering Stripe Blanket just like one of ours, it’s important to keep your Color A and Color B bundles very organized! We recommend opening each bundle at the darkest side and labeling each skein as you wind it, as follows: the darkest color from each bundle is number 1, the next lightest color is number 2, the next lightest color is number 3, and so on to the lightest color, number 9. Then, simply follow along with Our Color Orders at the end of the pattern!

PATTERN

With Color A (see Color Order, above), cast on 200 stitches. We used a basic Long-Tail Cast On.

Row 1 (right side): Slip 1 (see Notes), knit to end of row.

Repeat Row 1 seven more times, ending with a wrong-side row. [5 garter ridges total on right side]

Cut yarn.

Join Color B (see Color Order), ready to work a right-side row.

*Repeat Row 1 ten times. [5 garter ridges worked]

Cut yarn.

Continuing with the same logic and alternating Color A balls and Color B balls, repeat from * until one Color B ball remains.

With Color B, repeat Row 1 nine times.

FINISHING

With wrong side facing you, loosely bind off knitwise.

Weave in all ends and gently wet block.

OUR COLOR ORDERS

NOTE: Remember, 1 is the darkest color in the Nine-Note Bundle, and 9 is the lightest!

APPLE + POMELO

1. Apple 7
2. Pomelo 9
3. Apple 4
4. Pomelo 5
5. Apple 9
6. Pomelo 4
7. Apple 5
8. Pomelo 2
9. Apple 3
10. Pomelo 1
11. Apple 6
12. Pomelo 6
13. Apple 1
14. Pomelo 8
15. Apple 2
16. Pomelo 3
17. Apple 8
18. Pomelo 7
19. Apple 7
20. Pomelo 9
21. Apple 3
22. Pomelo 7
23. Apple 4
24. Pomelo 3
25. Apple 2
26. Pomelo 8
27. Apple 6
28. Pomelo 5
29. Apple 5
30. Pomelo 1
31. Apple 9
32. Pomelo 6
33. Apple 8
34. Pomelo 2
35. Apple 1
36. Pomelo 4

BEAUTYBERRY + WILD IRIS

1. Beautyberry 5
2. Wild Iris 8
3. Beautyberry 8
4. Wild Iris 6
5. Beautyberry 2
6. Wild Iris 5
7. Beautyberry 9
8. Wild Iris 7
9. Beautyberry 3
10. Wild Iris 1
11. Beautyberry 6
12. Wild Iris 2
13. Beautyberry 4
14. Wild Iris 3
15. Beautyberry 7
16. Wild Iris 4
17. Beautyberry 1
18. Wild Iris 9
19. Beautyberry 2
20. Wild Iris 3
21. Beautyberry 4
22. Wild Iris 8
23. Beautyberry 5
24. Wild Iris 1
25. Beautyberry 9
26. Wild Iris 6
27. Beautyberry 1
28. Wild Iris 9
29. Beautyberry 7
30. Wild Iris 4
31. Beautyberry 6
32. Wild Iris 5
33. Beautyberry 3
34. Wild Iris 2
35. Beautyberry 8
36. Wild Iris 7

PENNY + BLUEGRASS

1. Penny 8
2. Bluegrass 7
3. Penny 9
4. Bluegrass 3
5. Penny 5
6. Bluegrass 8
7. Penny 2
8. Bluegrass 1
9. Penny 7
10. Bluegrass 4
11. Penny 6
12. Bluegrass 2
13. Penny 1
14. Bluegrass 6
15. Penny 4
16. Bluegrass 9
17. Penny 3
18. Bluegrass 5
19. Penny 8
20. Bluegrass 4
21. Penny 6
22. Bluegrass 2
23. Penny 2
24. Bluegrass 9
25. Penny 4
26. Bluegrass 8
27. Penny 9
28. Bluegrass 1
29. Penny 5
30. Bluegrass 7
31. Penny 3
32. Bluegrass 5
33. Penny 1
34. Bluegrass 3
35. Penny 7
36. Bluegrass 6

BEGONIA + TIDEWATER

1. Begonia 2
2. Tidewater 5
3. Begonia 6
4. Tidewater 9
5. Begonia 1
6. Tidewater 3
7. Begonia 5
8. Tidewater 2
9. Begonia 4
10. Tidewater 7
11. Begonia 8
12. Tidewater 6
13. Begonia 7
14. Tidewater 4
15. Begonia 3
16. Tidewater 1
17. Begonia 9
18. Tidewater 8
19. Begonia 3
20. Tidewater 5
21. Begonia 1
22. Tidewater 9
23. Begonia 4
24. Tidewater 1
25. Begonia 7
26. Tidewater 4
27. Begonia 2
28. Tidewater 8
29. Begonia 9
30. Tidewater 3
31. Begonia 5
32. Tidewater 6
33. Begonia 8
34. Tidewater 2
35. Begonia 6
36. Tidewater 7

Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho. We can’t wait to see what you make!

LEARN ABOUT NINE-NOTE BUNDLES + ALL OUR BEAUTIFUL YARNS

The gorgeous gradient of our Nine-Note Bundle makes this project sing! A carefully calibrated scale of nine skeins ranging from very pale to very saturated, there is beautiful complexity in every harmonious color. A light worsted/DK-weight yarn, our Nine-Note Bundles are a mix of 80% of the softest extra fine merino wool in the world and 20% incredibly soft baby alpaca… It must be experienced to be believed! For a coordinating color, pick up some Note, the same yarn with double the size per skein and its own unique palette of painterly heathered colors.

More Free Knitting Patterns

• Be sure to explore our growing collection of Nine-Note Bundle knitting patterns and cast on!

More Worsted/Aran-Weight Yarns

• Shop our entire collection of light worsted/DK-weight yarns (What does DK-weight yarn mean, really? Our guide to DK yarn will answer your questions and demystify.)
• If you want to use a different yarn, be sure to take the time to get the correct gauge. Need help? Check our All About Gauge Tutorial, our Yarn Substitution article, and our Complete Guide To Yarn for lots of helpful information.

More Yarns With Similar Fibers

• Shop merino wool yarn
• Shop alpaca yarn

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