Open Air Wrap in Linen Quill
Our Open Air Wrap loves a yarn with personality! The original version, in Habu’s crispy Silk Wrap Paper, was a bit sculptural, a bit outside-of-the-box. And now in Linen Quill, the Open Air Wrap reveals a whole other side, one that is soft and voluminous, refined and classic.
With a grand total of one repeating line, this pattern, aka the Purse Stitch, could hardly be simpler. Its open lace structure is so speedy that your Wrap will be done in time for your next summer wedding, vacation, or beach bonfire!
All you need to get started are two skeins of Purl Soho’s Linen Quill. A distinctive blend of alpaca, merino, and linen, Linen Quill is lightweight and gorgeous, just right for an Open Air Wrap!
Designed by Purl Soho designer, Whitney Van Nes.
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, #PurlSohoOpenAirWrap, and #PurlSohoLinenQuill. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
- 2 skeins of Purl Soho’s Linen Quill, 50% fine highland wool, 35% alpaca, and 15% linen. Each skein is approximately 439 yards/100 grams; approximately 878 yards required. For one wrap we used the color Stonewall Gray, and for the other, Lavender Opal.
- US 5 (3.75mm) straight or circular needles
More Colors
Stonewall Gray is cool and sophisticated, but we love these colors too!
TURMERIC YELLOW
OATMEAL GRAY
SALT + PEPPER
Gauge
20 stitches = 4 inches in stitch pattern, unblocked
18 stitches = 4 inches in stitch pattern, blocked
Size
Finished Dimensions, Unblocked: 19½ inches wide x 65 inches long
Finished Dimensions, Blocked: 22 inches wide x 70 inches long
Pattern
For the free pattern, please visit our original Open Air Wrap story.
I am a brand-new knitter. Having successfully completed several easy hats and scarves — I love your Gentle Giant wool! — and some small practice pieces to become comfortable with more of the basics, I think I may be ready to try something more ambitious. I love the look of this wrap! And a pattern that just repeats the same few stitches forever sounds like a good learning activity. But I’m new enough at the craft I can’t tell if the pattern is actually something an absolute beginner can handle. What do you think? Are there any adaptations or advice that might be helpful? Or should I make some more simple hats and scarves & build up to this later?
Hello Beth,
Thank you for reaching out! I think you should go for it, it sounds like it will be a great next step for you.
Happy knitting!
-Marilla
I recently made the Linen Quill Open Air Wrap, and I’d like to make another one, only less wide, say 14 inches. How would I adjust the pattern in terms of the cast-on number? Does it need to be a multiple of a certain number? Thanks!
Hi Cheryl,
Great question! This pattern works with any even number of stitches, so for a width of 14 inches at our blocked gauge of 18 stitches per 4 inches, you would cast on 64 stitches.
Happy knitting!
Julianna
I’ve downloaded patterns before but no matter what I do, I can’t seem to find the instructions for the Open Air Wrap. None of the pages seem to include the instructions – just pictures with a little text. What am I missing?
Hi Cate,
Thanks for reaching out! You can find the full pattern on our original Open Air Wrap story!
Best,
Julianna
I am a crochet user, not a knitter but I absolutely love your open air scarf. Could you please tell me what kind of steach I have to use. Thanks
Hi Serena,
Thanks for reaching out! We do not have a crocheted version of this wrap but we will keep your request in mind for the future!
Best,
Julianna
How many stitches do I cast on if I’m making the open air quill wrap with 2 skeins of your linen quill yarn?
Hi Hortencia,
Thanks for reaching out! For our Linen Quill version, other than changing the needle size to a US 5, we followed the instructions for our original Open Air Wrap exactly, including casting on 98 stitches.
Happy knitting!
Julianna
I have made this wrap in salt and pepper linen quill and now want to make a pullover sweater to match. Which color of the new linen quill colors matches best with the old salt and pepper color?
Hi Patricia,
Thanks for reaching out! I believe many of the more colorful shades would complement salt and pepper very well since it is such a neutral color! If you are looking for something a little more monochromatic I would recommend Heirloom White, Trout Brown, or even Stillwater Blue.
I hope this helps, happy knitting!
Gianna
Could the Open Air wrap be made using Blackbird Linen?
Hi Julie,
Thanks for reaching out! You could absolutely use Blackbird Linen to make a version of the Open Air Wrap! I’d estimate that you’d need about 5 skeins to complete the wrap in a size similar to the version in Linen Quill. I’d recommend working up a gauge swatch first to determine if you’ll need to adjust your needle size or cast on number, but you might be able to follow the directions and gauge requirements for the Linen Quill version of the wrap as well!
Warmly,
Kelsey
Would Santolina yarn work well for the Open Air Wrap?
Hi Jo,
Thanks for your question! I think Santolina would be a beautiful yarn for this wrap. The cotton, bamboo, and hemp in Santolina lends any finished piece made in this yarn a stunning drape, so it would be great for an accessory like a shawl. One thing to keep in mind, though, is that Santolina has a slightly lower stitch count per inch (it’s 6.5 to 7 stitches per inch whereas Linen Quill is 6.5 to 7.5). With any yarn substitutions, it’s always a good idea to do a gauge swatch and to block your swatch to ensure that you’re getting the gauge listed in the pattern. We have a guide about swatching called All About Gauge that I’ve linked, just in case you might be interested!
I hope this was helpful! Have a wonderful day!
All the best,
Cat
I would like to make a Ukraine solidarity Open Air Wrap in Linen Quill colors Cobalt Blue and Dandelion yellow. I hope to establish a 2-part color block running the length of the wrap. Given the open pattern, how do you suggest I join the 2 colors at cast-on and in the middle of each row?
Hi Kathleen,
Thanks for writing in. I would actually recommend knitting this pattern along the length, rather than the width, so that you can simply change colors once you hit the halfway point! We use a similar method of construction in our Osmosis Wrap, which incorporates the same stitch pattern, so you’ll be able to get an idea of how this looks.
To knit this pattern lengthwise, the only thing you’d need to adjust is the number of stitches you cast on! Based on the gauge and dimensions, I’d recommend casting on 314 stitches. Then you can knit for 9.75 inches with the first color, switch to the second, and knit the remaining 9.75 inches with that one. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
Hi – this is a lovely wrap, and I’d like to make it as a gift for the holidays. I did not see in the instructions that you knit with two strands of yarn – but I did read about that in the comments. I wanted to double check that this is accurate – two skeins but knit together as one?
Thank you!
Hi Lauren,
Thanks for reaching out. This pattern was written for just one strand of yarn, not two! But if you’d prefer to use two strands at once, you can absolutely do so. You would just need to adjust some other things about the pattern, like needle size, gauge, and cast-on number, so that it comes to the correct dimensions. Hope this helps clarify things!
All the best,
Lili
Thank you! I was hoping to just use one yarn, but I got confused reading through some of the comments. Thank you for clarifying!
I only have 800 yards of a merino fingering yarn. How many stitches can I cast on to get the finished 65” length?
Hi Catherine,
Thanks for writing in! I’d recommend casting on 88 stitches. You’ll end up with a wrap that’s approximately 17 1/2 inches wide and 65 inches long, unblocked (it’ll be larger once you block it, just like the original pattern). Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
I am confused by the open air wrap. I’ve ordered the recommended yarn. For practice with another yarn calling for #5 needles, I cast on 20 st, followed the directions for the first row, ended up with 19 st. Should I have cast on 20 + 1? Did I forget one yarn over? I did read in one of the comments that any even number of stitches will work. Thank you for your advice.
Hi Edie,
Thanks for reaching out! It does sound like you may have forgotten to work 1 yarn over. It can definitely be tricky to keep track of your stitch count in this pattern, so I’d recommend double checking every few rows! You can even place multiple stitch markers across the row to keep better track. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
Thank you Lili. I will try again. This is a bit tricky for me.