Sometimes you just want to knit. You want to take your eyes off your project, so you can watch a movie or talk with your friends, but keep your hands moving. That’s when our Elementary Wrap comes in very handy.
Knowing we’d be spending some quality time with whatever yarn we used, we chose our gorgeous Understory, a very satisfying blend of 50% alpaca, 25% baby yak and 25% silk. In stockinette stitch, it knits up into a fabulously cozy swath of fabric, scaled for a dramatic drape and a simple elegance.
We love that Understory’s depth of color creates subtle complexity throughout this perfectly not-complex Elementary Wrap. We used the color Willow Bark for a naturally beautiful look that we’ll never tire of.
A three-stitch selvage detail may disqualify our Elementary Wrap from world’s simplest knit, but it does add refinement and help keep your wrap flat. And don’t worry, it doesn’t disqualify this Wrap from being the ultimate no-look project!
Update: New Gauge
May 2018
We’ve updated our Elementary Wrap for a finer gauge! Knit up in our Linen Quill, this Wrap has so much subtlety and depth in the color and fiber, and its weight and drape feel wonderful over your shoulders. We’re totally crazy about this Crocus Bud color, which celebrates spring in the prettiest possible way, with cheer and levity and beauty! Pick up three skeins of your favorite color and find the pattern here!
Update: New Yarn
November 2018
To celebrate the launch of Tussock, our first mohair-silk blend, we revisited our Elementary Wrap by holding two strands of Tussock together. A knit that flies off your needles in a glowing, soft halo, we love using two different colors for a marled texture that adds depth to an otherwise super simple flat piece. Brilliant Bright Thistle glimmers through rich Ripe Boysenberry, for the full story and other color inspirations, click here!
Update: New Bundle
April 2019
For the latest version, we add a layer of visual complexity without complicating the pattern itself by combining a strand of our hand-dyed Posy with a strand of mohair-silk Tussock. We’ve put together the ingredients for your own fiber feast with seven Elementary Wrap In Posy + Tussock Bundles. Each one combines colors that bring surprising flavors to the finished piece and make simple stockinette a little something more! Find the updated pattern here!
Materials
- 4 skeins of Purl Soho’s Understory, 50% baby alpaca, 25% baby yak, and 25% silk. We used the color Willow Bark.
- US 7, 24- or 32-inch circular needles
Gauge
18 stitches and 26 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch
Size
Finished Dimensions: 20 inches wide x 73 inches long
Note
While stockinette stitch does tend to roll into a tube, the width of this piece, its selvage stitches, and the nature of Understory, all conspire to keeping this Wrap quite flat. If you find that after some wear, it starts to curl, just wet block it flat again!
Pattern
Cast on 90 stitches.
Row 1 (wrong side): K1, p1, k1, purl to last three stitches, k1, p1, k1.
Row 2 (right side): K2, p1, knit to last three stitches, p1, k2.
Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until piece measures approximately 73 inches, ending with a wrong side row.
Bind-off Row (right side): Bind off in pattern.
Weave in the ends and wet block flat.
PRINT
Would the worsted cotton yarn work for this wrap with similar drape and feel? I’m also wondering about using Cascade Venezia or Be Sweet Bamboo? I am looking for a yarn substitute that will be soft and have a similar drape to the understory. Thanks!
Hi Sarah,
Thanks for reaching out! We are happy to help with alternate options! The Blue Sky Worsted Cotton knits up at a bigger gauge than the Understory that we used here. You would need to go up needle size and alter your cast on to get a wrap of the same size. I would also say that it has a very different hand and would create a physically heavier wrap as cotton is a heavier fiber. This could be quite lovely but it is worthwhile to keep in mind!
While I have not worked with either Cascade Venezia or Be Sweet Bamboo, I would say that Be Sweet Bamboo has a closer gauge to that of the yarn that we used here. Venezia has a more similar fiber content and so may drape a bit more like our Understory but having not worked with the yarns personally, I can’t be certain of their drape, rather I can say that the fiber content indicates that they should have a nice drape.
I hope that this helps!
Cassy
I just finished knitting this and LOVE it! Quick question, do I need to wet block it? It looks great as is (I used Understory) and I am fairly new to knitting and so am unsure if blocking is necessary. Thanks!
Hi Molly,
Thanks for reaching out! You can certainly block the finished work if you like! We like to do so to give all of the stitches a chance to relax and even out! If you are wet blocking, you are also giving your finished item a bit of a clean which is quite nice. This, of course, is all up to you! We tend to wet block most, if not all, of our samples as it gives them a nice finish but none of us are immune from being so excited, we just wear something for a little while before getting around to blocking it!
I hope that this helps!
Cassy
I’d like to make this wrap but would like it to be about 30” wide, the length is fine. How many skeins of yarn do I need. I want to use Understory, it shows that the price starts at $19 -? What is the price of Understory and how many do I need.
Thanks for your help.
Hello Gwyneth,
Thank you for reaching out! Yes, our Understory yarn is $32, but the color Heirloom White is on sale for $19. To make this project 30″ by 73″ you will need 6 skeins of Understory.
I hope this helps and happy knitting!
-Marilla
Can I make this on straight, not circular, needles? Can’t seem to get the hang of circular ones.
Hello Cassie,
Thank you for reaching out! As long as all of your stitches fit on your straight needles you can certainly use them for this pattern.
Warmly,
Marilla
my knitted elementary wrap scarves are both curling on the edges. how do i prevent this???
Hello Millie,
Thank you for reaching out! Wet blocking this project will eliminate any curling. When you have completed your wrap place your knitted piece in water, usually with a bit of wool wash such as Soak, pinning it out to the correct shape and dimensions, ensuring that all the edges lay as flat as possible, and simply let it air dry. Our Blocking Tutorial has more details on the process!
Warmly,
Marilla
I’d like to make this in cashmere. Do you have any good options that would still achieve the same drape?
Hi Lori,
Great question! Cashmere naturally has such a lovely drape that I think that it would would beautifully here! For a 100% cashmere option, Jade Sapphire 6 Ply would be stunning! You would need 7 skeins to get the size that we made here. You could also try our lovely Cashmere Merino Bloom (75% Extra Fine Merino Wool and 25% Cashmere). You could use 5 skeins and make it a bit longer or use 4 and make it a touch shorter or narrower! With the Cashmere Merino Bloom, you may want to go up a needle size and certainly make a gauge swatch to help determine your cast on!
I hope that this helps!
Cassy
All your patterns look so amazing! I’ve done your Super soft merino hats for everyone in super soft merino and it is perfect. I wished that international shipping is cheaper to Australia! And also I love how you are replying to people asking about making this with other yarns that are not from Purl Soho. Can’t wait to order from your store again.
Hi! Thank you so much for this gorgeous pattern! I’m a new knitter–45 years of crochet and I finally learned how to knit. I’m enjoying it immensely, too. I would like to make this wider. How many stitches do I need to cast on? What is the mustiple? Also, I am using Amano Puna and I am,(unfortunately), a tight knitter. Would it be a good idea to go up to a size 8 needle?
Thanks again!!
Karen T.
Hi Karen,
Welcome to the wide world of knitting – I’m happy to hear that it’s agreeing with you! I can’t really say whether your should adjust your needle size unless you knit and measure your gauge using your yarn. To do so, cast on about 25 stitches and work in stockinette stitch for 4 or 5 inches. Next, count how many stitches you have over 4 inches somewhere in the middle of your swatch and compare to our gauge of 18 stitches per 4 inches. If you have too many, that means your gauge is too tight and you need to go up a needle size or two until you have achieved the correct gauge, or if you have too few, you need to go up a needle size or two.
Once your gauge matches ours, you can add 9 stitches to the cast on for every two inches of width you wish to add. There is no multiple necessary, so you can cast on any number you like!
Best of luck and happy knitting!
Julianna
I am knitting the Everlasting Wrap with 7 skeins of cashmere Jade Sapphire Zageo 6 ply because of a prior comment I read suggesting this cashmere yarn. What size needle should I use- 6 or 7? I already made it in Understory (Love it and get so many compliments when I wear it!)and used size 7. Just wondering. Thanks so much for all your wonderful projects and the helpful support that is always readily available.
Mary S.
Hello Mary,
Thank you for reaching out and for your kind words! I would recommend using the size 7 for the 6 ply cashmere. This wrap is gonig to be luminous, let us know how it goes!
Happy knitting,
Marilla
Hi there…this is a lovely wrap! Would Good Wool be too bulky? Thanks!
Hello Lisa,
Thank you for reaching out! This Wrap would be beautiful in Good Wool and will not be to bulky.
I hope this helps and happy knitting!
-Marilla
hi….how many yards of yarn does this take? thank you
Hi Jaynie,
Thanks for writing in! For this lovely wrap, you will need approximately 1000 yards of a DK/Light Worsted weight yarn!
Best,
Cassy
I made the elementary scarf in Understory and i can’t seem to get it to not curl. I blocked it once and it still has some “movement” at the edges. Can you guide me in best blocking tricks? Many thanks.
susan
Hi Susan,
I’m sorry to hear that your Understory wrap is still curling! It is normal for it to curl slightly at the edges, but if it’s too much for your liking, we strongly recommend wet blocking this wrap. To do so, soak your wrap in sink full of lukewarm water with a small amount of wool wash, such as Soak, for at least 30 minutes – silk takes an extra long time to fully saturate! Drain the sink and gently move your wrap to large bath towel, and roll it up and give it a squeeze to remove excess water. You can then pin your wrap flat, but for best results, I like to use blocking wires to get the edges as flat and straight as possible. Make sure to leave your wrap untouched until it is fully dry, which can take a day or two, and that should do the trick!
Best of luck! Please let us know how it turns out!
Julianna
Hi, I was wondering if there was a yarn substitute that was a little cheaper. I have no doubt that yarn would be so lovely and I would love to use it, but I am a beginner with a small budget. Thank you
Hi Megan,
We hear you! We totally understand that sometimes our yarn suggestions are more of an inspiration than a reality for many people. We are always happy to recommend less expensive (but still beautiful!) alternatives. In this case, we suggest that you try Good Wool – you will only need 3 skeins, so it is quite economical!
I hope that helps!
Julianna
I noticed a beautiful knit edge along the selvage in order
to prevent curling. Would you please explain how this
is knit.
Another elegant shawl.
Thank you.
Paula
Hi Paula,
Thanks so much for writing in and for the kind words! Our Elementary Wrap is knit with just 3 stitches in a one by one rib on each edge – you will find the instructions for this edging in the original Elementary Wrap pattern. While you may find that the wrap still curls on the edges while you are knitting, after wet blocking the finished piece, this narrow ribbed selvage will certainly help keep the wrap quite flat!
Best,
Julianna
Could you suggest another edge to use for this wrap? I just finished one and love it but wanted to change it up . My yarn arrived yesterday . Anxious to start knitting .
Hello Amy,
Thank you for reaching out! You have a lot of flexibility in what you could do in terms of a border. You could do something simple like a garter stitch border or a seed stitch border. I you wanted to do something more complicated you could do a single braided rib column on either side of your wrap.
I hope this helps and happy knitting!
-Marilla
Hello, I’m thinking of knitting the elementary wrap as the pick up and go project your recommend, to free me from my charts and knitting alone. However, I wonder how I would block a piece over 6 feet long. I live in a small cottage in West Sussex. How do you manage? What would you suggest? Thank you
Hello Lisa,
Thank you for reaching out! This is alway a dilemma for me as well, as long as you don’t need to make major adjustments to your piece it, which you shouldn’t need to do with a rectangle, I would recommend steam blocking rather than wet blocking.
I hope this helps and happy knitting!
-Marilla
I absolutely love the pattern and the tarn, however I was a little disappointed that the color of the yarn is not at all what is pictured. The picture shows a very saturated blue whereas the actual color is closer to slate. Still like it but not what I expected.
Hi Lotte,
We are sorry to hear that the color of Tussock you received was not as you expected and did not work out for you! We try our hardest to make the colors as true to life as possible but as each device and monitor is calibrated differently, the colors can sometimes still appear a bit different. We also understand that sometimes the color just does not work as well in person. I’m glad that you are still happy with the yarn, despite the color disparity, but just in case, we are always happy to exchange unwound yarn in its original condition for an alternate color or store credit.
Best,
Julianna
what cast on method is best used for this
Hello Mary,
Thank you for reaching out. I would reccomend doing a long tail cast on, but any cast on method will work!
Happy knitting,
Marilla
Hi, I have some yarn made fro recycled silk, plus marino wool and cashmere. It’s d fined as lace weight, although it seems closer to fingering to me. What weight would you describe the linen quill yarn??? It’s gorgeous by the way.
Hi Cathy,
Thank you so much for the kind words! Linen Quill is a fingering weight yarn, but it is on the lighter side, so I would suggest knitting a gauge swatch to see if your stashed yarn will work at the same gauge. If not, it’s quite easy to add a few stitches to this pattern to obtain the same dimensions at a tighter gauge!
Happy knitting!
Julianna
Hi
I have knitted the Elementary wrap in Willow Bark -and it is beautiful.
I have some beautiful hand dyed fingering weight /sock yarn-80% superwash merino and 20% nylon-would this work for this wrap?
Thank you
Hello Ute,
Thanks for writing- you can certainly knit this wrap with your fingering weight yarn! We knit this wrap in our Linen Quill which is a fingering weight yarn. you can find the pattern here. We used about 1,269 yards of our Linen Quill.
Happy knitting!
-Marilla
Hello, how many skeins of the Understory yarn would you recommend to knit a 36×80 wrap? Thank you!
Hello Rae,
Thank you for reaching out! you would need approximately 1,823 yards or 8 skeins of Understory.
Happy knitting!
-Marilla
Beautiful shawl! I am a Beginner and have lots of Red Heart #4 worsted yarn that I won in an on line auction. Could you please advise how much yarn I would need for this shawl using # 7 or #8 needles. As an aside, I always knit the last three stitches of scarfs to keep them from curling. Thanks for your answer in advance
Hi Ernestine,
Thanks for reaching out! We used about 1,000 yards of Understory, which is a light worsted/DK weight yarn, for our Elementary Wrap. If you are not planning on changing the needle size or cast on for the wrap, I would suggest having the same amount; however, if you are going to alter the pattern for the larger gauge of your yarn, you may need a little less yarn than we used, though it’s hard to say just how much less.
I hope that helps!
Julianna
Hullo! I was in at the very beginning of December and picked up 4 skeins of silver berry to make this wrap, and I was wondering if anyone had tried casting on 92 and slipping one on each end of the row to make the edges neater?
Hello Liv,
Thank you for reaching out! To do this I would cast on 91 stitches and slip the first stitch of every row- no need to slip the last stitch.
I hope this helps and happy knitting!
-Marilla
Marilla, thanks for replying! What I ended up doing was casting on 90, knitting as the pattern states but then doing K1 P1, bringing the yarn to the front and then slipping the last stitch. The same with the knit rows, P1 K1, yarn to the front and then slip. The edges look awesome and it’s kept them from having that bump from slipping one then pulling the yarn around the edge to knit. Thanks again!
I purchased the cashmere ombré wrap kit. Can I use the elementary wrap Pattern for that yarn? Any suggestions to change needle size or number of stitches cast on? Thank you
Hi Joanna,
Great idea! I would suggest following the instructions for our Elementary Wrap in Linen Quill, since it is written for a fingering weight yarn. The yarn in our Cashmere Ombré Wrap Kit is just the tiniest bit thicker, but you will have plenty of extra yardage, so I would suggest moving up to a US 5 needle and adding 10 stitches to the cast on.
Happy knitting, and please do let us know how it turns out!
Julianna
I love this pattern and the yarn. I am using circular needles as the pattern states… and am following the pattern… but oh no! when you knit one side and purl the other (as the pattern indicates), it’s not stockinette is it???? Is it possible you recommend circular needles but the pattern is for straight and i was supposed to adapt it? (ie JUST Knitting???) please help!
Hi Phyllis,
Thanks for reaching out! Although we used a circular needle because they are our favorite needles to work on, this wrap is not worked in the round, and should be knit back and forth as if you were using straight needles. Whenever a pattern is knit in the round, after the cast on in the instructions, there should be a line that says “Join for working in the round” or something similar. If you don’t see something to that effect in the instructions, it’s a safe bet that they project is worked flat.
I hope that clears things up!
Julianna
I’d love to knit this in your Super Soft Merino. I realize it will be a much heavier garment but I love the yarn (just finished a cowl with it). How many skeins do you think I would need for the Elementary Wrap dimensions. Thank you!
Hello Jennifer,
Thank you for reaching out- this would certainly be a very cozy wrap! To make a wrap that is 79″ x 18 1/2″ you will need approximately 11 skeins of Super Soft. The only thing I would be concerned about is the weight of your wrap, I would reccomend going a bit smaller just to lighten the weight of the wrap.
I hope this helps and happy knitting!
-Marilla
Would this drape if I used worsted weight? Larger needles?
Hi and thanks for writing in! If you are susbstituting a worsted weight yarn, I would recommend moving up a needle size or two from what is recommended on the yarn label to improve the drape of the fabric and to reduce rolling at the edges. Since it is hard to say quite how a different yarn will behave in the finished wrap, the best way to find out would be to knit a medium to large sized swatch with your chosen yarn and needles, including the selvage stitches, and wet block it to see if you are happy with the drape.
I hope that helps!
Julianna
Hello,
I’m not all that enthused about Understory colors. I was wondering if Silk /blend semi-solid and multi would work. Tussock?
Thank you,
Nancy
Hi Nancy,
Thanks for reaching out! This is a great idea – in fact, we have already tried it and loved it! You can see our Elementary Wrap knit out of two strands of Tussock here, and our newest version that combines a strand of Posy with a strand of Tussock here.
Happy knitting!
Julianna
Hi,
I was thinking of knitting the elementary wrap with your Mulberry Merino yarn. I love Understory but am new enough to knitting that I wanted to try something a bit less expensive. Does Mulberry Merino work with the pattern as is or would I need to make changes? I was thinking of crocus bud for the color. Is there enough “subtle complexity” in the Mulberry Merino to pull of a swath of stockinette stitch? I don’t want to put all the time in to complete this project only to find that it doesn’t work. Thank you for your help.
Best, Shelley
Hi Shelley,
Thanks for reaching out! I think Mulberry Merino would be a wonderful yarn to use for the Elementary Wrap! Since it is a bit lighter weight than Understory, I would suggest knitting a swatch on US 6 needles and wet blocking it, both to make sure you will be happy with the yarn in the finished wrap, and to measure your gauge. You can then multiply your stitches per inch by 20 to determine how many stitches to cast on. Otherwise, you won’t have to make any other changes to the pattern, and I’m sure it will turn out just lovely!
Best of luck and happy knitting!
Julianna
Thank you so much for the advice.