Modern and minimal, earthy and sumptuous, our Sand Drift Blanket spans all six shades of our new undyed organic cotton and alpaca Sweetgrass yarn.
It may look like seed stitch, but you actually make this blanket without the trouble of purling (yup!). Holding two strands of yarn, you just work a very simple slip stitch pattern, alternating colors every third row. Doubled yarn and a super-tactile texture, the warm landscape of the Sand Drift Blanket has an incredibly satisfying weight and heft.
Plus, the full tour of the Sweetgrass spectrum lends a barefoot-on-the-beach kind of pleasure. We love the study in nature, the celebration of subtlety, and the beauty of undyed fiber!
Designed for Purl Soho by Jake Canton.
Materials
Our Sand Drift Blanket Bundle includes…
- 10 skeins of Purl Soho’s Sweetgrass, 65% organic cotton and 35% superfine alpaca. Each skein is 437 yards; approximately 381 yards of Color A and Color F and 726 yards of Color B-Color E required. Shown above from top to bottom…
- Color A: 1 skein of Heirloom White
- Color B: 2 skeins of Pale Sesame
- Color C: 2 skeins of Buckwheat Beige
- Color D: 2 skeins of Rye Flour
- Color E: 2 skeins of Walnut Shell
- Color F: 1 skein of Beech Bark
You will also need…
- US 9, 32-, 40- or 47-inch circular needles
Gauge
23 stitches and 60 rows = 4 inches in stitch pattern with yarn doubled
Size
Finished Dimensions: 32 inches wide x 46 inches long
Notes
Slip Stitches
Slip all slip stitches purlwise.
Stitch Multiple
This pattern works over an odd multiple of stitches.
Double The Yarn
Throughout this pattern you will hold two strands of the same color yarn as you work. If you only have one skein of the color, pull from both the inside and outside of the ball.
Stitch Pattern
Row 1 (right side): With Yarn 2, *slip 1 with yarn in back (wyib), k1, repeat from * to last stitch, slip 1 wyib.
Row 2 (wrong side): With Yarn 2, *slip 1 with yarn in front (wyif), k1, repeat from * to last stitch, slip 1 wyif.
Row 3: With Yarn 1, *k1, slip 1 wyib, repeat from * to last stitch, k1.
Row 4: With Yarn 1, *k1, slip 1 wyif, repeat from * to last stitch, k1.
Pattern
With 2 strands of Color A, cast on 185 stitches.
Set-Up Row (wrong side): With Color A, *k1, slip 1 with yarn in front (wyif), repeat from * to last stitch, k1.
Work in Stitch Pattern (see Notes), using two strands of Color A as Yarn 1 and two strands of Color B as Yarn 2, until piece measures 9 inches from cast-on edge.
Cut Color A.
Using just Color B (doubled), repeat Rows 1-4 of Stitch Pattern one time.
Work in Stitch Pattern, using two strands of Color C as Yarn 1 and two strands of Color B as Yarn 2, for 9 inches.
Cut Color B.
Using just Color C (doubled), repeat Rows 1-4 of Stitch Pattern one time.
Work in Stitch Pattern, using two strands of Color C as Yarn 1 and two strand of Color D as Yarn 2, for 9 inches.
Cut Color C.
Using just Color D (doubled), repeat Rows 1-4 of Stitch Pattern one time.
Work in Stitch Pattern, using two strands of Color E as Yarn 1 and two strands of Color D as Yarn 2, for 9 inches.
Cut Color D.
Using just Color E (doubled), repeat Rows 1-4 of Stitch Pattern one time.
Work in Stitch Pattern, using two strands of Color E as Yarn 1 and two strands of Color F as Yarn 2, for 9 inches.
Cut Color E.
With right side facing you, use Color F (doubled) to bind off in 1×1 Rib. Here’s how…
Bind Off Row (right side): K1, *p1, pass first stitch over, k1, pass first stitch over, repeat from * to end of row.
Weave in ends and block your finished blanket!
PRINT
I’m enjoying knitting this blanket. I can assure others that, although it seems very complicated at first, if you follow each step carefully, it will all make sense after several rows. But, I have a solution for a tangling problem that can easily arise as you keep switching from two strands of one color to two strands of the other. I put the two balls of the same color in one small baggie and the two balls of the other color in another baggie. You’ll have two baggies to move from side to side as you change colors. Somehow, it keeps it from tangling. If you get both strands from the same ball, I imagine it will still be a “cleaner” way to do it.
Hi Jane,
Thank you so much for sharing that great tip! Hopefully many other knitters will find it helpful!
Best,
Julianna
I just bought this kit and I am so excited to receive it. However, I live in Southern California and I was wondering if this is blanket will be too hot for this area. Would it be better to readjust everything and just one strand instead of two?
Hi May,
Great question! While I am located in NY, I chatted with one of my lovely colleagues in Southern California about this blanket. The blanket would certainly be warm for the summer months but should be quite nice for winter in Southern California!
I hope that this helps and happy knitting!
Cassy
I’m having a heck of a time with this one. The yarn is lovely, however!
Does the stitch count change in alternating rows or is it always 185 stitches across each row? Thank you!
Hi Tracy,
Thanks for reaching out, and I’m sorry to hear the stitch pattern is giving you trouble! The stitch count should stay the same on every row for this pattern. If you are finding that you have added stitches, I would make sure that you are moving the yarn back where belongs, either to the front to purl or to the back to knit, after each slipped stitch – for instance, on row 2, you will move the yarn to the front, slip a stitch, move the yarn to the back, knit a stitch, move the yarn back to the front, slip a stitch, and so on.
I hope that clears things up!
Julianna
I want to make this blanket for my daughter, but she’d prefer it in colors similar to the original warm colors in the Tonal blanket, or in the colors you have here in the first several bands (e.g., colors A-C or A-D), but then replace colors E/F or D/E/F with different, more muted colors. Do you have any suggestions? I’m also fine with using different yarn such as wool, or also using a single strand of a heavier weight yarn. Thanks.
Hello Pam,
Thank you for reaching out! I would look at our Line Weight and our Linen Quill yarns. Particularly the colors Ballet Pink and Wheat Flour in Line Weight and Lavender Opal and Rose Granite in Linen Quill.
I hope this helps and happy knitting!
-Marilla
Thanks. I like the Linen Quill. So if I use the Lavender Opal and Rose Granite, what would you recommend for the other colors? Is the Linen Quill similar to the Sweetgrass in gauge and weight?
Hi Pam,
Linen Quill knits up to the same gauge as Sweetgrass, and even has almost the exact same yardage, so you won’t have to make any pattern adjustments! Based around your preferred colors, I would suggest the following palette in Linen Quill:
Color A: 1 skein Wheat Flour
Color B: 2 skeins Lavender Opal
Color C: 2 skeins Pale Mushroom
Color D: 2 skeins Rose Granite
Color E: 2 skeins Peach Stone
Color F: 1 skein Twig Brown
I hope that helps, and please do let us know how it turns out!
Julianna
Perfect! Thank you!
Hi Pam,
I love the colors you e chosen. Can you post a picture of the finished blanket? I might copy your colors.
I have the set up row done but I don’t know what to do next. 1. Obviously, I start with yarn 2, but at the opposite end? Do I slide the work and turn? So I start row 1 at the same end where colour A/yarn 1 is hanging?
2. Next, if the instructions say all slip stitches are purlwise then I thought that meant WYIF, so how do I do a purlwise as WYIB?
Thanks. Excited to get started!
Okay I learned what purlwise means despite where the yarn goes, but I still don’t know where to start row one after the start up row. Will my colour A/yarn 1 be on the same end as where I start my yarn 2, in which case, the side facing me becomes the right side?
Thanks!
Hi Janice,
Thanks for reaching out! After casting on with Color A, you will turn your work and knit the Set-Up Row, which is a wrong side row, using the attached strands of Color A. Row 1 of the stitch pattern is a right side row, so you will turn your work again and attach Color B at the same edge where you are leaving Color A hanging, and knit Row 1. It might be helpful at this point to attach a removable stitch marker to the right side, which is the side of the blanket facing you as you are knitting Row 1, so you can refer back to it to keep track of which side of the blanket is the right side!
I hope that clears things up!
Julianna
Thanks. Perfectly! So glad there is a place to ask!
Hi There,
Thank you so much for this beautiful pattern. This is something I just must make. I do have problems with the patterns however. None of my samples looks like the pattern on either side of the blanket. I am a bit confused about not having the edge stitches. How do I start the row with repeated slip stitch? Also, following the instruction for the pattern, I will end up with slipping the same stitch in two consecutive rows, correct? Thank you in advance for you advice. Many greetings, Joanna
Hello Joanne,
Thanks for reaching out! The slipped stitches on top of each other can feel weird at first. You are correct rows 1 and 2 both begin and end with slipped stitches, so you will not be knitting these stitches for two rows. The thing to keep in mind when slipping these stitches is where your working yarn is located. That is, if you are slipping your stitch with your yarn in front or back. You will also want to make sure that you are slipping all of your stitches purlwise.
I hope this is helpful and let us know if you have any further questions!
Happy knitting,
Marilla
Dear Marilla, thank you, this is very helpful. I tried again and it all worked like magic. I realized it is as easy as knitting the stitches that have color of the yarn in use and slipping the other color. Now, this is really fun.
Thanks again for sharing so many beautiful patterns.
Greetings from a happy knitter.
Great pattern beautiful yarn. I have an issue right now where the yarn over bumps are loose on the wrong side. Does this go away?
Hi Tim,
Thanks for reaching out! Blocking should improve this, but I would also make sure that you aren’t leaving the yarn too loose when you are slipping stitches on rows 2 and 4. Since you start with a knit with the yarn in back, then move it to the front to slip the stitch, then return it to the back to knit the next stitch, it is possible to leave too much slack in the yarn in all that movement, which would create a loop on the wrong side. It isn’t necessary to tug or overtighten the yarn, but you might want to pay attention on these rows to see if keeping things a little tighter improves the appearance of the wrong side!
Best,
Julianna
Hello! Love the colours and the feel of this yarn. Curious to know from anyone who has finished the blanked how long it took?
Hi Sarah,
Thanks for writing in! The amount of time it takes to knit something varies greatly from person to person and depends on a lot of your level of comfort and speed with the techniques used. In this case, the Sand Drift blanket consists of very basic stitches and is knit on a medium sized needle, but it is a large blanket! It’s impossible to say exactly how long it will take you, but it’s safe to say that it will probably be a long term project for most knitters.
Happy knitting!
Julianna