Cabin Blanket
Conjure the dream scenario of an escape to a cool cabin in the woods, and we’re pretty sure there’s a book and a blanket in the picture. You pick the book, and we’ll cover the blanket!
Our gorgeous Cabin Blanket is woven in the full range of our Good Wool collection: five 100% undyed colors, grown by the sheep themselves in the Andean highlands. The subtle pairings and slight shifts all come together on Schacht Spindle Co’s Cricket Loom, our favorite tabletop rigid heddle loom, a mini but mighty machine!
To make this classic snuggler, you weave five strips, each with a different warp color and each using the same sequence of three weft colors. The result is an I-can’t-believe-I-made-this cabin-ready total beauty!
Designed for Purl Soho by Carrie Laing.
MATERIALS
Purl Soho’s Cabin Blanket Bundle includes…
- 8 skeins of Purl Soho’s Good Wool, 100% undyed Andean highland wool
- Warp Yarn A: 1 skein in Walking Stick
- Warp Yarn B/Weft Yarn A: 2 skeins in Winter Grass
- Warp Yarn C/Weft Yarn B: 2 skeins in Heirloom White
- Warp Yarn D/Weft Yarn C: 2 skeins in Driftwood Gray
- Warp Yarn E: 1 skein in Hickory Nut
You will also need…
- Schacht Spindle Co’s 15-inch Cricket Loom
- Schacht Spindle Co’s 12-dent, 15-inch Cricket Reed
NOTE
USING THE CRICKET LOOM
Cricket Looms come with a very user-friendly instructional booklet that walks you through every step of the weaving process, from assembling the loom to tying the fringe. For even more guidance, check out our Cricket Loom Tips.
STRUCTURE
Plain Weave
WARP
Warp Length: 80 inches (includes 10 inches of loom waste on both ends)
Warp Ends: 120
Width in Reed: 10 inches
Ends Per Inch (E.P.I): 12
Picks Per Inch (P.P.I): 15
SIZE
EACH PANEL
Finished Dimensions, Unblocked: 9 inches X 58 inches
Finished Dimensions, Blocked: 8½ inches x 57 inches
FINISHED BLANKET
Finished Dimensions, Blocked: 42½ inches x 57 inches
PATTERN
WARP THE LOOM
NOTE: You will weave five panels and sew them together to make your blanket. Each panel requires a new warp, using Warp Yarns A through E.
Set up the warping peg 80 inches from the back of the loom (the side farthest away from the warping peg).
For the first panel, tie Warp Yarn A onto the back apron bar. (For the second panel, use Warp Yarn B, for the third, Warp Yarn C, and so on.)
With a 12-dent reed in place and using Warp Yarn A (or B, or C, etc), begin threading the heddle by pulling the first loop of yarn through the 15th slat from the right end of the reed.
Working from right to left, thread the next 59 slats, so there are 60 slats threaded in total.
Cut Warp Yarn A and tie it to the back apron rod.
Finish the warp according to the Cricket Loom instructions, transferring one strand from each slot to the hole to the right of it. You should have 120 warp ends in total.
Tie the warp onto the front apron bar in groups of 6.
WEAVE
NOTE: Each panel follows the same weave pattern. Throughout, it is important to keep track of the number of rows in each color block so that, when you sew the panels together, they will match up evenly. We used stitch markers or safety pins to mark every 4 inches or 60 rows.
Wind one shuttle with Weft Yarn A and a second shuttle with Weft Yarn B.
Leaving a 36-inch tail of Weft Yarn A at the beginning…
With Weft Yarn A, weave 20 inches or 300 rows.
With Weft Yarn B, weave 20 inches or 300 rows.
Wind one of the shuttles with Weft Yarn C.
With Weft Yarn C, weave 20 inches or 300 rows.
Cut the yarn, leaving a 36-inch tail of Weft Yarn C.
FINISH
NOTE: For a complete how-to on this step, visit our Finishing with Hemstitch Tutorial.
Use the 36-inch tails to finish each end of the panel with a hemstitch.
Make the hemstitch around groups of 6 warp ends across the width of the towel.
Weave in the hemstitch tails.
Cut the fringe 1 inch from each end of the weaving.
REPEAT
Follow the same instructions to make four more panels, using Warp Yarn B, then C, and so on through Warp Yarn E.
SEW
You will sew the panels together in Warp Yarn order A through E, using a whipstitch. Here’s how….
Lay out the Warp Yarn A and B panels, oriented vertically, so that the corresponding weft color blocks line up.
Cut a 120-inch piece of Warp Yarn C and thread it onto a tapestry needle.
Starting at the bottom of the middle color block, insert the needle up through the first weft thread at the selvedge of the right-hand panel and then through the first weft thread at the selvedge of the left-hand panel. Pull the thread through, leaving a 40-inch tail.
Working upwards, insert the needle through the next selvedge weft thread on the right-hand panel and then through the next selvedge weft thread on the left-hand panel. Continue sewing until you have sewn together the middle and top weft color blocks (Weft Yarns B and A).
Now, rotate the panels so that the bottom color block (Weft Yarn C) is on top. Using the 40-inch tail and working upwards, sew together the last color block.
Finally, sew 1 inch back down the seam to hide the end of the sewing yarn and to secure the edge of the blanket. Repeat on the other end of the blanket.
Repeat for the remaining panels and then enjoy your Cabin Blanket!
This is a beautiful blanket. Can this be machine washed on a hanhwash cycle? If not, how is a blanket washed by hand? Do you have to worry about the yarn felting? Thank you
Hi Rita,
Thanks for writing in and for your kind words! Great question! We would caution against the handwash setting on a machine as it can be a lot more intense than hand washing. For this project, we would recommend hand washing the blanket in a basin with cool water and a wool soak like Soak. This will allow you to agitate the yarn as little as possible, preventing felting while also cleaning the the blanket.
I hope that this helps!
Cassy
This blanket is so beautiful and I know that the use of the good wool color way was an artistic choice but just wondering if you have any other wools (or cottons for that matter) that might work as well but with a different color palate. Thanks!
Hello Ruth,
Thank you for reaching out! We don’t have any cotton yarns that correspond to Good Wool which is a light worsted/ DK weight yarn. I do think that Understory which is Alpaca, Silk and Yak or Arbor which is 100% wool.
Happy knitting!
-Marilla
How will it be affected if a smaller dent is used (i.e., 10 or 8)? Will it simply be looser? I don’t have a 12 dent reed and am wondering if my 8 dent will still produce a good blanket…..
Thank you.
Hi Jody,
Thanks for reaching out! A thin yarn on a large reed with a lightly beat weft will result in a light, gauzy fabric. Since your 8 dent reed is meant for heavier weight yarns, yes, you will end up with a more loosely woven blanket, but it is hard to say exactly how loose the fabric will be without trying it first. The other thing to consider is that altering the ends per inch will most probably alter the width of the panels. Again, it would be hard to say by how much without weaving up a sample to see the quality of the fabric. I would definitely recommend weaving a sample first to make sure you will be happy with the finished blanket!
Best,
Julianna
Using the same number of warp ends at 8 epi would increase the width by 1/3 from the 12 epi pattern, so if you’re fine with a gauzy feel to the blanket, just reduce the number of ends to get the same width in the reed (uses less yarn).
I have a 40cm SampleIT Ashford Rigid Heddle, what size of reed would be the equivalent to use for this blanket? I love it and would like to order but want to make sure I have the correct reed! Thanks!
Hi Marleen,
Thanks for reaching out! I would suggest using the 12.5 dent reed for your loom, as it is the closest to the 12 dent reed.
I hope that helps!
Julianna
Quick question, can you describe or show a picture on where to start sewing the panels together? I guess I’m just not “getting” where the starting point should be, but understand that we’re stitching from the middle out. Thanks!
Hi Stacey,
Thanks for reaching out! Unfortunately we don’t have a picture for this step, but you are correct that you will be starting at the middle of the two panels and then sewing your way out to each edge. If you aren’t sure if you have the right spot, just cut your sewing yarn with an extra foot or so – it isn’t critical to start in the exact center of the panels as long as you match up each color change and don’t run out of sewing yarn!
Best,
Julianna
Hello,
I’m working on this blanket now and wondering whether you recommend blocking. If so, would you do it once the panels are sewn together or prior to sewing. Thanks!
Lynne
Hi Lynne,
Thanks for reaching out! Good Wool blooms beautifully when blocked, so we do recommend blocking this blanket! You can block it either before or after sewing the panels together, whichever you prefer.
Warmly,
Julianna
I just finished the first panel and it is absolutely gorgeous! Did you block each panel separately or the whole blanket after sewing it? Thank you for your response.
Hello Linnea,
Thank you for reaching out. I’m happy to hear how much you are loving this project! You can block it either before or after sewing the panels together, whichever you prefer.
Happy weaving!
-Marilla
I’ve finished the first panel, taking notes on how many picks I shot per weft color and how many corresponding inches that produced. My picks per inch are varying from one color weft to another and from panel to panel.
For example, Weft A on panel 1 averaged 11.2 ppi. Weft A on panel 2, averaged 10.8 ppi.
Weft B, panel 1 averaged 11.9 ppi, and Weft C, panel 1 averaged 11.8 ppi.
Should I match my measurement in inches or the number of picks to ensure my color blocks match up when it comes time to seam the panels together?
Hi Heather,
Thank you for writing in! I recommend sticking with the measurements of each block in Panel 1 and match your following panels to those measurements. Ideally each color section should have the same number of picks as the corresponding sections in the other panels. However most people will have slight inconsistencies in how hard they pack wefts while they weave and it’s common to have varying ppi in different sections of the same weaving.
One last thing to keep in mind is that sometimes the ppi may change slightly when the piece is taken off the loom and no longer under any tension. A tip to working with this is to relax the tension on the loom when beginning a new color section and check that your new section is consistent with the first panel.
I hope that makes sense and is helpful!
Gaby
I don’t have a Cricket loom, but do have a 20 inch Ashford Knitters’ loom. Is there any reason I couldn’t weave this beautiful blanket using my knitters’ loom?
Hi Barbara,
I’m not very familiar with the loom you’re mentioning, but as long as it’s a rigid heddle loom that allows you to have the same size dent options as we used for the Cabin Blanket, you should be able to make the blanket with the loom you already have!
Best,
Cassandra
If I wanted to make the same size blanket in the Big Good Wool yarn, which reed would I use and how many skeins will I need?
Thanks!
Hi Maxine,
Thanks for writing in! We haven’t tried weaving with Big Good Wool yet ourselves, but what a wonderful idea! I would recommend weaving a test swath using a 5-dent heddle to see how it turns out. I also can’t say exactly how much yardage you will need, but you should be able to weight your swatch to determine how much you will need for the whole blanket! Two skeins of each color should be enough for a similar sized blanket.
I hope that helps and please do let us know how it turns out!
Julianna
The design, with this yarn, is absolutely gorgeous. I made it and I love it!! Thank you.
Hi Margaret,
Thanks for reaching out! I am so glad to hear that you enjoyed the yarn and the pattern!
All the best,
Gianna
Do the panels need to be wet finished before being sewn together? If not, does the entire sewn blanket need to be wet finished?
Hi Julie,
Thanks for reaching out! You can block your panels either before or after sewing them together, I would recommend blocking the panels first and then once they are dry sewing them together! This will insure the best overall look of each panel and help make sure that everything lines up correctly when piecing it together.
I hope this helps, happy crafting!
Gianna
My sweet daughter wove your cabin blanket and brought the panels to me to stitch together. Unfortunately each is a different length, varying by several inches.
Ideas for solving this problem in putting it together?
Hi Mary,
Thanks for reaching out! Hmm that is a tricky one! Unfortunately, probably the best way to fix this would be to go back and unweave/continue to weave the panels as necessary to get them to all be the same dimensions otherwise the blanket wont be even along the edges!
If you have access to a serger you may also be able to trim the excess and serge the edges, but I would be a little concerned that the panels could unravel.
I hope this helps and please let us know how this goes!
Warmly,
Gianna
I wouldn’t worry about them lining up, just embrace the “handmadeness” of it. If they are off the loom, I don’t see how it’s possible to unweave anything.
I love the cotton pure. It is the same weight as the good wool. Any reason we couldn’t use that? I really want to make this blanket, but looking for a cotton version.
Hi Jamie,
Thanks for reaching out. We classify Good Wool as both a sportweight and a DK weight yarn, since it tends to fall in between those categories. However, I think that Cotton Pure would definitely work for this blanket!
All the best,
Lili
Hi! I just started this project with the 12 dent reed you suggested. I’m finding the wool to be very staticky and sticky, not opening a clean shed at all. How do I fix that? Or do I need to switch to an 8 dent heddle?
Thank you
Hi Angela,
We’re so sorry to hear the Good Wool is turning out difficult to work with on the suggested 12 dent reed! Are you having trouble passing threading the holes with it or have you already begun packing your weft and finding that sticky? 12 dent reeds are usually used on fingering weight yarns, but can still be used on thicker ones for a tighter/more dense fabric. Good Wool is a sport/light worsted so I would recommend trying a 10 dent reed (if you have one) before trying an 8. I’m hesitant to recommend the 8 since the finished fabric would be much more open, which you may like on a shawl but not as much for a blanket.
An alternative is to block your yarn beforehand if it’s too staticky to work with. Blocking softens up Good Wool a great deal so if you try that method I would ensure you keep the ties on the skein, or add some in, and let it air dry for a few days before setting up your warp again.
I hope that helps! Please let us know if you have any other questions.
All the best,
Zha Zha