Eleventh Hour Color Story Blanket
When it comes to last-minute knitting, here’s a handy rule of thumb: If you’re short on hours, go big on yarn!
For our Eleventh Hour Color Story Blanket, we took our jumbo weight Gentle Giant, held it double, and knit it up on mega US 50 needles. Indeed, this generous gauge makes very quick work of a hand-knit blanket.
This mega-bulky seed stitch pattern is designed for knitting with a tight deadline, but a thoughtful color study adds intrigue to make this a fantastic project in its own right. Exploring these sumptuous tones doesn’t add minutes but does bring special-ness and beauty!
And with 11 new colors of Gentle Giant (including every single one of the beautiful blues and greens in the blanket shown here), it’s the perfect time for a color study! Pick the materials listed below for an Eleventh Hour Color Story Blanket in this sing-song Parakeet palette, glowing Daybreak, or ripple-y Riverstone, in Crib and Throw size options!
Yarn lovers, if you adore the yarn used in this project, you’ll love exploring all of our other yarn collections! Discover over 45 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!
Designed by Purl Soho designer, Jake Canton. Click here to see even more of Jake’s designs!
Share your progress + connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, #PurlSohoEleventhHourColorstoryBlanket, and #PurlSohoGentleGiant. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
To knit your own Crib (Throw) Eleventh Hour Color Story Blanket, you will need:
- 9 (18) skeins of Purl Soho’s Gentle Giant, 100% merino wool yarn. Each skein of this super bulky yarn is 48 yards/125 grams.
- Color A: 1 (2) skeins of Gentle Giant, approximately 46 (96) yards required
- Color B: 2 (4) skeins of Gentle Giant, approximately 80 (178) yards required
- Color C: 2 (4) skeins of Gentle Giant, approximately 82 (192) yards required
- Color D: 2 (4) skeins of Gentle Giant, approximately 64 (178) yards required
- Color E: 1 (2) skeins of Gentle Giant, approximately 48 (96) yards required
- Color F: 1 (2) skeins of Gentle Giant, approximately 32 (62) yards required
You will also need…
- US 50 (25 mm), 32- or 47-inch circular needles
Choose from 3 pretty palettes…
PARAKEET (seen above and the palette we used for our sample)
- Color A: Periwinkle Blue
- Color B: Clear Turquoise
- Color C: Pool Blue
- Color D: Mallard Green
- Color E: Nighttime Blue
- Color F: Lapis Blue
DAYBREAK
- Color A: Cowrie Pink
- Color B: Silver Mauve
- Color C: Rose Violet
- Color D: Pink Camellia
- Color E: Super Pink
- Color F: Orange Koi
RIVERSTONE
- Color A: Wolf Brown
- Color B: Winter Bark
- Color C: White Peppercorn
- Color D: Heirloom White
- Color E: Pigeon Gray
- Color F: Elephant Gray
Gauge
3 stitches and 5½ rows = 4 inches in seed stitch, holding yarn doubled
Sizes
Crib Size (Throw Size)
Finished Dimensions: Approximately 27½ inches wide x 40 inches long (approximately 41½ inches wide x 54¾ inches long)
Notes
Stitch Multiple
This pattern works over an odd multiple of stitches.
Double The Yarn
Throughout this pattern, you will pull two strands together. If you’re making the Crib Size, when you’re knitting two strands of the same color, pull from the inside and outside of the ball.
Pattern
With Color A and Color B held together, cast on 21 (31) stitches. We used a Basic Long Tail Cast On.
With one strand of Color A and one strand of Color B…
Row 1 (wrong side): *K1, p1, repeat from * to last stitch, k1.
Row 2 (right side): Repeat Row 1.
NOTE After completing Row 2, mark the right side with a removable stitch marker.
Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until piece measures approximately 9 (14) inches, ending with Row 1.
Cut Color A.
With one strand of Color B and one strand of Color C, repeat Rows 1 and 2 for approximately 8 (11) inches, ending with Row 1.
Cut Color B.
With one strand of Color C and one strand of Color D and starting with Row 2, repeat Rows 1 and 2 for approximately 12 (16) inches, ending with Row 1.
Cut Color C.
With one strand of Color D and one strand of Color E and starting with Row 2,, repeat Rows 1 and 2 for approximately 5 (6½) inches, ending with Row 1.
Cut Color D.
With one strand of Color E and one strand of Color F and starting with Row 2,, repeat Rows 1 and 2 for appoximately 6 (7¼) inches, ending with Row 1.
With the right side facing you, loosely bind off in pattern.
Weave in the ends and steam as desired.
LEARN ABOUT GENTLE GIANT + ALL OUR BEAUTIFUL YARNS
You can’t get more gentle or more giant than Gentle Giant! A single ply of 100% merino wool, Gentle Giant has a loose and lofty spin that puts the fiber’s softness up front and also keeps this jumbo-weight yarn from weighing you down. You knit Gentle Giant up on mega US 17 or 19 (12-15 mm) knitting needles, making it a very smart choice for last-minute gifts that don’t sacrifice a lick of beauty!
More Free Knitting Patterns
- Be sure to explore our vast collection of (mostly free!) Gentle Giant knitting patterns and cast on!
More Jumbo-Weight Yarns
- Shop our collection of jumbo-weight yarns
- 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!
More Yarns With Similar Fibers
- Shop merino wool
Looking for more inspiration? Explore all of our free knitting patterns and knitting tutorials, buy one of our many knitting kits and yarn bundles, and shop for beautiful yarn. We have over 35 gorgeous natural fiber yarns in 100’s of magnificent colors, designed to bring integrity, beauty, and joy to your next knitting project and only available at Purl Soho!
Can you use size 47 needles?
Hi Julie,
Thanks for writing in! We used a US 50 needle that is 47 inches long to knit the throw size blanket. As long as your 47 inch long needle is a US 50, it will work just fine!
Best,
Julianna
Is it the same needle as 11th hour blanket w cord edge?
Hello Julie,
Thank you for reaching out! Our Eleventh Hour Blanket with the I-cord edge is knit with a US36 needle not a US50.
I hope this helps and happy knitting!
-Marilla
Beautiful blanket! Silly question but I was wondering if I could adapt this into a scarf size and if so, should I just buy one of each
Thanks!
Hi Ana,
Thanks so much for the kind words and for writing in! Yes, this would be an amazing scarf! I would look to our Eleventh Hour Marled Scarf for inspiration, using the color pattern from the Color Story Blanket, and one skein of each color should be enough for two – or maybe even three! – scarves.
I hope that helps, and please do let us know how it turns out!
Julianna
I’m thinking of knitting this blanket for my 6’7” grandson, who is heading off to college next year. How can this pattern be adapted for his height, and how many bundles would I need?
Thank you.
Hi Victoria,
Thanks for writing in, and what a lovely present! The Throw size of the blanket is quite generous – approximately 41½ inches wide x 54¾ inches long – so that may be sufficient for a lap or throw blanket, even for someone so tall. If you do want to size it up to something closer to twin bed sized, two Throw bundles would be enough to knit a blanket about 60 inches wide by 73 inches long. You will need to cast on 45 stitches and work each section to 14.5 inches.
I hope that helps, and happy knitting!
Julianna
Hi, Julianna,
To make it a twin blanket, how much yarn would I need. I don’t know what a Throw Bundle is.
Hello Lynn,
Thank you for reaching out- here is the link to the throw bundles! Two of these will be the right amount of yarn.
Happy knitting!
-Marilla
Would this still be chunky without doubling? Would I use the same stitch pattern?
Hello Allison,
Thank you for reaching out! Yes, it would still have a chunky look to it! You would want to go down to a US17 or US 19 needle. If you want it to come out the same size you would need to add stitches to your cast on number. To find out how many stitches to cast on, you will need to knit a gauge swatch to figure out how many stitches per inch you are getting. Once you find out this number you can multiply it by your desired width to find out your cast on. You will just want to make sure it is an odd number.
I hope this helps and happy knitting!
-Marilla
Do you have any pictures of how big the throw feel and looks?
Hello Alex,
Thank you for reaching out! While we don’t have the blanket next to something for size, the blankets dimensions are Approximately 27½ inches wide x 40 inches long (approximately 41½ inches wide x 54¾ inches long).
I hope this helps and I will pass along your suggestion!
Best,
Marilla
hi! as always, you have created yet another lovely blanket that i am excited to knit. i am wondering if it could be knit up with super soft merino? how many skeins of each colour would i need for a throw blanket? thanks!
Hi Colleen,
Thanks for writing in! Super Soft Merino is a bit thinner than Gentle Giant, so you will need to make a few pattern adjustments to use it. I would recommend knitting a gauge swatch in pattern using Super Soft Merino held double on a US 19 needle, and then multiplying your stitches per inch by 27.5 for the crib size or 41.5 for the throw. You can then round to the nearest dd number to determine how many stitches to cast on. It’s hard to say exactly how many you will need when changing the gauge like this, but I think 15 skeins total for the crib blanket or 18 for the throw would be a safe estimate!
Happy knitting!
Julianna
Thanks so much!!!
Love love this ! Can’t wait to start. Where can I get markers to fit a US 50 needle? I have a set of the Cocoknits Opening Stitch Markers but they look too small, and same for the round Stitch Markers. thanks, the colors are stunning.
Hi Bobbie,
Great question! I am not aware of any stitch markers that fit a US 50 – our Clover Jumbo Ring Markers are quite large but only comfortably go up to a US 35. Instead, you could use a piece of scrap yarn in a contrasting color tied into a loop that will fit on your needles!
Happy knitting!
Julianna
Great idea! thank you.
Such a great blanket! I’m on to color C now and love how this feels. So far though, it is smaller than I had hoped (or intended). I am knitting the throw and my edge right now is measuring 36”. I accidentally ordered the shorted size 50 needles and I am wondering if that is where my problem came from or could the reason be something else? Do you think this is something that could be blocked to the right width or should I start all over? Or just live with a more narrow, albeit beautiful, throw?
Hi Cameron,
Thanks for reaching out! Have you measured your gauge to see if it matches our gauge of 3 stitches and 5½ rows to 4 inches in seed stitch? It’s unlikely that using a shorter needle will affect the width of the blanket, but it does make it difficult to get an accurate measurement of the blanket-in-progress when the stitches are packed tightly onto the needle. If your gauge is correct, then most likely the width of the blanket will be correct once you get it off the needle. If your gauge is tighter than ours, unfortunately, there isn’t a needle larger than a US 50, so you will just have to try to knit as loosely as possible or start over with a few extra stitches. Gentle Giant does respond very well to blocking so it is also possible that your blanket will be much wider after blocking! You might want to place your stitches on a piece of scrap yarn and try gently spray or steam blocking your blanket so far to see how wide it will be, and evaluate from there whether you want to start over or not.
I hope that helps, and happy knitting!
Julianna
Hi! Can you provide another combo of colors that’s more neutral? Loving this blanket and got a special request for something with more grays and maybe navy. Thanks!
Hello Julie,
Thanks for reaching out! This is a lovely Idea. I would recommend just switching out a couple of the blue tones for grays.
Color A: Heirloom White
Color B: Periwinkle Blue
Color C: Pigeon Gray
Color D: Elephant Gray
Color E: Nighttime Blue
Color F: Graphite Gray
I hope this helps and happy knitting!
-Marilla
I finished this blanket in the crib size and it is lovely. I did have some problems with the yarn twisting and the yarn strand width becoming much smaller. I would have to stop and untwist the yarn by taking the ball of yarn which I wound by hand, rotating it in a certain direction to get the kinks out. If the yarn got too twisted the yarn was relatively thin. What could I have been doing wrong in either winding the yarn by hand or by the manner in which I was knitting. I always wound the yarn around the needles in a counter clockwise direction when forming the stitches.
Hi Caryn,
Thanks for reaching out! This is probably a combination of the yarn and your knitting style – for the most part, the English or throwing knitting style loosens the twist of yarn, while picking or Continental style tightens the twist of yarn. How you personally hold or tension the yarn and, to a lesser degree, whether you always turn in the same direction at the end of every row, also plays a part. It probably isn’t noticeable in most yarns, but even a little extra twist can show up in a lofty super bulky yarn like Gentle Giant. It’s not easy to change your knitting style, so I would recommend working a large swatch next time and try paying attention to how you turn your work at the end of each row to see if either alternating directions or turning in the opposite direction than you usually do will counteract the extra twist.
I hope that helps, and happy knitting!
Julianna
Hi – another beautiful pattern!
Is this washable? I made a giant-giant-granny square using super soft merino and was told it isn’t washable. Is gentle giant washable? How would one care for this after it’s completed?
Thanks,
Allie
Hi Allie,
Thanks for reaching out, and I’m sorry that you were told you couldn’t wash Super Soft Merino! Both Super Soft Merino and Gentle Giant can be gently hand washed and laid flat to dry, following the instructions in our How to Hand Wash a Sweater tutorial. To prevent felting, we recommend using a no-rinse wool wash like our Sweater Soap so you can minimize how much the blanket is handled or agitated while it is wet, but both yarns turn out beautifully after hand washing. It can be difficult to hand wash such a large and heavy blanket, so you can also dry clean both yarns if you prefer!
I hope that helps, and happy knitting!
Julianna
if i knit each 1st stitch but maintain pattern will that work for even edge? ty!
Hi Deborah,
Thanks for writing in! You can certainly knit this blanket in garter stitch if you prefer! Garter stitch tends to contract more lengthwise than seed stitch, so you may find that your blanket is somewhat shorter than ours. I would suggest getting an extra skein of each color so you can make sure it turns out long enough!
Best,
Julianna
hi there!
i made the throw version of this blanket with extra skeins to allow for a more generous size and absolutely love!
do you recommend blocking this piece? i read your tutorial on blocking and it was very helpful but i’m wondering if it’s necessary for a bigger, chunkier piece such as this. i’m finding conflicting info re: to block and not to block when i do a general search online. if you do recommend blocking it, which method would you suggest (wet, spray, etc). i’m looking to even out the edges a bit and give it a more uniform shape.
thanks so much!
kristen
Hi Kristen,
Thanks for reaching out, and I’m thrilled to hear that your blanket turned out well! Although it can be intimidating or difficult to block a bulky blanket like this, blocking will certainly square up your edges and improve any uneven stitches. Some pieces may look fine and be useable without blocking, but the look of every knitted item will benefit from proper blocking! Because Gentle Giant is so heavy and delicate, we recommend steam blocking for this blanket. You might be able to spray block it, but you will have to spray it quite a bit to get the yarn to absorb enough water!
I hope that helps!
Julianna
thanks so much, julianna!
steam blocking it is!
Hi — Hope you are all well– is there a way I could add stitches to make a border?
Hi Carol,
Thanks for writing in! I think this blanket would be beautiful with an attached i-cord border, as we used for our Eleventh Hour Marled Blanket!
Happy knitting!
Julianna
Needing a super fast gift to knit up. Thinking of doing this in a two color combo all over, versus the gradient color way. The original bundle for baby blanket requires 9 skeins, so I’m guessing I’d need. 10? or would 8 be sufficient?
Thanks so much for answering a newbie question!
Hi Becky
Thanks for reaching out! If you are making the crib size blanket the total yardage of Gentle Giant needed will be around 330 yards. So 4 skeins of each color should be fine. Hope this just flies off your needles!
Happy knitting
Jessica
Hi! Can you provide another combo of colors that would go with the scarlet red? I am thinking of knitting this blanket for my 13 year old son. His favorite color is red. Any combinations are welcome. Thank you!!
Hi Carmelita,
Thanks for writing in! I would recommend the following color combination in our Gentle Giant Yarn:
Color A: 1 (2) Skeins White Peppercorn
Color B: 2 (4) Skeins Calico Pink
Color C: 2 (4) Skeins Orange Koi
Color D: 2 (4) Skeins Scarlet Red
Color E: 2 (4) Skeins Sugar Maple
Color F: 1 (2) Skeins Clay Pot
I hope this helps!
All the best,
Gianna
I loved making this blanket for my niece, but it shed all over me. What is the best way to decrease the shedding before I give it to her. I think hand washing it would frustrate me. I’ve read other craft sites, they say to put these blankets on hand wash and tumble dry no heat. Which does not sound like a good idea at all. Or is it?
Hi Natalie,
Thanks for reaching out! I would recommend hand washing this blanket in cold water only and laying flat to dry. Gentle Giant is a very delicate yarn so I would definitely not recommend putting the blanket in a washing machine and especially not in the dryer!
I hope this helps!
Warmly,
Gianna
Hi guys!
I’m thinking of making this for a friend as a med school graduation present and I love the parakeet color story, but several of the colors are no longer in stock! Could you provide an similar palette with the colors that are still available?
Thank you so much!
Rachel
Hi Rachel,
Thanks for writing in! Because we no longer carry some of the original colors, and also because we’re currently out of stock in a few colors of Gentle Giant, I would recommend using a different yarn, Woolly Wool for a few colors. This yarn is roughly the same weight as Gentle Giant, so it will work very well alongside it in the blanket pattern! The main differences between these yarns are that Woolly Wool is 100% wool and Gentle Giant is 100% merino wool, and Woolly Wool has a more heathered look to it. But here’s what I’d suggest if you’re open to using Woolly Wool as well:
Color A: Periwinkle Blue (Gentle Giant)
Color B: Winter Green (Woolly Wool)
Color C: Ice Pond (Woolly Wool)
Color D: Sea Turtle (Woolly Wool)
Color E: Nighttime Blue (Gentle Giant)
Color F: Lapis Blue (Gentle Giant)
I hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
Thanks so much Lili!
Hi,
I would like to make a green version, but I noticed there are not a lot of green choices in Gentle Giant and some are sold out. I am open to including whites and other colors, but I especially like the Mint Ice color. Do you have any color pattern suggestions, or could I alternate with only three colors?
Hi Alyssa,
Thanks for reaching out! I would recommend taking a look at Woolly Wool, which is a very similar yarn to Gentle Giant and will definitely work for this pattern. There are a number of beautiful green colors in that yarn, and I’d say that the color Winter Green is very similar to Mint Ice in Gentle Giant, so that might be a great option!
All the best,
Lili
Do you know when Gentle Giant Periwinkle Blue and Nighttime Blue will be back in stock? Should I hold off on ordering the other yarns in stock until they are available? I saw your suggestion about using substitute colors in Woolly Wool for the discontinued colors. Thank you.
Hi Denise,
Thanks for writing in! I’d recommend sending an email to [email protected], since we’ll be able to help you further with this from there!
All the best,
Lili
Hello,
It looks like most Gentle Giant colors are sold out and Wooly Wool is no longer offered. Is there another yarn you would suggest for this throw blanket?
Thank you!
Hi Mauren,
I’m sorry to share that we recently discontinued a large number of colors in this yarn. The five colors that we’re keeping are Heirloom White, White Peppercorn, Winter Bark, Pigeon Gray, and Graphite Gray. One thing you could do is use two strands of Super Soft Merino held double for a similar weight! I hope this helps!
All the best,
Gavriella