Woodcut Blanket
As if a chisel has carved slivers through its soft surface, our Woodcut Blanket is a study in positive and negative shapes… all created with the simple tool of knits and purls!
We love the tactility and visual play of our Woodcut Blanket: nubbly paralleograms puzzling into smooth ones, alternate shapes coming in and falling out of focus, endlessly interesting.
The key to this design is stitch definition. Just like a printmaker wouldn’t carve their block with a dull chisel, here we use the yarn with the crispest definition we know, our brand new Campo.
Fifty percent organically grown cotton and 50% wool, Campo is a classic worsted weight yarn whose many thin plies are spun into a nice, smooth finish, perfect for articulating the language of stitches.
On top of all that, Campo is very soft, wonderfully cushy, machine washable, and spectacularly beautiful, too. Milled in Italy, its fifteen-color palette seems scorched by the Mediterranean sun, stirring up images of a Tuscan field, a provincial palazzo, or a frescoed chapel… Bellisima!
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, #PurlSohoWoodcutBlanket, and #PurlSohoCampo. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
- 9 (11) skeins of Purl Soho’s Campo, 50% wool and 50% organically grown cotton. Each skein is 120 yards; approximately 1,080 (1,320) yards required. We used the color Rosa Rose for the Crib size and Corsica Yellow for the Throw size.
- US 8 (5 mm), 32- or 40-inch circular needles
Gauge
15 stitches and 24 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch
NOTE: For the Throw size, we used just about all 11 skeins, so if you want to be sure you have enough, consider ordering an extra skein. If you don’t end up needing it, you can return unwound yarn for a refund within 30 days of purchase, or within 6 months, for store credit. Our Return Policy has all the details!
Sizes
Crib (Throw)
Finished Dimensions: 37 inches wide x 45 inches long (43 inches wide x 51 inches long)
Samples: Rosa Rose blanket is Crib size and Corsica Yellow is Throw size.
Note
Slip Stitches
Slip all slipped stitches purlwise, with yarn in front (wyif).
Pattern
UPDATE April 26, 2022: A previous version of this pattern used stitch markers in place of stitch counts to work across each row, but more than a couple customers found they were losing track of where their markers should be. We heard you, and have re-written this pattern to use stitch counts for clarity. If you would like a copy of the previous version, please contact us at customerservice@purlsoho.com.
NOTE: The Crib and Throw size blankets have different patterns with different size parallelograms. (The pink blanket shown here is the Crib size and the yellow one is the Throw size.) Both start with the same cast on and set-up row instructions, but then be sure to choose the pattern for the blanket you’re making!
Cast on 130 (162) stitches. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.
Set-Up Row (wrong side): Slip 1 (see Notes), knit to end of row.
CRIB SIZE ONLY
Row 1 (right side): Slip 1, knit to end of row.
Row 2 (wrong side): Slip 1, p8, [k30, p30] 2 times, k1.
Row 3: Slip 1, p1, [k30, p30] 2 times, knit to end of row.
Row 4: Slip 1, p6, [k30, p30] 2 times, knit to end of row.
Row 5: Slip 1, p3, [k30, p30] 2 times, knit to end of row.
Row 6: Slip 1, p4, [k30, p30] 2 times, knit to end of row.
Row 7: Slip 1, p5, [k30, p30] 2 times, knit to end of row.
Row 8: Slip 1, p2, [k30, p30] 2 times, knit to end of row.
Row 9: Slip 1, p7, [k30, p30] 2 times, knit to end of row.
Row 10: Slip 1, [k30, p30] 2 times, knit to end of row.
Row 11: Slip 1, knit to end of row.
Row 12: Slip 1, [p30, k30] 2 times, purl to last stitch, k1.
Row 13: Slip 1, k7, [p30, k30] 2 times, p1, k1.
Row 14: Slip 1, k2, [p30, k30] 2 times, purl to last stitch, k1.
Row 15: Slip 1, k5 [p30, k30] 2 times, purl to last stitch, k1.
Row 16: Slip 1, k4, [p30, k30] 2 times, purl to last stitch, k1.
Row 17: Slip 1, k3 [p30, k30] 2 times, purl to last stitch, k1.
Row 18: Slip 1, k6, [p30, k30] 2 times, purl to last stitch, k1.
Row 19: Slip 1, k1, [p30, k30] 2 times, purl to last stitch, k1.
Row 20: Slip 1, k8, [p30, k30] 2 times, k1.
Repeat Rows 1-20 twelve more times. [240 rows]
Repeat Rows 1-10 one more time.
Next 2 Rows: Slip 1, knit to end of row.
With the right side facing you, bind off knitwise.
Weave in the ends and block!
THROW SIZE ONLY
Row 1 (right side): Slip 1, knit to end of row
Row 2 (wrong side): Slip 1, k16, p48, k48, p48, k1.
Row 3: Slip 1, p1, k48, p48, k48, purl to last stitch, k1.
Row 4: Slip 1, k14, p48, k48, p48, , knit to end of row.
Row 5: Slip 1, p3, k48, p48, k48, purl to last stitch, k1.
Row 6: Slip 1, k12, p48, k48, p48, knit to end of row.
Row 7: Slip 1, p5, k48, p48, k48, purl to last stitch, k1.
Row 8: Slip 1, k10, p48, k48, p48, knit to end of row.
Row 9: Slip 1, p7, k48, p48, k48, purl to last stitch, k1.
Row 10: Slip 1, k8, p48, k48, p48, knit to end of row.
Row 11: Slip 1, p9, k48, p48, k48, purl to last stitch, k1.
Row 12: Slip 1, k6, p48, k48, p48, knit to end of row.
Row 13: Slip 1, p11, k48, p48, k48, purl to last stitch, k1.
Row 14: Slip 1, k4, p48, k48, p48, knit to end of row.
Row 15: Slip 1, p13, k48, p48, k48, purl to last stitch, k1.
Row 16: Slip 1, k2, p48, k48, p48, knit to end of row.
Row 17: Slip 1, p15, k48, p48, k48, p1, k1.
Row 18: Slip 1, p48, k48, p48, knit to end of row.
Row 19: Slip 1, knit to end of row.
Row 20: Slip 1, k48, p48, k48, purl to last stitch, k1.
Row 21: Slip 1, k15, p48 k48, p48, knit to end of row.
Row 22: Slip 1, p2, k48, p48, k48, purl to last stitch, k1.
Row 23: Slip 1, k13, p48, k48, p48, knit to end of row.
Row 24: Slip 1, p4, k48, p48, k48, purl to last stitch, k1.
Row 25: Slip 1, k11, p48, k48, p48, knit to end of row.
Row 26: Slip 1, p6, k48, p48, k48, purl to last stitch, k1.
Row 27: Slip 1, k9, p48, k48, p48, knit to end of row.
Row 28: Slip 1, p8, k48, p48, k48, purl to last stitch, k1.
Row 29: Slip 1, k7, p48, k48, p48, knit to end of row.
Row 30: Slip 1, p10, k48, p48, k48, purl to last stitch, k1.
Row 31: Slip 1, k5, p48, k48, p48, knit to end of row.
Row 32: Slip 1, p12, k48, p48, k48, purl to last stitch, k1.
Row 33: Slip 1, k3, p48, k48, p48, knit to end of row.
Row 34: Slip 1, p14, k48, p48, k48, purl to last stitch, k1.
Row 35: Slip 1, k1, p48, k48, p48, knit to end of row.
Row 36: Slip 1, p16, k48, p48, k48, k1.
Repeat Rows 1-36 seven more times. [252 rows]
Repeat Rows 1-18 one more time.
Next 2 Rows: Slip 1, knit to end of row.
With the right side facing you, bind off knitwise.
Weave in the ends and block!
What is the best way to join a new skein when the first stitch of every row is a slip stitch for this pattern. Do I make the switch on the second stitch?
Hi Anne,
Thanks for reaching out. Yes, you will begin knitting with the new skein on the second stitch!
All the best,
Lili
Hi there,
I think there’s an error in the crib size pattern on rows 12 and 13. When I followed the pattern as written, it ruined the geometric pattern. So I undid rows 12 and 13 and will try changing the beginning of row 12 to “Slip 1, k1” and will try “Slip 1, k6” at the beginning of row 13 and see if that works. You might like to double check the pattern, too.
Hi Carla,
Thanks for reaching out! I took a look over the pattern, and I believe what we have written is correct. Rows 12 and 13 in the Crib size are right at the juncture where the angle of the pattern changes, so you may be noticing that changeover! If you continue following the pattern as written, the full design should appear very soon. But if you’re still ending up with something that doesn’t look quite right, I’d recommend sending a photo of your work to customerservice@purlsoho.com. That way, we can visualize exactly what’s going on!
All the best,
Lili
What are the dimensions of one parallelogram for the crib size blanket? I would like to adapt this pattern for a sport weight yarn and smaller blanket but maintain the proportions in the original design.
Thanks
Hi Doina,
Thank you for your question! To alter the size of the blanket, you will want to begin by making a gauge swatch with your preferred needles and yarn. Once you have your swatch, you can measure now measure your stitches per inch. At this point, you can divide the cast-on numbers by your stitches per inch to see which size you would like to make! Since the parallelograms vary from the crib and throw size, we suggest the above alternative rather than altering the pattern itself. I hope this helps but if you need further clarification, please let me know!
Happy knitting,
Gavriella
I just bought some 100% merino wool knitting yarn for the throw size of this project! What size of needle would you recommend?
Thank you
Ginny
Hi Ginny,
Thank you for your question! For this pattern, we recommend using size US 8 (5 mm), 32- or 40-inch circular needles! We always recommend making a gauge swatch just to be sure you are able to get the same size as the pattern and that you are happy with the fabric. You can see our more in-depth tutorial about gauge here. I hope this helps but please let me know if you have any other questions!
Happy knitting,
Gavriella
Hey hi,
I’m working on the throw size blanket. Like Loraine’s comment on April 28, 2021, I’ve encountered an issue with the pattern from row 17 on. Have there been corrections made to the pattern? Can you please advise?
Thank you
Hi Cynthia,
Thank you for writing in! All corrections have been made to the pattern but we’d still love to help you get back on track. Could you please email in a photo of your work and a summary of the issue you are encountering? This could help our team better visualize the issues you are running into. We will keep an eye out for your email!
All the best,
Gavriella
hi I was wondering if I making the throw size do I cast on 162? Thank you so much much.
Hi Rebecca,
Thank you for writing in! That is correct, for the larger throw size, you will cast on 162 stitches.
Happy knitting,
Gavriella
I would like to knit a wrap using this motif.
Could you recommend how many stitches I should cast on.
Thanks
Hi Muriel,
Thank you for writing in! Although we don’t recommend altering the stitch count of this pattern due to the tricky staggering of the motif, one thing you can do is cast on for a throw size of this pattern and then knit a few inches until you are happy with the width of your scarf. I hope this helps!
Happy knitting,
Gavriella