Open Air Wrap In Linen Quill
Our Open Air Wrap is an oldie but a goodie! The same simple row over and over and a fabric so voluminous and beautiful, its process is as satisfying as its result.
We love that, although lace, this wrap is far from dainty. Its simple mesh pattern is more working-in-front-of-an-air-conditioner-under-a-deadline than tea-time-in-the-parlor.
In our Linen Quill, the Open Air Wrap achieves a lovely combination of loft and drape. A blend of fine highland wool, alpaca, and linen, there are also dozens of gorgeous colors to choose from! We used Kiln Red because its warm glow is totally lovely on almost everybody.
Whatever color you pick, you’ll need just two skeins, which is pretty awesome and also why we’re casting on for our next one!
If you love the yarn used in this project, you’ll love all of our other yarn, too! Explore our 35+ lovingly created yarn collections, in nearly every natural fiber and spectacular color you can imagine… Only available here at Purl Soho’s online yarn shop!
Designed by Purl Soho designer, Whitney Van Nes.
Share your progress + connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, #PurlSohoOpenAirWrap, and #PurlSohoLinenQuill. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
- 2 skeins of Purl Soho’s Linen Quill, 50% fine highland wool, 35% alpaca, and 15% linen. Each skein of this fingering weight yarn is approximately 439 yards/100 grams; approximately 878 yards required. We used Kiln Red.
- US 5 (3.75 mm) straight or 20- or 24-inch circular needles
Gauge
20 stitches = 4 inches in stitch pattern, unblocked
18 stitches = 4 inches in stitch pattern, blocked
Size
Dimensions, Unblocked: 19½ inches wide x 65 inches long
Finished Dimensions, Blocked: 22 inches wide x 70 inches long
Notes
For how-to photos of both the following techniques, please visit our original Open Air Wrap story.
Yarn Over Before Purl Stitch
For more information about making yarn overs before or between purl stitches, visit our Yarn Over tutorial.
Purl 2 Together
In this stitch pattern, you will make every purl 2 together by inserting the right needle into first the purl 2 together from the previous round and then the yarn over from the previous round. Then, as with any normal purl stitch, you will wrap the working yarn counter clockwise around the right needle and pull a stitch through. Drop the two stitches from the left needle and get ready to yarn over!
Pattern
Cast on 98 stitches. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.
Row 1: K1, *yarn over, purl 2 together, repeat from * to last stitch, k1.
Repeat Row 1 until you have used both skeins, minus several yards. (At this point, your wrap may be only about 65 inches long but will grow when you block it.)
Bind off loosely, purling each stitch.
Weave in the ends, then gently wet block to finish!
Learn About Linen Quill + All Our Beautiful Yarns
We designed this project to highlight the uniquely beautiful qualities of our Linen Quill, a wonderful fingering-weight yarn that is a blend of 35% alpaca, 50% wool, and 15% linen. It feels amazing in your hands, and in over 60 jaw-droppingly gorgeous colors, Linen Quill is the candy store of yarn!
More Free Knitting Patterns
- Be sure to explore our vast collection of (mostly free!) Linen Quill knitting patterns and cast on!
More Fingering-Weight Yarns
- Shop our entire collection of fingering-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 alpaca yarn
- Shop wool yarn
- Shop linen yarn
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!
Love this pattern – was going to make it with tussock, but now wondering if I could use Coorie? Just ordered some gorgeous colors without a plan for them.
Hi Cait,
Thanks for reaching out! I think you could certainly use Coorie for this pattern! The only thing is Tussock is a fingering weight yarn and Coorie is a sport weight yarn, so I suggest starting out by working a gauge swatch to see how it compares to the gauge of the pattern!
Please let us know how this turns out, happy knitting!
Gianna
I love this pattern, but don’t knit. Is there a comparable crochet pattern that looks like this?
Hi Bonny,
Thanks for reaching out! Unfortunately, we don’t have a crochet version of this pattern or anything quite similar, but thank you for expressing your interest! I will be sure to pass this along to the rest of the team! In the meantime, you can find our full selection of crochet patterns here: Crochet Patterns
Warmly,
Gianna
Could you please recommend another yarn rather than Linen Quill for the Open Air Wrap pattern? I am terribly allergic to wool. I can wear alpaca. Thank you for your time.
Hi Joan,
Thanks for reaching out! I would recommend using our lovely Santolina, Spectrum Silk, or even Cattail Silk! These yarns are the same gauge as Linen Quill and will have the same gorgeous drape without any wool!
Please let me know which yarn you end up using and how it turns out!
happy knitting!
Gianna
I have the beautiful Linen Quill Worsted and hoped that I could use it to knit the Open Air Wrap. If you think it would be suitable, how many stitches should I cast on?
Hi Diane,
Thanks for reaching out! That is an excellent question, I think you could use Linen Quill Worsted but it will require a bit of tweaking and the overall wrap will be much different and denser rather than light and airy since the original Linen Quill (fingering weight) is much lighter than Linen Quill Worsted.
If you do decide to use Linen Quill Worsted, I would recommend starting off by working a gauge swatch with an appropriately sized needle (I would use a US 8 or 9) from there you can determine your stitches per inch and your cast on the amount.
I hope this helps, happy knitting!
Gianna
Love this simple airy pattern and the colors available!! I do not wear wool however…would you suggest something else that has this lovely drape…thank you…
Hi Suzanne,
Thanks for writing in! I would recommend using our lovely Santolina, or even Cattail Silk! Both yarns are the same gauge and will have the same gorgeous drape!
Please let me know which yarn you end up using and how it turns out!
happy knitting!
Gianna
There was someone who commented on the open-air pattern who figured out a way to knit it instead of purling. I read it but cannot find it now. Could you help plz.
Hi Lucille,
Thanks for reaching out! That comment was on our original Open Air Wrap Story post. That knitter tried the pattern out, working *YO, k2tog tbl* and repeating that to the end instead of *yarn over, purl 2 together*!
I hope this helps, happy knitting!
Gianna
Thank you. Then is the first and last stitch a purl instead of a knit?
Hi Lucille,
It is actually totally up to you! Whether you decide to knit or purl the 1st and last stitch won’t have a huge effect on the selvage edge. I would suggest working a little gauge swatch and you can either knit or purl, whichever feels better to you, and you can decide from the swatch if you like how it looks!
Let me know if you have any more questions!
Gianna
Can this pattern and stitch be done using 2 strands of linen quill? Would you use size 8 needles and approximately how many stitches to cast on?
Hi Pamela,
Thanks for reaching out! I think you could certainly use two strands on a US 8-10 needle depending on how open you would like lace to be. The stitch pattern works over an even number of stitches, so I suggest starting off by working a gauge swatch to calculate your stitches per inch, from there you can determine how many stitches to cast on!
I hope this helps and please let me know if you have any more questions!
Gianna
Going to use slightly larger needle so I’d like to reduce stitches….is this just multiple of “2” pattern?
Hi Donna,
Thanks for writing in! This pattern uses an even number of stitches so going by that or multiples of 2 like you said will work just fine.
Please let us know if you’re curious about anything else!
All the best,
Zha Zha
Hi I want to use colour change for this pattern. Can I do that? or is there a similar pattern with colour change?
Hi Riya,
Thanks for reaching out. You can absolutely incorporate a color change into this pattern! You can easily add horizontal stripes by switching the color or yarn you’re using every few rows, depending on how wide you want the stripes to be. Hope this helps, and let me know if you have any more questions!
All the best,
Lili
This is a lace pattern, and I’ve always been afraid to try lace. Maybe you could let me know of a good video about how to place a lifeline? How many rows do you recommend knitting in between lifeline cords? Thx.
Hi Trudy,
Thanks for reaching out! Unfortunately, we do not have a tutorial for adding a lifeline, but I would suggest searching “adding a lifeline for lace pattern” into google, I am sure there are some excellent tutorials on youtube!
Warmly,
Gianna
I was thinking of making this in your Field Linen. Do you think that yarn would work for this pattern?
Hi Kirsten,
Thanks for writing in. I think Field Linen would make a beautiful Open Air Wrap! Linen yarn may feel a little bit rough when working with at first, but after a few washes, it will soften up considerably and have a lovely drape.
As always, we recommend making a gauge swatch before starting a project to be sure you’re working with the right needles, especially when substituting yarns. If this is daunting, I’d recommend checking out a tutorial called All About Gauge, which covers some incredibly helpful information.
All the best,
Lili
Thank you for all the beautiful patterns! I want to make the
Open Air Wrap in your Burnish yarn. Would you buy 3 skeins and cast on the same amount? I know it may be longer with the yardage difference. Could this work? Thanks so much! I love reading all the comments, so helpful.
Hi Pamela,
Thanks for writing in, and thanks for your kind words! Yes, you would need to buy 3 skeins of Burnish to have enough yardage to make this pattern. I think that casting on the same number of stitches wouldn’t make a huge difference, but to be exact, you could adjust it. To figure out your cast-on number, you will want to first knit a gauge swatch in pattern (and make sure to block it, because this stitch pattern grows significantly once blocked!). Once you know how many stitches you are getting per inch, you can multiply that number by the width (22 inches) and cast on the closest even number. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
Thats great, thanks so much I really appreciate your help. I am looking forward to making it with the Burnish yarn it will be so pretty.
Thanks again!
I’m sorry, I just need clarification, so is it just yarn over purl 2 together, yarn over purl 2 together until the end …. or yarn over purl 2 together, knit 1, yarn over purl 2 together?
Trying to challenge myself more with knitting and purl stitches. This looks like a great beginner knit!
Hi Chelsea,
Thanks for reaching out. The first and last stitches in each row are the only knit stitches! After the first k1, you’ll just be doing yo, p2tog, yo, p2tog, etc., until you have just one stitch left on your left-hand needle. Then you’ll knit this stitch to finish the row! I hope this helps clarify things.
All the best,
Lili
Can you slip the first stitch (rather than knit) on every row so you have a neater border?
Hi Chris!
Thank you for your question. You can certainly slip the first stitch in each row for a slipped stitch selvedge! I suggest knitting a little swatch first to see how it looks, and you can decide from there what works best for you!
All the best,
Margaret
I’m having trouble with the second row. It starts with a knit stitch and instructions say to insert needle into the purl two together from the yarn over from previous round. When I begin second round my first stitch after the first knit is a yarn over.
Hi Kathleen,
Thank you for your question, though I’m so sorry you’re having trouble with the second row! It sounds like you have one extra or one less stitch, since the first stitch after the knit stitch should be a p2tog. Every new p2tog in this next row will be created by inserting your needle into a p2tog first, then a yo from the previous row. For some more photos of how this looks, I would suggest taking a look at the original Open Air Wrap story to see how these rows interact!
I hope this helps!
All the best,
Margaret
I’d love to turn the open air wrap into a blanket measuring approximately 40 x 60. I can see I’d probably cast on twice the number of stitches to get the width and then work until I’m at about 57 inches (to allow for blocking). I’m wondering if I would likely need 3 or 4 skeins of linen quill?
Many thanks for your fabulous patterns as well as second to none assistance x
Hi Sheena,
Thanks for writing in, and I think that’s a lovely idea! You’re absolutely correct in how to go about this modification, and you will need 4 skeins of Linen Quill to make a blanket of that size. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
I found a hole about an inch below that is larger than most. I am thinking that I must have missed a yarn over there. Is there a way that I can fix that without tinking all the way to the hole.
Hi Laura,
Thanks for reaching out, although I’m sorry that you found an extra large hole in your work! Since it doesn’t sound like a dropped stitch, it could just be an area of loose tension. I’d first recommend gently tugging on the legs of the neighboring stitches to see if you can distribute any extra yarn over those to tighten up the hole.
If this doesn’t work, then the best way to fix it would be to undo your work back to that point. If you do this, then I’d recommend putting a lifeline in so that you don’t have to undo everything! You can do this by using a tapestry needle to thread a piece of scrap yarn through one leg of each stitch on one row. Then if you need to undo a large chunk of knitting, you can rip back without fear of losing any stitches! Once you’ve unraveled to the point of the lifeline, you can slip those stitches back onto your needles and remove the scrap yarn.
I hope this helps, but if you’d like us to be able to take a closer look at what’s going on in your work, I’d recommend sending a photo to [email protected]! That way we can better visualize the problem.
All the best,
Lili
If I’m having trouble binding off loosely enough because my yarn just wants to naturally get snug around the needle, what would be a good needle size to use to bind off with? Can I go up to a size 8?
In other words, if I just want to rely on the needle to provide the right tension without having to worry about making it intentionally loose, what size needle do you suggest using? I hope my question makes sense!
Hi Natalie,
Going up to a size 8 needle should work very well to create a looser bind-off! If it ends up being too tight still, you can try a size up, and if it’s still too loose, then you can try a size down. The best needle to use will vary from knitter to knitter, so the best way to find the one that will work for you is through a bit of experimentation. Size 8 is a great place to start from though!
All the best,
Lili
Hi,
Would this pattern be appropriate for Picnic Cotton yarn? Could you suggest other flat knit patterns for this yarn? Thank you so much for your help.
Hi Pam,
I think this pattern would work great with Picnic Cotton! Some other ideas I had would be to use the yarn for the Slice Of Goodness Wrap or the Terrace Wrap.
All the best,
Lili
Thank you Lili, I really appreciate it. Great ideas too!
Hello, can this pattern be made with Santolina yarn?
Hi Nicholas,
Yes, you can definitely make this pattern with Santolina! As always though, we recommend knitting a gauge swatch before casting on your project, especially when you are substituting yarns. You may need to size up or down your needles in order to get the correct gauge!
All the best,
Lili
I love this pattern and have tried knitting it several times, but inevitably end up dropping a stitch and can’t figure out how to fix it. I’m studying all the information and photos I can find, but still can’t make sense of how to pick up the error. Any tips?
Hi Diane,
Thanks for reaching out. I’m afraid that this pattern is quite difficult to pick up dropped stitches in, so I would instead recommend putting in a lifeline on a previous row, undoing your work, and then reknitting it. You can even put lifelines in as you work, every few rows, just in case you drop a stitch! These can be removed at the end of the project. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
Thank you – good to know it’s not just me 😉
Hi! I saw a previous comment where Gianna recommended Cattail Silk as a substitute yarn. I saw that the Cattail comes in a skein of approximately 618 yards… I was thinking maybe I could make the wrap slightly narrower and/or shorter so as not to need an additional skein…? It’s for a petite person, so I think the wrap would be pretty big on her anyway as is. 618 yards is 70% of the 878 yards required in the pattern for 19.5 x 65 (unblocked). If I’m understanding the math right, then 14.5 x 60 would maybe work? Any chance you could check my math?? 🙂 I appreciate you all and your beautiful yarns, patterns and advice!
Hi Kiran,
Thank you for your question! For a wrap size of 14.5 x 60, you will need roughly 491 yards of Cattail Silk! I hope this helps! To modify this pattern you will want to start with a gauge swatch. You will then measure your stitches per inch and multiply that number by the desired width of your wrap and that will give you your cast on number. One thing to keep in mind is that this wrap pattern is worked over a multiple of two, so you will want to start with an even number of stitches. I hope this helps but please let us know if you have any other questions!
Happy knitting,
Gavriella
Hi! I’ve made two Osmosis Wraps, with great success. I recently started an Open Air Wrap in Linen Quill, and am having gauge issues. With the suggested size 5 needle, I am way over gauge. I dropped down to a size 3, which seems correct, gauge wise. My concern is that with such a small needle I’m losing the “holes” that make this pattern unique. Your thoughts? Thank you.
Hi Diane,
Did you block your gauge swatch? Blocking will help open up the stitches for the results you see here. I hope this helps!
Happy knitting,
Gavriella
Thanks Gavriella. Yes, I did block the swatch, which definitely opened up the stitches. The design is just on a smaller scale than the Osmosis Wrap due to the smaller needles.
Diane