Like raindrops tracing a path down a window or honey dripping from the comb, the surface pattern of Ksenia Naidyon’s Droplet Blanket carves a beautiful path through nature.

Droplet Blanket | Purl Soho

Ksenia designed this pattern with a Japanese wrapped stitch, which is easy to execute and exciting to learn. These stitches create the eponymous “droplets,” little strings of beads that pop up along ribbed columns… Gorgeous!

Droplet Blanket | Purl Soho

When designing, Ksenia wanted to make sure the pattern repeats were “intuitive and easy to memorize” but that the project as a whole had “enough variation to keep the knitter entertained.” You found the perfect balance, Ksenia, and this is a wonderful knit! We’ve included both written and charted instructions for the design, so each knitter can pick their favorite and dive in!

Droplet Blanket | Purl Soho

Knit holding two strands of our beautiful Santolina, the fabric is soft and drapey with a crisp stitch definition that shows off the details of this design wonderfully. A mix of 70% organically grown cotton, 20% rayon from bamboo, and 10% hemp, cotton is at Santolina’s heart, durable but super soft, while hemp lends a hearty, slightly rustic character. As smooth and shiny as silk, the bamboo adds a lustrous finish. All together, they knit into a truly spectacular (machine washable!) blanket.

Droplet Blanket | Purl Soho

Our Golden Pollen makes a glorious Droplet Blanket, but there are more than twenty other colors of Santolina to choose from, so if you prefer raindrops to honey, you’ll find the color for you!

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!

Droplet Blanket | Purl Soho

Designed for Purl Soho by Ksenia Naidyon, the talented designer behind Life Is Cozy, where she shares patterns for her beautiful hand knits, instructions for must-know stitch patterns, and reviews on needles, books, and notions… Everything we knitters love!

Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, #PurlSohoDropletBlanket, and #PurlSohoSantolina. We can’t wait to see what you make!

Materials

Droplet Blanket | Purl Soho
  • 7 (12) skeins of Purl Soho’s Santolina, 70% organically grown cotton, 20% rayon from bamboo, and 10% hemp. Each skein is 328 yards/ 100 grams; approximately 2000 (3640) total yards required. We used the color Golden Pollen.
  • US 6 (4 mm), 40- or 47-inch circular needles

GAUGE

20 stitches and 24 rows = 4 inches in 3 x 1 rib (see Notes) with yarn doubled

SIZES

Crib (Throw)

Finished Dimensions: Approximately 30 (41) inches wide x 44 (58) inches long

Sample: We knit the Throw size.

NOTES

YARN DOUBLED

Throughout this pattern, you will pull two strands together. The easiest way to do this is to wind two skeins into separate balls, or wind one skein into a center-pull ball and pull one strand from the inside and one from the outside.

3 X 1 RIB (FOR GAUGE SWATCH)

Worked over a multiple of 4 stitches plus 1.

Row 1 (right side): *P1, k3, repeat from * to last 1 stitch, p1.

Row 2 (wrong side): *K1, p3, repeat from * to last 1 stitch, k1.

Repeat Rows 1 and 2 for stitch pattern.

STITCH MULTIPLE

Worked over a multiple of 8 plus 7 stitches.

PASS, KNIT, MAKE 1 BACKWARDS LOOP, KNIT (PKMK)

Pass the third stitch on left needle over first two stitches and off needle, k1, make 1 backwards loop, k1.

PATTERN

Cast on 151 (207) stitches. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.

Set-Up Row (wrong side): K2, *p3, k1, repeat from * to last 1 stitch, p1.

Now follow either the Written or Chart Instructions, both below.

DROPLET PATTERN: WRITTEN INSTRUCTIONS

Row 1 (right side): Slip 1 knitwise with yarn in back (wyib), *p1, PKMK (see Notes), p1, k3, repeat from * to last 6 stitches, p1, PKMK, p1, k1.

Row 2 (wrong side): Slip 1 purlwise with yarn in front (wyif), *k1, p3, repeat from * to last 2 stitches, k1, p1.

Row 3: Slip 1 knitwise wyib, *p1, k3, p1, PKMK, repeat from * to last 6 stitches, p1, k3, p1, k1.

Row 4: Slip 1 purlwise wyif, *k1, p3, repeat from * to last 2 stitches, k1, p1.

Rows 5–12: Repeat Rows 1–4 two more times.

Rows 13 and 14: Repeat Rows 1 and 2 one time.

Row 15: Slip 1 knitwise wyib, *p1, k3, repeat from * to last 2 stitches, p1, k1.

Row 16: Slip 1 purlwise wyif, *k1, p3, repeat from * to last 2 stitches, k1, p1.

Rows 17–24: Repeat Rows 15 and 16 four more times.

Rows 25 and 26: Repeat Rows 3 and 4.

Rows 27–34: Repeat Rows 1–4 two times.

Rows 35–44: Repeat Rows 15 and 16 five times.

Work Rows 1–44 five (7) more times, until piece measures approximately 42 (56) inches from cast-on edge, then repeat Rows 1–12 one more time.

Go on to Finishing section below.

DROPLET PATTERN: CHART

NOTE: New to reading charts? Unravel the mysteries with our Reading A Chart Tutorial!

Starting in the bottom right corner of the Chart below, work right-side (odd number) rows from right to left and wrong-side (even number) rows from left to right.

Work Rows 1–44 six (8) times until piece measures approximately 42 (56) inches from cast-on edge, then repeat Rows 1–12 one more time.

KEY

Droplet Blanket | Purl Soho

CHART

NOTE: Want to see it bigger? Download this chart (and key) as a PDF!

Droplet Blanket | Purl Soho

Go on to Finishing section below.

FINISHING

Next Row (right side): Slip 1 knitwise with yarn in back, *p1, PKMK, p1, k3, repeat from * to last 6 stitches, p1, PKMK, p1, k1.

With wrong side facing you, bind off in pattern, knitting the knits and purling the purls.

Weave in ends and gently wet block your finished blanket.

Droplet Blanket | Purl Soho
Droplet Blanket | Purl Soho

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!