Bramble Wrap
With its balance of lightness and warmth, Alexis Hughes’ Bramble Wrap is a gorgeous companion through the shifting seasons, with a natural beauty we love at any time of year.
Alexis takes a simple stockinette wrap and infuses it with fun, knitting, slipping, and twisting stitches to create lines of contrast color with a striking triple-point design. An easy technique with a big impact, it’s a cast on any knitter will enjoy!
The main yarn here is our Cattail Silk, whose distinctive texture always elevates a project and whose earthy appeal is especially wonderful in this wrap.
One hundred percent mulberry silk, Cattail Silk is speckled with nubs, the result of spinning three plies of just the short noil fibers. This means the Bramble Wrap has a lighter drape and more subtle shine than most silk yarns would give.
For the lines of contrast, Alexis chose one of our softest yarns, the wool-mohair-silk Brume, whose fuzzy halo adds even more character to this gorgeous knit.
We’ve put together eleven Bramble Wrap Bundles, with three skeins of Cattail Silk for the wrap size or two for a scarf, along with one skein of Brume for the contrast. So cast on your favorite and welcome spring with this beautiful design!
Alexis Hughes is the designer behind the company, cold comfort knits. She is passionate about knitting for mental health and strives to create patterns that are interesting for the hands yet relaxing for the mind, guided by the belief that knitting doesn’t have to be difficult to be beautiful and that moving forward is always possible…even if it’s just one stitch at a time.
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, #PurlSohoBrambleWrap, #PurlSohoCattailSilk, and #PurlSohoBrume. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
Our Bramble Wrap Bundle includes…
- Yarn A: 2 (3) skeins of Purl Soho’s Cattail Silk, 100% mulberry silk. Each skein is approximately 618 yards/ 100 grams; approximately 820 (1470) total yards required. We used the color Fallen Leaves.
- Yarn B: 1 skein of Purl Soho’s Brume, 58% mohair, 25% wool, and 17% silk. Each skein is approximately 273 yards/ 50 g; approximately 150 (265) total yards required. We used the color Alpine Phlox.
You’ll also need…
- US 1½ (2.75 mm), straight or 24-inch circular needles
This bundle comes in 10 more vibrant palettes…
Cherry Blossom + Saffron Yellow; Golden Oak + Golden Lichen
Flower Field Gray + Cerulean Sea; Blue Bamboo + Claret Pink
Blue Iris + Bright Thistle; Cerulean Velvet + Pink Fog
Purple Sumac + Blue Lagoon; Kingfisher Blue + Alizarin Orange
Green Velvet + Lucky Green; Flower Field Charcoal + Beach Stone
GAUGE
31 stitches and 43 rows = 4 inches in pattern
SIZES
Scarf (Wrap)
Finished Dimensions: 9¾ (17½) inches wide x 73½ inches long
Sample: We knit the Wrap version.
NOTES
STITCH MULTIPLE
This pattern is worked over a multiple of 10 plus 5 stitches.
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS
SLIP STITCHES
All slipped stitch should be worked purlwise, with yarn in front or back as directed.
When instructed to “slip 3” with yarn in front (or back), be sure not to pull working yarn too tightly across the slipped stitches. Maintaining even tension will help prevent your finished piece from puckering.
LOCK YARN B TAILS
The Bramble Wrap uses a full skein of Yarn B. To make sure you have enough, join and cut Yarn B when needed, leaving tails that measure 2 inches and locking tails as you go.
To lock a Yarn B tail, knit the first stitch of the row with Yarn A or B as directed, then bring the tail over the working yarn at the wrong side of the work, and work the next stitch with the working yarn as usual. Repeat 4 more times, and celebrate not having to weave in those ends later!
RIGHT + LEFT TWISTS
RT (Right Twist): Knit into front of second stitch on left needle, leaving stitch on needle, then knit into front of first stitch on left needle and slip the two stitches from needle together.
LT (Left Twist): Knit into the back of second stitch on left needle, leaving stitch on needle, then knit into the front of first stitch on left needle and slip the two stitches from needle together.
For help with these stitches, please visit our Right + Left Twist tutorial.
PATTERN
With Yarn A and using a basic Long Tail Cast On, cast on 75 (135) stitches.
Set-Up Row 1 (wrong side): Knit to end of row.
Set-Up Row 2 (right side): Knit to end of row.
Set-Up Row 3: K2, purl to last 2 stitches, k2.
Set-Up Row 4: Knit to end of row.
Repeat Set-Up Rows 3 and 4 two more times, then repeat Row 3 one more time.
Work Bramble Pattern either from Written Instructions or Chart, both below.
BRAMBLE PATTERN: WRITTEN INSTRUCTIONS
Row 1 (right side): Join Yarn B, leaving a 2-inch tail and knit to end of row, locking Yarn B tail as you begin the row (see Special Instructions).
Row 2 (wrong side): With Yarn B, k6, *p3, k7, repeat from * to last 9 stitches, p3, k6.
Cut Yarn B, leaving a 2-inch tail.
Row 3: With Yarn A, k6, locking Yarn B tail as you begin the row, *slip 3 with yarn in back (wyib, see Special Instructions), k7, repeat from * to last 9 stitches, slip 3 wyib, k6.
Row 4: With Yarn A, k2, p4, *slip 3 with yarn in front (wyif), p7, repeat from * to last 9 stitches, slip 3 wyif, p4, k2.
Rows 5 and 6: Repeat Rows 3 and 4. (Note: No need to lock Yarn B tail this time!)
Row 7: With Yarn A, k5, *Right Twist (RT, see Special Instructions), slip 1 wyib, Left Twist (LT, see Special Instructions), k5, repeat from * to end of row.
Row 8: With Yarn A, k2, purl to last 2 stitches, k2.
Row 9: With Yarn A, knit to end of row.
Rows 10–12: Repeat Rows 8 and 9, then repeat Row 8 one more time.
Row 13: Repeat Row 1.
Row 14: With Yarn B, k11, *p3, k7, repeat from * to last 4 stitches, k4.
Cut Yarn B, leaving a 2-inch tail.
Row 15: With Yarn A, k11, locking Yarn B tail as you begin the row, *slip 3 wyib, k7, repeat from * to last 4 stitches, k4.
Row 16: With Yarn A, k2, p9, *slip 3 wyif, p7, repeat from * to last 4 stitches, p2, k2.
Rows 17 and 18: Repeat Rows 15 and 16. (Note: No need to lock Yarn B tail this time!)
Row 19: With Yarn A, k10, *RT, slip 1 wyib, LT, k5, repeat from * to last 5 stitches, k5.
Row 20–24: Repeat Rows 8 and 9 two times, then repeat Row 8 one more time. Repeat Rows 1–24 thirty-one more times, or until work measures approximately 1¼ inches less than desired finished length, then work Rows 1–10 one more time.
Go on to Finishing section, below.
BRAMBLE 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. Be sure to Lock Yarn B Tails (see Special Instructions) where indicated.
Work Rows 1–24 thirty-two times; then work Rows 1–10 one more time, then go on to Finishing section, below.
KEY
CHART
NOTE: Want to see it bigger? Download this chart (and key) as a PDF!
FINISHING
Next 2 Rows: With Yarn A, knit to end of row.
With right side facing you, bind off loosely knitwise.
Weave in any remaining ends and gently spray block to given dimensions.
Are there crochet instructions for the Bramble Wrap?
Hello,
Thanks for writing in! I’m afraid that we have not designed this wrap in crochet. I’ll pass along your interest in seeing more crochet patterns to our design team though!
All the best,
Lili
I have leftover Tussock and Line Weight from other projects. Would either of them held double or a combination (one tussock and one line weight; or two tussock and one line weight) work as a substitute for Brume?
Hi Sam,
Thanks for reaching out! I’d recommend holding Line Weight single and using it in place of the Cattail Silk and then holding Tussock double in place of Brume. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
This is beyond gorgeous!! Is there any way to make this suitable for a very warm, humid, tropical environment, like by making it much smaller or making a shoulder wrap instead of a scarf? Or, does it just knit up too heavy and thick?
Hi Julie,
I think that a smaller version of this wrap would work well for a warm and humid climate! The main fiber is silk, which, unlike wool, doesn’t trap heat, so it’s a naturally lightweight fiber.
All the best,
Lili
How long would you suggest a scarf version to be? Using one less skein of the silk?
Hi Kerri,
Thanks for reaching out. We actually did design a scarf version of this pattern! The dimensions are 9 3/4 inches by 73 1/2 inches, and it requires only 2 skeins of Cattail Silk.
All the best,
Lili
Bought the kit but cannot get it into Ravelry! Any suggestions?
Hi Linda,
Thanks for reaching out! If you navigate to the Bramble Wrap on Ravelry (here), you should be able to click “add to library” to save it to your Ravelry library. Because this pattern is offered on our website, it doesn’t exist as a Ravelry download, but you can always navigate back to this page to read the pattern. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
I love this pattern! Would like advice about gauge. I can’t seem to get 31 st. = 4″. With a size 0 I am still getting 28 st.= 4″….but with that 0 I am getting 48 rows = 4″. Would you advise using a 1 or larger size, in order to get 43 rows instead of 48?
I guess my question is: with gauge– do you think row number per inch is more important than stitches per inch on this pattern?
Hi Debra,
Thanks for writing in! Have you tried blocking your swatch yet? When you have a swatch with an uneven stitch vs row gauge, you can often “aggressively block” it to achieve both the correct stitch and the correct row gauge. In your case, you can try gently stretching the swatch vertically after you soak it in water. That will make the row gauge a bit taller while simultaneously bringing the stitch gauge inwards. You should be able to even it out to the correct gauge this way! Then, when you finish your wrap or scarf, you can block it in the same manner to even out the gauge.
All the best,
Lili
Good Morning, I had a question about the needle size. A 2.75 mm needle does not equal 1.5 in US. What is the correct needle size for the wrap? Thank you. KT
Hi KT,
Thanks for reaching out! The metric sizes we indicate in our patterns might differ from what you’re used to since different needle companies sometimes assign the millimeter measurements to different US sizes. These inconsistencies, while frustrating, are very common when comparing needles, so when in doubt, rely on metric sizes…they’re standardized! And as long as you find needles with which you can achieve the correct gauge, those will work for the pattern!
All the best,
Lili
I’ve started working on the wrap and love the pattern. I’m confused how cutting and locking the yarn uses less yarn than carrying it up the side. My distance between bramble rows is less than 2 inches, so I don’t see how having 2 2 inch tails can use less yarn. Is this a mistake in the pattern?
Hi Kate,
Thanks for reaching out! I can absolutely see how the wording we used in the note on locking tails is confusing, and we’ve actually gone ahead and updated it to hopefully make it clearer.
You’re right that carrying the yarn up the side would use less yarn than cutting 2-inch tails. However, we don’t recommend carrying the yarn up at all since it ends up being very visible and unsightly. Because of that, cutting Yarn B is the best option, and of the methods one could use for that, cutting 2-inch tails and locking them will use up less yarn than cutting longer tails so that you can weave them in at the end!
I hope this helps clarify things, and thank you for bringing this question to our attention!
All the best,
Lili
I would like to make to make the Bramble as a scarf using the Cattail silk. However I cannot use anything with mohair and would like a suggestion for replacing the Brume.
Hi Ila,
I’d recommend using a fingering weight yarn in place of Brume! Posy would be a great choice, and so would Quartz and Cygnet. All of these yarns are made with super soft fibers like cashmere, merino wool, and alpaca!
All the best,
Lili