Alpenglow Blanket

Alpenglow is the word for the warm blush that sweeps across west-facing mountains just after sunset, a breathtaking light that contrasts with the surrounding cool of the darkening landscape. Our Alpenglow Blanket pattern takes its name from this natural wonder, exploring the rich spectrum of our inspiring 40-color Linen Quill Minis.

By pairing each warm color Mini with a complementary cool color and working an easy two-sided stitch pattern, you end up with one warm-dominant side of your blanket and one cool-dominant side, as different from each other as the eastern and western skies at sunset.

The stitch pattern that makes the magic happen is known as Reverse Ridge Stitch, which creates prominent rows of purl bumps alternating with receding rows of knit stitches. This means the colors that pop on one side are the ones that take a step back on the other side… So simple, but so clever, and so satisfying to create with your own two hands!

The key to this stockinette-stitch-with-a-twist is the straightforward Turn + Slide method, which is an instruction at the end of each row to either turn the work as you normally do or to slide the stitches to the other end of your circular needles. If you’ve never done it, follow along with our Turn + Slide Tutorial to see the simplicity of this technique in action!

Your yarns are carried along as you stripe, and you’ll finish up with each Mini before moving on to the next, so you’ll only need to weave in two ends per 25-gram ball! The neat selvage treatment is easy to work and shows just a flash of the dominant color from the other side, like the last glimmer of light from the sinking sun.

The stunning gem-like hues, cool and warm alike, come from our vibrant Linen Quill Minis. This bundle of 40 of the most amazing colors you can imagine is an irresistible invitation to explore and play.

Linen Quill is our incredibly popular fingering-weight yarn made with 50% fine highland wool for springiness, 35% alpaca for softness, and 15% linen for rustic appeal. The way each fiber takes the dye differently gives the yarn a fascinating depth and will make your Alpenglow Blanket shimmer!

Alpenglow is a phenomenon that fills you with wonder and awe, and just so with your Alpenglow Blanket. Cast on for a masterpiece with this simple knitting pattern and a beautiful bundle of Linen Quill Minis!

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, Gaby Bush.

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

Materials

• 1 of Purl Soho’s Linen Quill Minis bundle, 50% highland wool, 35% alpaca, and 15% linen. Each bundle of this fingering-weight yarn is a total of 4,360 yards/ 1000 grams; approximately 4000 total yards required.
• US 3 (3.25 mm), 32- or 40-inch circular knitting needles

GAUGE

27 stitches and 65 rows = 4 inches in stitch pattern

SIZE

Finished Dimensions: 40 inches wide x 49¼ inches long

NOTES

STITCH MULTIPLE

This pattern works over any number of stitches.

COLOR PAIRS

The first step of this pattern is to divide your 40 Linen Quill Minis into 20 Color Pairs, each with one Warm Color and one Cool Color. Color Pair 1 consists of Warm Color 1 and Cool Color 1; Color Pair 2 includes Warm Color 2 and Cool Color 2; Color Pair 3 is Warm Color 3 and Cool Color 3, etc.

Warm Colors will be dominant on the “right side” of the blanket; Cool Colors will be dominant on the “wrong side” (although, for this blanket, there is no right or wrong side… They’re both beautiful!)

WARM COLORS                                               COOL COLORS

1. Golden Green                                                1. Fresh Nutmeg

2. Fresh Pickle                                                   2. Pine Cone

3. Raw Sienna                                                    3. Kettle Black

4. Baked Earth                                                   4. Stillwater Blue

5. Butterscotch Yellow                                      5. Stonewall Gray

6. Turmeric Yellow                                             6. Reed Gray

7. Golden Wheat                                                7. Pale Mushroom

8. Wheat Flour                                                   8. Lavender Opal

9. Pale Oats                                                        9. Crocus Bud

10. Peony Pink                                                   10. Blue Pansy

11. Lychee Pink                                                  11. Blue Blue

12. Chestnut Red                                              12. Cobalt Blue

13. Kiln Red                                                        13. True Turquoise

14. Peachy Pink                                                 14. Eggshell Blue

15. Super Orange                                              15. Birds Egg Blue

16. Red Poppy                                                   16. Pale Celery

17. Bright Flamingo                                           17. Grasshopper Green

18. Pink Pop                                                       18. Clover Green

19. Magnolia Blossom                                      19. Lemon Lime

20. Purple Clematis                                          20. Buttercup Yellow

TURN AND SLIDE

When you work the Color Change Rows, you either “slide” or “turn” the work at the end of each row.

“Turn work” means to do what you would normally do when you finish a row on circular knitting needles: Transfer the needle from your left hand into your right hand and the needle from your right hand into your left, flipping the work around so the opposite side is facing you.

“Slide work” means to keep the same side of the work facing you and to push all the stitches to the right end of the circular needles. Without turning the work, start the new row as you normally would.

You will know that you’re doing this right if the yarn you need to complete the next row is right there waiting for you! To see this technique in action, visit our Turn + Slide Tutorial.

CARRYING UP YARN

At the beginning of rows where you have two yarns, carry the non-working yarn up the selvage by picking up the working yarn from behind the non-working yarn.

PATTERN

Beginning with Color Pair 1 (see Notes, Color Pairs), use Warm Color 1 and a Long Tail Cast On to cast on 270 stitches.

TIP: When you’re casting on so many stitches, it really helps to place a marker or piece of scrap yarn every 50 stitches. That way, when you lose count (which you will!), you won’t have to recount all the stitches. Just remember to remove these markers when you work the first row.

Do not cut yarn and slide work (see Notes).

REVERSE RIDGE STRIPES

NOTE: Carry up non-working yarn, as necessary, from now on (see Notes).

With Cool Color 1

Row 1 (right side): Knit to end of row, turn work (see Notes).

Row 2 (wrong side): Slip 1 purlwise with yarn in front (wyif), purl to last stitch, slip 1 purlwise wyif, slide work.

Drop Cool Color 1, but do not cut.

With Warm Color 1

Row 3 (wrong side): P1, knit to last stitch, p1, turn work.

Row 4 (right side): Slip 1 knitwise with yarn in back (wyib), purl to last stitch, slip 1 knitwise wyib, slide work.

Drop Warm Color 1, but do not cut.

Switching colors every 2 rows as established and carrying up non-working yarns, repeat Rows 1–4 nine more times. [40 rows]

Cut Color Pair 1.

CONTINUE

With Color Pair 2, repeat Reverse Ridge Stripes section. [40 rows; 80 rows total]

Cut Color Pair 2.

With Color Pair 3, repeat Reverse Ridge Stripes section. [40 rows; 120 rows total]

Cut Color Pair 3.

Continuing with the same logic, repeat Reverse Ridge Stripes section with each Color Pair, ending with Color Pair 19. [760 rows total]

With Color Pair 20, repeat Rows 1–4 of Reverse Ridge Stripes nine times, then repeat Rows 1–3 one time. [39 rows; 799 rows total]

Bind Off Row (right side): With Warm Color 20, bind off all stitches knitwise.

Cut Color Pair 20.

FINISHING

NOTE: For help with duplicate stitch, visit our Weaving In Ends Tutorial and scroll down to “Weaving In Ends With Duplicate Stitch (On The Wrong Side)”. You’ll use the “wrong side” technique because you’ll be weaving into the purl rows of this pattern.

Using duplicate stitch, weave Warm Colors into the purl stitches on the right side, and weave Cool Colors into the purl stitches on the wrong side.

Gently wet block to finished dimensions.

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!