Color Brick Road Blanket
Follow your sense of adventure with our Color Brick Road Blanket pattern, where every brick in the road is a beautiful surprise thanks to our vibrant Linen Quill Minis!
This wonderful whiz of a project couldn’t be more fun to knit! You’ll work one column at a time, brick by brick, holding two different Linen Quill Minis together. Each brick is super quick to knit in simple garter stitch, and you’ll find yourself racing along to the next one. As you work each new brick in each new column, you’ll pick up stitches along the edge of the previous column for a nifty no-sew join.
All this over-the-rainbow fun comes from our Linen Quill Minis, a bundle of 40 different 25-gram balls of our popular fingering-weight Linen Quill. Wool, alpaca, and linen (oh my!) make this yarn just the right mix of springy, soft, and rustic, with incredible depth of color in every Mini. You’ll need just one bundle to make the small throw shown here, or two bundles to make a larger throw.
The organizing color principle behind the Color Brick Road Blanket is value, aka light and dark. Just squint at the finished blanket (below) to see the zigzag-y diagonal stripes created by alternating pairs of light colors with pairs of dark colors.
Whether light or dark, some marled color combos read as soft washes, while others offer a zingy contrast. Below, you can see what happens when Lemon Lime meets Pale Mushroom, Grasshopper Green joins Red Poppy, and Pink Pop combines with Wheat Flour.
The Color Brick Road Blanket pattern details the color pairs, but you follow your own road when it comes to the order of the bricks, randomly choosing each pair from bags of light and dark Minis. Once you’ve used every pair, you’ll start over and discover a different serendipitous order!
Pick up a bundle or two of Linen Quill Minis for your own Color Brick Road Blanket, and have so much fun follow, follow, following wherever it leads 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!
Designed for Purl Soho by Joelle Hoverson and Gaby Bush.
Please Note: We recently noticed there are a couple of similar blanket patterns on Ravelry that we’d like to shout out: Kay F Jones’s awesome Jelly Roll Blanket and Christiane Burkhard’s gorgeous Long Live The Scraps pattern. While there are some design and construction differences between our blankets, we imagine that, like us, Kay and Christiane were also inspired by the traditional Streak o’ Lightning Quilt pattern. We hope you’ll check out their versions, as well, and all of Kay and Christiane‘s other knitting patterns, too… Lots of amazing things to knit!
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, #PurlSohoColorBrickRoadBlanket, and #PurlSohoLinenQuill. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
- 1 (2) 40-Color Bundle(s) of Purl Soho’s Linen Quill Minis, 50% highland wool, 35% alpaca, and 15% linen. Each bundle of this fingering-weight yarn is approximately 4,360 yards/ 1000 grams; approximately 3,675 (7,690) total yards required.
- US 7 (4.5 mm), 24-inch circular knitting needles
- A stitch marker
GAUGE
20 stitches and 40 rows (20 ridges) = 4 inches in garter stitch with yarn doubled
SIZES
Small Throw (Large Throw)
Finished Dimensions: 36 inches wide x 42 inches long (48 inches wide x 66 inches long)
Sample: We knit the Small Throw size.
NOTES
COLOR ORDER
Throughout this pattern you will hold two strands of yarn as you work, creating combinations that have a dark or light value. You will alternate blocks of Light Pairs and Dark Pairs as you knit. Here’s how…
Grab four vessels (we used paper bags), two for the Light Pairs and two for the Dark Pairs. Put the following ten Light Pairs into one bag, and the ten Dark Pairs into another bag (if you’ve lost any labels, you can refer to the Color Guide included with your bundle) …
BAG OF LIGHT PAIRS
- Buttercup Yellow + Birds Egg Blue
- Butterscotch Yellow + Peony Pink
- Pale Mushroom + Lemon Lime
- Eggshell Blue + Reed Gray
- Magnolia Blossom + Pale Oats
- Pink Pop + Wheat Flour
- Baked Earth + Lavender Opal
- Turmeric Yellow + Peachy Pink
- Super Orange + Golden Wheat
- Bright Flamingo + Pale Celery
BAG OF DARK PAIRS
- Chestnut Red + Purple Clematis
- Fresh Pickle + Blue Blue
- Lychee Pink + Pine Cone
- Kiln Red + Clover Green
- Golden Green + Stillwater Blue
- Raw Sienna + True Turquoise
- Crocus Bud + Kettle Black
- Stonewall Gray + Blue Pansy
- Fresh Nutmeg + Cobalt Blue
- Grasshopper Green + Red Poppy
To begin, close your eyes and select one color from the Light bag, then find that color’s assigned pair. Use this pair to work the first block of the pattern, then set these colors aside in the second Light bag. For the next color block, repeat this process with the Dark bag, choosing a pair at random and placing it in the second Dark bag when you finish the block. Continue to pick and knit pairs until you have used all 20 color pairs once, and your original bags are empty. Now use your full bags of Light and Dark colors to do it all again! Repeat this process until your blanket is complete.
NOTE: You will use all 20 color pairs at least 4 (9) times, but 10 (4) pairs will be used 5 (10) times.
SLIP STITCHES
Slip all slipped stitches purlwise with yarn in front (wyif).
PATTERN
COLUMN 1
With a Light Pair (see Color Order) and using a basic Long Tail Cast On, cast on 15 stitches.
Set-Up Row (wrong side): Slip 1 (see Notes), knit to end of row.
*Row 1 (right side): Knit to end of row.
Row 2 (wrong side): Slip 1, knit to end of row.
Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until you have 30 ridges of current color pair on the right side, ending with Row 2.
Cut yarns.
Continuing in Color Order, alternating Light Pairs and Dark Pairs as you go, repeat from * 6 (10) more times, ending with a Light Pair. Do not cut yarns after last row. [7 (11) blocks; 210 (330) total ridges; 30 ridges per color pair]
With right side facing you, bind off all stitches.
Weave in Column 1 ends.
COLUMN 2
NOTE: For help picking up stitches, please visit our Picking Up Stitches Tutorial and scroll down to the Along A Vertical Edge: Garter Stitch, Between Ridges video.
With a Dark Pair if the last pair you knit was Light or with a Light Pair if the last pair you knit was Dark, use a basic Long Tail Cast On to cast on 15 stitches, then pick up and knit 15 stitches along right selvage of first block of previous column. Be sure to start picking up between cast-on row and first garter ridge, and then pick up one stitch between each garter ridge. [30 total stitches]
Set-Up Row (wrong side): Knit to last 14 stitches, place marker (pm), knit to end of row.
Row 1 (right side): Knit to marker, slip marker (sm), knit 2 together (k2tog), turn work. [1 stitch decreased]
Row 2 (wrong side): Knit to end of row, slipping marker as you come to it.
Repeat Rows 1 and 2 thirteen more times until you have 15 ridges in current color pair, ending with Row 2. [16 stitches remain; 2 stitches to left of marker with right side facing you]
Cut yarns.
**Pick-Up Row (right side): With next color pair, knit to marker, sm, k2tog, pick up and knit 30 stitches from right selvage of previous column, beginning one ridge above where you finished picking up last time. [45 stitches]
Beginning with Row 2, repeat Rows 1 and 2 until you have 30 ridges in current color pair, ending with Row 2. [16 stitches remain; 2 stitches to left of marker with right side facing you]
Cut yarns.
Repeat from ** 5 (9) more times.
For last color pair of the column…
Next Row (right side): With next color pair, knit to marker, sm, k2tog, pick up and knit 15 stitches from right selvage of previous column, beginning one ridge above where you finished picking up last time and ending just before last ridge. [30 stitches]
Beginning with Row 2, repeat Rows 1 and 2 until you have 15 ridges in current color pair, ending with Row 2. [16 stitches remain; 2 stitches to left of marker with right side facing you]
With right side facing you, bind off to marker, remove marker, k2tog, bind off remaining stitch.
Weave in Column 2 ends.
COLUMN 3
With a Dark Pair if the last pair you knit was Light or with a Light Pair if the last pair you knit was Dark, use a basic Long Tail Cast On to cast on 15 stitches, then pick up and knit 30 stitches along right selvage of first block of previous column. [45 total stitches]
Set-Up Row (wrong side): Knit to last 14 stitches, pm, knit to end of row.
Row 1 (right side): Knit to marker, sm, k2tog, turn work. [1 stitch decreased]
Row 2 (wrong side): Knit to end of row, slipping marker as you come to it.
Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until you have 30 ridges in current color pair, ending with Row 2. [16 stitches remain; 2 stitches to left of marker with right side facing you]
Cut yarns.
***Pick-Up Row (right side): With next color pair, knit to marker, sm, k2tog, pick up and knit 30 stitches from right selvage of previous column, beginning one ridge above where you finished picking up last time. [45 stitches]
Beginning with Row 2, repeat Rows 1 and 2 until you have 30 ridges in current color pair, ending with Row 2. [16 stitches remain; 2 stitches to left of marker with right side facing you]
Cut yarns.
Repeat from *** 5 (9) more times, except do not cut yarns after last row.
With right side facing you, bind off to marker, remove marker, k2tog, bind off remaining stitch.
Weave in Column 3 ends.
CONTINUE
Continuing to work in Color Order, repeat Columns 2 and 3 four (6) more times until you have 11 (15) columns total.
LAST COLUMN
With a Dark Pair if the last pair you knit was Light or with a Light Pair if the last pair you knit was Dark, use a basic Long Tail Cast On to cast on 15 stitches, then pick up and knit 15 stitches along right selvage of first block of previous column. [30 total stitches]
Set-Up Row (wrong side): Knit to last 14 stitches, pm, knit to end of row.
Row 1 (right side): Slip 1, knit to marker, sm, k2tog, turn work. [1 stitch decreased]
Row 2 (wrong side): Knit to end of row, slipping marker as you come to it.
Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until you have 15 ridges in current color pair, ending with Row 2. [16 stitches remain; 2 stitches to left of marker with right side facing you]
Cut yarns.
****Pick-Up Row (right side): Slip 1 and move yarn to back; joining next color pair, knit to marker, sm, k2tog, pick up and knit 30 stitches from right selvage of previous column, beginning one ridge above where you finished picking up last time. [45 stitches]
Beginning with Row 2, repeat Rows 1 and 2 until you have 30 ridges in current color pair, ending with Row 2. [16 stitches remain; 2 stitches to left of marker with right side facing you]
Cut yarns.
Repeat from **** 5 (9) more times.
Next Row (right side): Slip 1 and move yarn to back; joining next color pair, knit to marker, sm, k2tog, pick up and knit 15 stitches from right selvage of previous column, beginning one ridge above where you finished picking up last time. [30 stitches]
Beginning with Row 2, repeat Rows 1 and 2 until you have 15 ridges in current color pair, ending with Row 2. [16 stitches remain; 2 stitches to left of marker with right side facing you]
With right side facing you, bind off to marker, remove marker, k2tog, bind off remaining stitch.
Weave in remaining ends and gently wet block to finished dimensions.
LEARN ABOUT LINEN QUILL MINIS + ALL OUR BEAUTIFUL YARNS
Express your love of color with Linen Quill Minis! A unique opportunity to play, these 25-gram balls are mini versions of our super popular Linen Quill, a fingering-weight yarn that is a wonderful blend of 35% alpaca, 50% wool, and 15% linen. Pick up our spectacular 40-Color Bundle or one of our breathtaking 20-Color Bundles and go wild!
More Free Knitting Patterns
- Be sure to explore our growing collection of 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!
Beautiful ❤️❤️
Is there a video to go with this pattern? It would be nice to actually visualize how each column is worked.
Thanks…
Hi Maureen,
Thanks for writing in! While we have not made a tutorial for this entire pattern, we do have other resources that might help. One of the main techniques involved in creating Columns 2 and on is picking up stitches, and you can find our Picking Up Stitches tutorial linked here or in the pattern.
We also offer 1-On-1 Help, where a member of our team can meet with you over Zoom and demonstrate knitting techniques in real time! That could be a good option if you get stuck while knitting, or if any questions come up along the way.
All the best,
Lili
This looks lovely! But I have no idea of the level of difficulty (aspiring returning knitter here). Could you rate your patterns according to an easy-to-difficult scale? Thanks!
Hi Barbara,
Thanks for writing in! I’m afraid that we don’t typically rate the difficulty of our patterns, since we know that learning new techniques enriches the process of making. Instead, I’m happy to describe the skills involved with this pattern to help you learn more about what’s ahead! Below, I’ve included a list of skills that this pattern requires, as well as links to any tutorials we have on them:
Long Tail Cast On
Picking Up Stitches
Knit 2 Together
Ultimately, we hope that you will take little leaps into the unknown and find that the satisfaction was worth the challenge. If these techniques are daunting, I would recommend trying them out with some scrap yarn before beginning the blanket. And as always, we are happy to help answer any questions you may have along the way!
All the best,
Lili
Like so many others I could not visualize but once I tried it using some scrap yarn it worked! Basically, column two starts by casting on 15, then adding another 15 from the selvage edge. When you knit the next row you place a marker at the point to mark between the two sets. When you knit the following rows you are only knitting 1/2 of the stitches, then knitting together one of the cast on stitches to one of the join stitches. Then turn. Bottom line – the pattern works!
I highly recommend trying it.
Is this for beginners?
Hi Sheryll,
Thanks for writing in! I think that this project would be an exciting challenge for a beginner knitter, so long as you feel very comfortable and confident with basic knitting techniques (including how to read a knitting pattern) already. I’m happy to describe the skills involved with this pattern to help you learn more about what’s ahead! Below, I’ve included a list of skills that this pattern requires, as well as links to any tutorials we have on them:
Long Tail Cast On
Picking Up Stitches
Knit 2 Together
Ultimately, we hope that you will take little leaps into the unknown and find that the satisfaction was worth the challenge. If these techniques are daunting, I would recommend trying them out with some scrap yarn before beginning the blanket. And as always, we are happy to help answer any questions you may have along the way!
All the best,
Lili
Hi – can you post a color card for the minis? I no longer have the bands. Thank you!
Hi Jennifer!
Did you receive the post card that we usually include in each Linen Quill Minis bundle? That should have the color guide on it so that you can match up each of your skeins! If you didn’t receive a post card in your order, please reach out to [email protected], and we’d be more than happy to send you one!
All the best,
Lili
I can’t make heads or tails of how Column 2 or Column 3 are worked onto the previous columns, even after watching the “picking up stitches” video. I am trying to decide whether or not to purchase the yarn, but won’t if there aren’t much more clear instructions and/or perhaps a short video of the technique.
Hi Vija,
I’m so sorry to hear that you’re having trouble interpreting these instructions, and I’m happy to help! The first thing I always like to do when a pattern is giving me trouble is test things out with scrap yarn. You can just knit up a small swatch in garter stitch and then try out the instructions for Column 2 and 3. That way, you don’t have to buy the actual yarn until you’re confident that the pattern feels good to you!
Basically though, the idea of Columns 2 and 3 is that you’re working back and forth in partial rows, which joins the new stitches to the previous column as you go. The first step is to cast on 15 stitches and then pick up either 15 (for Column 2) or 30 (for Column 3) stitches along the edge of the previous column. Then, you work back and forth across the 15 cast-on stitches, knitting the final one together with one of the picked-up stitches before turning your work to knit back to the edge. You keep going like this, and it joins one new stitch to the previous column each time!
I hope this helps clarify things, but if you’re still having trouble after you try it out yourself, then I’d recommend signing up for a 1-On-1 Help session. We’d be happy to meet over Zoom and demonstrate exactly how the pattern works!
Hi, exactly my sentiments as Vija M. I just can’t wrap my head around how to proceed from the first brick and joining the first column to the second column. Could you do a video of showing a few bricks in column 1 and how to join to column two. Would really want to make this project but am a complete loss on how to proceed, even after reading the instructions 3 times 🙁
Hi Ngoo,
I’m so sorry to hear that you’re having trouble interpreting this pattern as well! Have you tried out the instructions with spare scrap yarn yet? I find that actually trying out a pattern helps internalize the instructions way better than reading them does.
If you’re still running into problems though, I’d highly recommend signing up for a 1-On-1 Help appointment! We’re always happy to show you techniques over video, and can do that during a 1-On-1 session over Zoom. We’re eager to help you get moving on this project!
All the best,
Lili
I’d live to make this blanket , and also I understand the idea of picking up stiches but how do we proceed to the 2nd culum not clear at all . please help.!
Hi Kiran,
Thanks for writing in, and it sounds like you’ve almost got it already! The first step for Column 2 is to cast on 15 stitches and then pick up 15 stitches along the edge of the previous column. Then, you work back and forth across the 15 cast-on stitches, knitting the final one together with one of the picked-up stitches before turning your work to knit back to the edge. You keep going like this, and it joins one new stitch to the previous column each time!
I hope this helps clarify things, but if you’re still having trouble after you try it out yourself, then I’d recommend signing up for a 1-On-1 Help session. We’d be happy to meet over Zoom and demonstrate exactly how the pattern works!
All the best,
Lili
Sorry I can’t wear/use wool, as my skin is irritated by it but would like to congratulate you on your lovely pattern, just so sad that I can’t make this is blanket.
Hi Mrs. Reddy,
I’m so glad to hear that this pattern caught your eye! Would you like me to recommend some non-wool options for this blanket? While we don’t sell any other mini skein bundles that would work for this pattern, I could recommend some full skein possibilities instead. The blanket would look different in terms of the colors, but the pattern would still work!
All the best,
Lili
Hi Lilly, I would love that recommendation.
Hi Chermia,
Based on the gauge of the pattern, I think that Cotton Chirp would be a great alternate choice. You would just need to hold this yarn single instead of double in order to achieve the right gauge! But there are plenty of colors to play with, and they also come in mini skeins!
All the best,
Lili
Can you provide a crochet pattern for this?
Hi Gigi,
I’m afraid that we did not design a crochet version of this pattern, but I can absolutely pass along your interest in seeing that to our design team! If you want to try crocheting it on your own though, I would recommend crocheting each column individually and then seaming them together. That will result in a finished blanket that looks very similar!
All the best,
Lili
I love the idea of this and blankets always get used at my house. Please post if you decide to make a video of how to work this as I’m not visualizing the process by reading the pattern. Once I know I can work it I’ll be happy to purchase.
Hi Jen,
I’m sorry to hear that you’re having trouble visualizing the instructions! While we haven’t made a video demonstrating this specific pattern, we’re more than happy to demonstrate anything you have questions about over Zoom. You can book a 1-On-1 Help session at the previous link!
In the meantime, we’ve also found that this pattern is much easier to understand once you actually get going! So if you have any scrap yarn or extra yarn on hand, you can knit up a small swatch to practice. Once you’re feeling more comfortable with the pattern instructions, then you can begin your blanket!
I hope this helps get you started, and we’re always happy to answer any other questions that come up along the way!
All the best,
Lili
Stay with it! I am an experienced knitter, but like many others, I could not visualize how to begin column 2 – the directions just did not make sense to me. Based on previous suggestions, I decided to work the first column and then see what would happen with the 2nd column. I followed directions exactly and was surprised to see how seamlessly the 2nd column connected to the first. This is an amazing pattern! Beautiful yarn and colors, connected without sewing. The stitches themselves are very basic.
Ask Lili for a free zoom lesson on this technique. Even my Master knitter friends could not understand how to do this! It is not hard once Lili shows you and you can record the zoom and watch it again if you need to. It is a great technique that will be useful in your knitting!