Ember Blanket
As inviting as a fireside catnap, our Ember Blanket pattern pairs our new Knitting Yarn On A Cone with skeins of our super popular mohair-silk Tussock for a fabric that glows!
Wonderfully dimensional ribbing makes for a sumptuous, squishy blanket that is so generous it snuggles you, shoulders, knees, toes, and all! The stitch pattern is incredibly easy to knit, too, with a simple no-purl, two-row repeat that’s all knits and slipped stitches.
A true classic beloved by knitters, light worsted/DK-weight Knitting Yarn’s cushiony feel and superb stitch definition make those deep hills and valleys extra plush, while 100% New Zealand merino wool makes the fabric toasty warm. And now on a convenient cone, you’ll enjoy 2,187 yards of uninterrupted knitting… Just keep stitching until your cone runs out!
Tussock, our lace-weight super fine kid mohair and mulberry silk wonder, has a glorious halo that traps heat and creates an irresistibly touchable surface. The responsibly sourced super fine kid mohair is the highest quality available (so soft!), and the silk, making up fully 40% of the yarn, adds luster, strength, and beauty.
Pairing Knitting Yarn’s amazing heathered colors with Tussock’s luminous, saturated hues results in a depth of color that’s positively radiant, smoldering as if lit from within. You have 35+ colors of Knitting Yarn On A Cone to explore and 26 of Tussock… Choose two that will spark your own Ember Blanket!
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, Hiromi Glover. See even more of Hiromi’s work on her Instagram!
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, #PurlSohoEmberBlanket, #PurlSohoKnittingYarn, and #PurlSohoTussock. We can’t wait to see what you make!
MATERIALS
- Yarn A: 1 Knitting Yarn On A Cone, 100% merino wool. Each cone of this light worsted/DK-weight yarn has approximately 2,190 yards/ 1000 grams; approximately 2,190 total yards required. We used New Leaf Green for one sample and Wild Guava for the other.
- Yarn B: 7 skeins of Purl Soho’s Tussock, 60% super fine kid mohair and 40% mulberry silk. Each skein of this lace- to fingering-weight yarn is 328 yards/ 25 grams; approximately 2,250 total yards required. We used Cypress Green for one sample and Anjou Pear for the other.
You will also need…
- US 8 (5 mm), 32-inch circular knitting needles
Here are some more color ideas, below! We don’t have bundles for these palettes, but pick up one Knitting Yarn On A Cone and 7 skeins of Tussock, and you’ll be all set!
Knitting Yarn in Tiger Lily + Tussock in Pink Joy; Knitting Yarn in Hydro Blue + Tussock in Ripe Boysenberry
Knitting Yarn in Sour Citron + Tussock in Alizarin Orange; Knitting Yarn in Chive Blossom + Tussock in Claret Pink
GAUGE
23 stitches and 35 rows = 4 inches in stitch pattern, holding Yarns A and B together
SIZE
Finished Dimensions: 39 inches wide x 54 inches long
NOTES
STITCH MULTIPLE
This pattern is worked over a multiple of 4 plus 1 stitches.
SLIP STITCHES
Slip all slipped stitches purlwise with yarn in front (wyif).
PATTERN
With one strand of Yarn A and one strand of Yarn B held together, cast on 225 stitches. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.
Row 1 (wrong side): Slip 1 (see Notes), k1, *slip 1, k3, repeat from * to last 3 stitches, slip 1, k1, slip 1.
Row 2 (right side): K4, *slip 1, k3, repeat from * to last stitch, k1.
Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until piece measures 54 inches from cast-on edge, ending with Row 1.
FINISHING
Bind-Off Row (right side): K2, pass first stitch over, [k1, pass first stitch over] 2 times, *p1, pass first stitch over, [k1, pass first stitch over] 3 times, repeat from * to last stitch, k1, pass first stitch over.
Weave in the ends and gently wet block.
Learn About Knitting Yarn On A Cone + All Our Beautiful Yarns
Knitting Yarn On A Cone is an absolute dream for knitting blankets and garments! A beautiful, ready-to-knit 1000-gram cone of light worsted/DK-weight yarn means that for 2,187 yards of knitting, you’ll only have two ends to weave in… What could be better? Made with 100% beautiful merino wool from New Zealand, Knitting Yarn’s 4-ply spin and toothy feel gives textures, cables, and colorwork incredible stitch definition and cushiony dimension. Need some contrast colors or not quite so much yarn? Shop our collection of Knitting Yarn in 100-gram balls, too!
More Free Knitting Patterns
- Be sure to explore our vast collection of (mostly free!) Knitting Yarn knitting patterns and cast on!
More Light Worsted/DK-Weight Yarns
- Shop our entire collection of light worsted/DK-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 Fiber
- Shop merino wool 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!
I would like to knit this with only cone length yarn. How would it work to use only 1 strand of Knitting Yarn on a Cone, or alternatively, 2 strands?
Hi Mary Ann,
Thanks for writing in! I would recommend using just 1 strand of Knitting Yarn (though you could use 2 for much larger stitches and a thicker blanket). Just be sure to knit up a gauge swatch before getting started so that you can either make sure to match the gauge of the pattern or adjust your cast-on number accordingly.
Al the best,
Lili
Thank you! If I wanted to try it with two strands what size needle would you recommend trying? And thanks for the answer to Susan’s question too.
You’re very welcome! I think that size US 10 or 11 needles would be great for two strands of Knitting Yarn.
All the best,
Lili
Love this blanket. If you want to knit without Tussock, what stitch count would you recommend and needle size? Thank you.
Hi Susan,
Since Tussock is so thin, you can probably achieve the original gauge with just Knitting Yarn! I’d just recommend knitting up a gauge swatch to make sure. You could also cast on more stitches (any multiple of 4 + 1 stitches will work) if your gauge ends up being smaller. We recommend using sizes US 6, 7, or 8 with Knitting Yarn!
All the best,
Lili
I love this pattern!
What color of blue in the cone yarn would go well with the Tussock Blue Fjord?
Hi JoAnn,
Thanks for writing in! Knitting Yarn in North Sea is the best match for Tussock in Blue Fjord. I’m afraid that this color is out of stock currently, but you can enter your email on the product page to be notified when it’s available again. Alternatively, Hydro Blue would also be a great choice! It’s a little more different than Blue Fjord, but the colors still go well together!
All the best,
Lili
Is it possible to succinctly explain to me why this is better (or a different result) than just a rib stitch? I am a new knitter; my eyes can’t yet tell the difference. I love the blanket! I just want to understand the function the slip stitches are serving, and I’m trying to learn these sorts of things. OR, is it just that using the slip stitches avoids having to purl? Because that makes a lot of sense, already. It is much quicker to slip than purl, for me.
Hi Raele,
This stitch pattern creates a very different texture than regular ribbing! It creates wider ridges with a mix of stockinette, reverse stockinette, and garter stitch, rather than just the first two. It’s a different look, visually, and also has a different texture and drape.
In answer to your question about the slipped stitches, the reason they’re used (instead of purls) is so that the stockinette columns can have a more similar row gauge to the garter columns. Garter stitch has a shorter row gauge than stockinette, and so because the slipped stitches allow you to essentially “skip” a row of stockinette, it evens it out for much prettier and neater looking stockinette columns! And the benefit is fewer purl stitches too!
All the best,
Lili
Such a pretty blanket! I’ve only ever made baby blankets before, and a bit intimidated by larger size blankets. Could anyone give a rough estimate of how long a blanket this size and gauge might take? I’m a slow-to-moderate speed knitter. Thanks!
Hi Amy,
I’m so glad to hear that this pattern has caught your eye! Since everybody knits at a different speed, it’s hard for me to give you an estimate, but I do have a trick to help you figure it out yourself. If you have some scrap DK weight yarn on hand, then I would recommend knitting up a small swatch while timing yourself. Then, you can use ratios between the dimensions of the swatch, the dimensions of the blanket, and the time it took to figure out a really good estimate of the time it’ll take to knit the whole thing! I’m happy to help out with the math part if you end up trying this.
All the best,
Lili
If I wanted to make a baby blanket size of this, what dimensions would that be and how much yarn would I need please ?
Hi Rhona,
Thanks for writing in! We typically design baby blankets to be about 28 x 32 inches. Does that sound like a good size for you? If so, then you would need 5 skeins of Knitting Yarn and 3 skeins of Tussock!
All the best,
Lili