Wide Wale Blanket
In colors that have us dreaming of sandy dunes and lapping waves, our Wide Wale Blanket knitting pattern in cotton Serif is calling for you to relax into some simple summer knitting!
Alternating two lines each of knits and purls, it’s easy to get into your knitting groove while you make this lovely, plump fabric… Add a color-swap partway for some extra beauty, and your cushiony cotton throw will be off your needles before the tide comes in!
Serif’s unique structure, a plushy single ply wrapped with a thin cotton thread, adds extra oomph to the texture and extra fun to the knitting!
One hundred percent Pima cotton, Serif’s fiber is one of the highest grades available, with long, smooth fibers that mean this is a handknit you can really use. And if spills or smudges come your way, no worries… It’s machine washable, too!
We took a trip to the beach using Serif’s Alabaster Cream and Summer Melon (above) and Creek Blue with Blue Overalls (below), but with sixteen colors to choose from, find the palette that says summer to you!
Yarn lovers, if you adore the yarn used in this project, you’ll love exploring all of our other yarn collections! Discover over 45 thoughtfully designed yarns in nearly every natural fiber and in every spectacular color you can imagine. Only available here at Purl Soho’s online yarn store, where every skein is created with care and your creativity in mind!
Designed by Purl Soho designers, Hiromi Glover and Keith Foster. Click here to see even more of Hiromi’s work and here to see more of Keith’s!
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, #PurlSohoWideWaleBlanket, and #PurlSohoSerif. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
- 8 skeins of Purl Soho’s Serif, 100% Pima cotton yarn. Each skein of this light worsted/DK yarn is 164 yards/ 100 grams.
- Main Color (MC): 5 skeins; approximately 820 total yards required. We used the colors Alabaster Cream and Creek Blue.
- Contrast Color (CC): 3 skeins; approximately 475 total yards required. We used Summer Melon with Alabaster Cream and Blue Overalls with Creek Blue.
- US 5 (3.75 mm), 32-inch circular needles
GAUGE
20 stitches and 42 rounds = 4 inches in stitch pattern
SIZE
Finished Dimensions: Approximately 28 inches wide x 38 inches long
NOTE
SLIPPED STITCHES
Slip all slipped stitches purlwise with yarn in front.
PATTERN
With Main Color (MC), cast on 140 stitches. We used a Long Tail Cast On.
Set-Up Row (wrong side): Slip 2 (see Notes), purl to last 2 stitches, slip 2.
Row 1 (right side): K2, purl to last 2 stitches, k2.
Row 2 (wrong side): Slip 2, knit to last 2 stitches, slip 2.
Row 3: Knit to end of row.
Row 4: Slip 2, purl to last 2 stitches, slip 2.
Repeat Rows 1–4 until piece measures approximately 24 inches from cast-on edge, ending with Row 2.
Cut MC and join Contrast Color (CC).
With CC, work Rows 3 and 4.
Continue in pattern, repeating Rows 1–4 until piece measures approximately 38 inches from cast-on edge, ending with Row 3.
With wrong side facing you, bind off purlwise.
Weave in the ends and gently wet block.
LEARN ABOUT SERIF + ALL OUR BEAUTIFUL YARNS
Serif brings a distinctive voice to this project! A 100% Peruvian Pima cotton yarn, Serif is a super soft beauty with a charming wave and subtle luster. This light worsted/DK-weight yarn knits up with gently nubbly texture and is machine-washable and durable, too. Definitely soft enough for babies (and for everyone else, too!), you’ll love knitting with Serif!
More Free Knitting Patterns
- Be sure to explore our collection of Serif knitting patterns and cast on!
More Light Worsted/DK-Weight Yarns
- Shop our entire collection of light worsted/DK-weight yarns (What does DK-weight yarn mean, really? Our guide to DK yarn will answer your questions and demystify.)
- 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 cotton yarn (What helps cotton keep its cool? Learn all about this soft, natural fiber in our guide to cotton yarn!)
- Shop machine-washable yarn
- Shop plant-based 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!
Could this blanket be made larger and could it be made with larger needles, larger yarn? If so, what would that be? And I would prefer organic cotton!
Hi Katie,
Thanks for reaching out. You can absolutely make this blanket with thicker yarn! Since you’re looking for an organic cotton yarn, then I’d recommend Tulip Cotton, which is worsted weight. We recommend using size US 6 or 7 needles with this yarn.
All the best,
Lili
Please give cast on and yarn requirements for a throw size. Thank you!
Hi Mindy,
The cast-on number and yardage will depend on how large you want your throw blanket to be! We generally design our throw-sized blankets at around 42 inches by 56 inches. Does that sound like about what you’re hoping for?
If so, then you’ll need 12 skeins of the main color and 7 skeins of the contrast color. Then, based on the gauge of the pattern (20 stitches and 42 rounds = 4 inches in stitch pattern), you would need to cast on 210 stitches!
All the best,
Lili
Thank you, that’s perfect! I knit so many of your throws for gifts, I appreciate your patterns and yarn.
I love this, so simple and cozy. If I’m knitting this with a yarn where I would want to alternate skeins, can I knit with one strand, slide back, knit with strand two, then flip, repeat? Does this then become NO purl?!? I’d have to think about the edges a little more, but am I thinking about the stitch pattern correctly?
Hi Amy,
I think you’re right! What a fun idea, and I hope you give it a try! The only thing I want to mention is that you will get some overlapping purl bumps between the colors on the purl rows. But I think that could look very cool!
All the best,
Lili
Will try this pattern.
Will try this pattern as I like to do new and
Interesting patterns.
hello – can you tell me how many skeins and cast on count if i wanted the blanket to be 52 w x 76 L.
Thank you
Hi Heidi,
Thanks for reaching out! Based on the yardage for and dimensions of the original size, you would need 19 skeins of the MC and 11 skeins of the CC to make a blanket that’s 52 inches wide and 76 inches long. And based on the gauge of the pattern (20 stitches and 42 rounds = 4 inches in stitch pattern), you would need to cast on 260 stitches for a 52 inch width!
All the best,
Lili
Could this blanket be made with the yarn Morning? I think I prefer the colors… some brighter blue options, which I think could work better for either a boy or a girl, since it the parents are planning for a surprise! If so, how many skeins of each color will I need?
Hi Anne,
Morning would be an absolutely lovely for this blanket! And yu’ll actually need the exact same number of skeins for each color.
As always though, we recommend knitting a gauge swatch before casting on your project, especially when you are substituting yarns. You may need to size up or down your needles in order to get the correct gauge!
All the best,
Lili
Would love to see a baby pink color option in this yarn!
Hi —
Do you think gray fedora and blue overalls would work as a color combination for this throw?
Grace
Hi Grace,
Those colors would be absolutely wonderful together! Please let us know if you have any other questions along the way!
All the best,
Gavriella
Hello! I completed cast on and the first three rows. Something does not look right on the rows where they begin or end with two slip stitches. I can’t figure out what I am doing wrong. Is there any way I could get a video of how to do that? Wondering if my yarn placement is incorrect. Thank you.
Hi Maryanne,
Thank you for writing in although we are sorry to hear you are running into issues here. Could you please send a photo of your project to [email protected] so we can have a deeper look? We’ll be able to better visualize what’s going on that way!
All the best,
Gavriella
Hello! I sent some pictures to the email address. I look forward to your response and assistance. Thank you!
I just started this beautiful pattern. Quick question. When slipping the end stitches, should the yarn be held in the front of the work or behind the work. I’ve been holding it in front on the purl rows and behind on the knit rows, but I’m not sure I’m doing it right. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
Hi Jill,
Thanks for writing in! In this pattern, you’ll need to slip all slipped stitches purlwise with yarn in front. You can typically find this information in the Notes section of a pattern, if it’s not stated in the pattern itself!
All the best,
Lili
Okay, got it! Thanks for the quick reply!
Hi,
If I wanted to make a wrap/ scarf size in this pattern that would be half as wide, 14” by 70” in length and all out of one color how many skeins would I need? Thank you for your help, I really appreciate it.
Hi Pam,
Since you are ultimately just redistributing the square footage, you can get the same amount of yarn! So a total of 8 skeins!
All the best,
Gavriella
Thank you so much for your help it is much appreciated. I think this will be a fun knit. Thanks again.
This looks so elegant! And simple enough for a beginner like myself. I can’t wait to try! If I wanted to use Sunflower Cotton with this pattern, how much yarn would I need? And would I use the same size needles?
Hi Jeannie,
Thanks for writing in! Sunshower Cotton is a bit thicker than Serif, but this pattern is super easy to adjust for any weight yarn. I’d estimate that you would need about 6 skeins of Sunshower Cotton for the main color and 4 skeins for the contrast color. Then, you could try to achieve the gauge of the pattern, but you could also knit it up at a looser gauge and adjust your cast-on number accordingly.
To figure out your new cast-on number, you will want to first knit a gauge swatch in pattern (you’ll also want to knit up a gauge swatch even if you plan on trying to match the pattern’s gauge). Once you know how many stitches you are getting per inch, you can multiply that number by the width of the blanket (28 inches) and cast on the nearest whole number. Then you can follow the pattern as written!
All the best,
Lili
I have several colors of Knitting Yarn on a Cone that I think would be beautiful in this pattern. Would this yarn be appropriate? If so, what needle size and number of cast on stitches do you recommend?
Thanks so much,
Judy
Hi Judy,
Knitting Yarn would be a wonderful choice for this blanket! It’s also a DK weight yarn, so you should be able to easily match the gauge of the pattern. Just be sure to knit up a gauge swatch before beginning so that you can choose the best needle size for your project. You may need to size your needles up or down to achieve the correct gauge!
All the best,
Lili
I love the color Warm Rock! Having a hard time picking a color to go with it.
Any suggestions? This will go in a mountain house we own( smoky Mountains) I am going to make it 52×76(19 skeins MC & 11CC,) correct?
Making it this size, will it be too heavy?
Thanks for your help.
Hi Marva,
Thanks for writing in, and I’m happy to answer your questions!
1. I like the colors Creek Blue, Summer Melon, and Horse Chestnut with Warm Rock!
2. Yes, that’s the correct skein count for a blanket of that size!
3. Your finished blanket will weigh approximately 6.5 pounds.
I hope this helps, and please let me know if you have any other questions!
All the best,
Lili