Two Purl Bee Classics, Now in Super Soft Merino

I just can't get enough of Purl Soho's new yarn, Super Soft Merino. I am over-the-moon excited about this beautiful chunky-weight yarn. And, I'm not alone… Since its arrival, we’ve all been knitting up our dreamiest ideas of winter coziness!

Joelle created the wonderfully seasonal Snowflake Scarf. Faye knit up the comfy and dramatic Fluted Cowl. Whitney brought us a gaggle of brilliantly bold color block and striped hats. And, Spoiler Alert: there's more to come!

Today we bring you two Purl Bee classics reconceived in Super Soft Merino for a fresh look and a wintertime feel! The Super Easy Crib Blanket borrows the classic striping from the baby-sized original, but at 2 3/4 stitches to the inch it requires fewer cast-on stitches and knits up to a bigger crib size. With voluminous stitches and a luxurious loft, this blanket is as soft and gentle as a cloud!

The Chevron Baby Blanket in Merino uses a single strand of Super Soft Merino, rather than the original’s two strands of cotton. The chevron stitch combined with the chunky weight yarn creates a dense and toasty baby blanket, perfect for floor or stroller time! We also changed up the striping, playing this time with whimsical irregularity.

If you haven’t knit with Super Soft Merino yet, you too may find that you can’t get enough. It’s truly a pleasure! --Laura

The Materials: Chevron Baby Blanket in Merino

• 3 skeins of Purl Soho's Super Soft Merino for the Main Color. I used Heirloom White.
• 1 skein of each of the four Contrast Colors. I used Purl Soho's Super Soft Merino in Toasted Charcoal for CC 1, Desert Blue for CC 2, Oyster Gray for CC 3 and Yellow Yellow for CC 4.
• A US #11, 24 or 32-inch circular needle.

The Pattern: Chevron Baby Blanket in Merino

Gauge

3 stitches = 1 inch in garter stitch

Finished Size

26 x 33 inches

Notes

If you want to change the sizing or use this stitch pattern for a different project, just cast on a multiple of 14 plus 2 stitches.

Begin

With Main Color (MC) cast on 100 stitches.

**Row 1 (right side): With MC, K1, ssk, *k10, k2tog, ssk, repeat from * to last 13 stitches, k10, k2tog, k1. (86 stitches)

Row 2 (wrong side): K6, *knit into front and back (kfb) 2 times, k10, repeat from * to last 8 stitches, kfb 2 times, k6. (100 stitches)

Repeat Rows 1 and 2 two more times.

With  Contrast Color 1 (CC 1), repeat Rows 1 and 2 four times.

Repeat from ** two more times.

***With MC, repeat Rows 1 and 2 three times.

With CC 2,  repeat Rows 1 and 2 four times.

Repeat from *** two more times.

+With MC, repeat Rows 1 and 2 one time.

With CC 3, repeat Rows 1 and 2 one time.

Repeat from + eleven more times.

With MC, repeat Rows 1 and 2 one time.

++With CC 4 , repeat Rows 1 and 2 four times.

With MC, repeat Rows 1 and 2 three times.

Repeat from ++ two more times.

With MC, repeat Row 1 one more time.

Bind Off Row: Bind off 5 stitches, *(knit into the next stitch and leave the stitch on the left needle, bind off 1 stitch, knit into the back of the stitch, let the stitch off the left needle, bind off 1 stitch) 2 times, bind off 10 stitches, repeat from * to last 8 stitches, (knit into the next stitch and leave the stitch on the left needle, bind off 1 stitch, knit into the back of the stitch, let the stitch off the left needle, bind off 1 stitch) 2 times, bind off 6 stitches, pull the yarn through the last stitch.

Weave in the ends and you're all done!

The Materials: Super Easy Crib Blanket 

• 7 skeins of Purl Soho's Super Soft Merino. I used the colors Super Pink, Yellow Yellow, Heirloom White, Oyster Grey, Desert Blue, Peacock Blue and Timeless Navy
• A US #13, 32-inch circular needle.

The Pattern: Super Easy Crib Blanket

Gauge

2 3/4 stitches = 1 inch in garter stitch

Finished Size

30 inches x 32 inches

Begin

With the first color, cast on 82 stitches.

Knit every row until there are 12 garter stitch "ridges" (1 ridge = 2 rows).

Switch to the second color at the beginning of the next row, and knit every row until there are 12 ridges.

Repeat with each color, making sure to always switch colors on the same side.

After knitting 12 ridges with the seventh color, loosely bind off.

Weave in the ends and you're done! Super easy!

Comments

[Patricia]

Hi there,

I would love to make the easy baby blanket. Is there any other yarn you would recommend instead of the super soft merino?

Thanks,
Patricia

[eskimo*rose]

I love the whimsical irregularity, absolutely gorgeous and right up my street!

[Bethany]

These are fabulous blankets! I've just begun learning how to knit and I'm in the middle of my first project- a scarf, which seems to be taking forever. :) I would love to make these for my two sons once I'm done with the scarf.
Thank you for sharing these!

[Lexi]

Beautiful - great designs and I love these colours!

[purl bee]

Hi Patricia-

This is an update of an earlier pattern which used a different Merino in a smaller gauge: http://purlbee.squarespace.com/super-easy-baby-blanket/

Or if you would like to keep the size and gauge of this version you could double Blue Sky worsted cotton, which is available here (and comes in great colors.): http://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/item/721-Blue-Sky-Worsted-Cotton

Thank you for your question!

Molly

[Charlie]

I'm loving the chevron blanket. I covet your super-soft. The colours in the range lend themselves to some really lovely combinations. I'm going to knit myself a money box in an inferior yarn to save up for some of this one!

[Jamie]

Absolutely love both of the blankets, great colors! But I think I want to make them bigger for me :)

[Kristin]

If we did want to make the chevron blanket for an adult, do you have the specifics we'd need for that??? I knit the original chevron baby blanked and my (adult) brother was jealous and wanted something similar of his own!!!

[purl bee]

Hi Kristin,
I am not positive on how many skeins you would need for an adult sized blanket. To start though, I would suggest knitting it a bit looser. I knit the merino Chevron Baby Blanket quite tight, it's more of a play mat than a blanket.

Other than going up a needle size, I would start with 21 skeins. If you are doing color blocks like the original, I would get three of each color.

As a side note: if you like the single ridge striping where I combined the Oyster (light grey) and Heirloom White, it's a great option. You get skinny stripes, but you don't have too many ends to weave in like with the 3 and 4 ridge stripes in the rest of the blanket.
I hope this helps.
Let me know if you have any more questions.
Laura

[tanya]

hi! i want to make the easy baby blanket into more of a throw size..i bought the yarn at the store last weekend...how many stitches should i cast on?
thank you....
just finishing up two owls too...love love

[purl bee]

Hi Tanya-

Try casting on 138 stitches for a 50-inch wide blanket.

Thank you!

Molly

[Erin]

Hello!

For the Chevron pattern, do you carry the cream throughout or stop and start for each color block?

[purl bee]

Hi Erin,
You did carry the cream up when working it with the gray (the small chunk of stripes), but for the thicker stripes, I did not.

Thanks for writing in.
Laura

[Hallie]

Starting this project for my friends baby due in Aug! Can't wait to see the result.

[Joan]

Love the blanket, mine turned out much longer than 33 inches

[JackeeBee]

Hi! I love this pattern.
I'm working on the chevron blanket and am wondering if kfb 2 times (row 2) means knit front and back 2 times into the same stitch, or kfb into 1 stitch, and then kfb into the next stitch. Could you please clarify? Thanks much!

[purl bee]

Hi JackeeBee.

Kfb 2 times means to knit into the front and back of the next stitch and the stitch after that.
Hope that helps.
Laura