Whit's Knits: Super Easy Lap Blanket

The Super Easy Baby Blanket has become something of an institution here at the Purl Bee. We love how accessible this pattern is to knitters of all levels, and even more, we love the opportunity to play with gorgeous palettes of color!

I knit up the original Super Easy Baby Blanket four and a half years ago in Alchemy's gorgeous Temple superwash merino. Later, Faye knit her own interpretation with Koigu's Kersti Merino Crepe. With its ocean and sunshine colors and a squishier feel, her New Super Easy Baby Blanket was such a smash that we made it into a super easy kit! And most recently, we used our own Super Soft Merino for a bigger, even cushier version that we call the Super Easy Crib Blanket.

And now here is our biggest version yet, the Super Easy Lap Blanket! Knit out of Manos Del Uruguay's amazing Maxima, this one is cozy soft, decadently toasty and looks absolutely stunning in kettle-dyed, hand-spun 100% extrafine merino wool.

The Super Easy Lap Blanket is perfect for drafty winter evenings on the couch and chilly mornings at the kitchen table. And in colors that meander from rich Mahogany, through the land of pinks and blues, to finish in deep Dark Chocolate, this version has a sophisticated drama that will light up any room!

The Materials

• 7 skeins of Manos Del Uruguay's Maxima, 100% extramerino merino wool. These colors, from the top, are Mahogany, Shocking, Cotton Candy, Natural, Stratus, Pewter, and Dark Chocolate.

• US #10, 32 or 40-inch circular needle

The Pattern

Gauge

16 1/4 stitches = 4 inches in garter stitch

Finished Size

35 inches x 44 inches

Pattern Note

To get a nice, neat edge, just slip the first stitch of every row knitwise with the yarn in back.

Begin

Starting with the color Dark Chocolate, cast on 142 stitches.

Knit every row until the skein runs out (or for about 6 1/4 inches from the cast on edge).

Cut the yarn and join the color Pewter.

Knit until the skein runs out, making sure to end on the same side you finished the Dark Chocolate. In other words, all of the tails (except, perhaps, the cast on tail) will be along the same selvage, and the first row of every color will be on the "right side" of the blanket and you will end each color on the "wrong side".

Continuing...

*Cut the yarn and join the next color (Stratus).

Knit until the skein runs out, ending with a wrong side row.

Repeat from * working through the next three colors: Natural, Cotton Candy, and Shocking.

Finish with Mahogany, knitting the entire skein minus about 3 yards.

Bind off loosely and weave in all the ends.

Comments

[Josje]

Hi! I don't understand why and how to use the circular needle? Thanks!

[laurie]

Any chance of creating a kit for this pattern? :)

[Brenda]

Wow!!! I want to add that to my "to dos" !!

[purl bee]

Hi Laurie-

We don't have any plans for a kit for this at the moment but if you'd like to give our website a call they'd be happy to get it all together for you! Their number is 1-800-597-PURL

Thanks!

Molly

[purl bee]

Hi Josje-

The circular needle is just used as you would two straight needles, it's just less bulky and the cable holds long width of the blanket without a lot of bulk.

Thank you for your question!

Molly

[Annissa]

Is the yarn held doubled? I see this yarn is worsted weight - but you use a size 10 needle.

[Anne]

Yay! A project finally within my skill set!!!
I love these colors too.
Thanks guys:-)

[purl bee]

Hi Annilissa-

No it's not doubled, it's just a thicker worsted knit on the loose side. You might use a different size needle, it's just important that you get the same gauge.

Thank you for your question!

Molly

[Jill]

Beautiful! Did you do any thing special on the ends for the straight edge. Some patters will call for a slipped stitch edge.

[Denise]

Beautiful! My very next project.

[Barb]

I love it. I made myself a goal this year to knit myself something for me. This is the first project i will do. Thanks.

[purl bee]

Hi Jill,

Whoops! Thanks for reminding me! Yes, I slipped the first stitch of every row knitwise with the yarn in back. I added a pattern note to let everyone know.

Thanks again!
Whitney

[Katherine Landreneau]

Love your site, beautiful patterns! Thank you for sharing!

[Susan]

how can I tell a right side from a wrong side?

[paige]

I am a new knitter but adore this blanket, it looks simple with exception of just slip the first stitch of every row knitwise with the yarn in back. - not sure what that means. Is there a video or tutorial of that you could send a link to?
Thanks Paige

[Val]

I feel like a total dope, but I am not understanding the Pattern Note about how to get the straight edge. Do you not knit the first stitch-just slip it off the needle?

[purl bee]

HI Susan,

The right side is the side that is facing you when you start the second color. It is the side that has a clean transition from one color to the next (it is also the side that is shown in all the photographs). The wrong side looks like it has a bit of an extra stripe when you change colors.

I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions and good luck!
Whitney

[purl bee]

Hi Paige and Val,

To slip the first stitch knitwise with the yarn in back, you simply hold your yarn and needles just like you would if you were going to knit the first stitch. You insert the right needle into the first stitch, again just how you would if you were going to knit. Then, instead of knitting, you transfer the first stitch from the left needle to the right needle. That's it!

I've just watched a bunch of You Tube videos on the subject, and there are several that cover the subject of edge stitches exhaustively, but I didn't find one that had a good, simple explanation of this technique. Feel free to check out what you can find because there really are about a hundred ways to make a neat edge in knitting!

Thanks for your questions and good luck!
Whitney

[Patice]

What is the yardage for each skein? And weight?

[purl bee]

Hi Patice-

All of this information about this yarn can be found on our website at the link above or here: http://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/item/7529-Manos-Del-Uruguay-Maxima

Thank you for writing in!

Molly

[Stephanie]

Hi...this is a beautiful blanket! Is the wool washable? Also, how would you expand this into an afghan?

[purl bee]

Hi Stephanie-

This yarn is hand washable. You can easily make it larger by casting on more stitches and buying more yarn. You should be getting 16 1/4-stitches per 4-inches which should help you figure out how many to cast on.

Thank you so much for your questions!

Molly

[Cynthia]

I'd really like to knit this blanket in the yarn and colours you have chosen here as it looks great, but I see that the cupboard is bare and you dont have many of the colours

I am in London England - is there any chance you could put together all the yarns for me to order when they get restocked - its not so easy for me to phone you up

Thanks

[purl bee]

Hi Cynthia-

Please send an email to customerservice AT purlsoho DOT com asking to be informed when we get more of the Super Soft Merino in stock and they will let you know.

Thank you so much for writing in!

Molly

[Julia]

I cannot WAIT to do this blanket. I have a heap of wool that needs to be used up and this would be a great way to use it all AND have something nice and cosy to wrap myself up in. With an Australian winter 5 months away, that should give me enough time to get it done.

Yay!

[Helene]

Hi Molly, I'm so thrilled. I have wanted to make this blanket ever since the first version of it that you had up on the site, but by the time I went to buy those divine customized colours you had, they were sold out, never to be seen again. I pouted a fair bit, but carried on and made the chevron blanket for my new grandson. Having learned my lesson, as soon as I saw this latest version up, I quickly put in an order for the wool. Trouble was, I couldn't stop at just 7 skeins - I ended up with enough to make 3 blankets, and I'll still have 3 skeins over for something else. My order arrived a couple of days ago, and I've just sorted them out into lots of sevens, ready to knit up, and I'm starting on the first blanket today. Can't wait to see how they look! Thanks so much Molly. I really love your patterns! Very inspiring!

[Nadia]

Hi. Thanks for this idea-I love all of the colors. I have a question about joining the next color-how do I do this and maintain the slipped stitch? I looked for a tutorial online, but couldn't find one. Should I join the second stitch from the last, so I can continue with the slip, or do I skip the slipped stitch when joining?

Thanks!

[Ashley]

Hi!! I would love to make this for my husband as an afghan, but in the sun colors of the Super Easy Baby Blanket. I was wondering what size needles you would recommend, and how much yarn I should buy. Also, how many cast on stitches would you recommend? Thanks!!!

[purl bee]

Hi Ashley,

For a 40 x 56-inch throw, you should cast on 162 stitches (provided you're getting the correct gauge of 16.25 stitches to 4 inches), and knit each stripe for 8 inches. You'll need to buy 2 skeins of each color, and you can use a 32 or 40-inch circular needle.

It sounds absolutely beautiful! What a lucky husband! Please let us know if you have any more questions and thanks for these!

Whitney

[purl bee]

Hi Nadia,

Good question! You should knit the first stitch of the new color and then go back to slipping on the next row.

Thanks for asking and good luck!

Whitney

[Gretchen]

If you knit each row, why doesn't it curl? It seems to lie nice and flat. Also, you're using circular needles, but not knitting in the round, so you stop at the end of the row, then go back the other way?

[purl bee]

Hi Gretchen-

Knitting every row is called 'garter stitch' and it never curls, it always lays flat. If you knit one row and purl one row you'll get 'stockinette stitch' which always curls.

You are correct that you will stop at the end of the row, switch the needles in your hands, and then knit the other way. Just as you would with straight needles.

Thanks so much for your questions!

Molly

[Mary-lou Khan]

Hi there can you tell me what ply this is please?

[purl bee]

Hi Mary Lou-

This yarn isn't plied but it would be similar to a 10ply in weight.

Thank you for your question!

Molly

[Pamela]

Hi, can you tell me what other weight I might use that would be similar to the superfine merino that you used? I am having a hard time finding the right yarn and the brand you used is not well stocked at this time. Thanks!

[purl bee]

Hi Pamela-

You can use any worsted weight yarn that you like! Here is a list of all of our worsted weights:
http://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/3-knitting-crochet-yarn?filters[]=6

Specifically, Madeline Tosh would be a great substitute: http://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/item/8234-Madelinetosh-Tosh-Merino

Thanks for your question!
Molly

[Sarajoe]

I am a new knitter and need some clarification please. If all the tails are on same side does that mean you are joining the new colors correctly? Or is there an additional step I am missing ?Thanks

[purl bee]

Hi Sarajoe,

Yes! You're doing it right! Notice how on the "wrong side" there's a little hiccup of color where you change yarns. That's why we call it the wrong side!

Thanks for asking and good luck!
Whitney

[Adrienne]

Hi! I wanted to switch things up and knit this with the seed stitch. If I cast the same number of stitches will it still be the same width and length?
Thanks!

[purl bee]

Hi Adrienne,

You can make your seed stitch version the same width by knitting up a seed stitch gauge swatch, then casting on the number of stitches per inch times the width of the blanket (35).

The length may not be the same, however, because seed stitch and garter stitch don't use up exactly the same amount of yarn.

It would probably be pretty close though, so if you're not too concerned with the exact dimensions, you can just go for the first color and suss out the situation then!

Thanks for asking and good luck!

Whitney

[Melissa]

Thank you for the clarifications about the slip stitch. I just started this last night (as a birthday present to myself), and as relatively new-knitter got stuck with the slip-stitch aspect of the pattern. Now, I feel confident.

The colors of the Manos Del Uruguay's Maxima extramarino wool I chose are as follows: Ultramarine, Royal, Helium, Kelly, Acid, Natural, and Dark Chocolate. (That's also the order I'm knitting them.) The wool is so soft - can't wait until the lap blanket is done. It was fun to start this project on my birthday, even though I didn't get too far. :-)

Also, thank you for providing information about how to make this blanket in a larger-than-lap-blanket size. After I complete my lap blanket, I plan to teach my daughter how to create this blanket, only she'd like it big enough for her twin bed. She'll be knitting her own blanket - thought it would be a good first-time knitting project for her. (She knits beautiful scarves with ruffle yarn but hasn't tried knitting with "regular" yarn yet.)