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Easy Native Stripes Knit Blanket / Throw

Beginner Serape Style Knit Blanket

I can not believe that I am finally writing this post. I FINISHED my first knit blanket!  It feels as though I’ve conquered some unobtainable feat. Oh. My. Goodness.  I bought the yarn just after New Year’s Day (carefully hiding the receipt from my husband because of the unusually large yarn purchase. It’s a blanket for Pete’s sake, it takes a LOT of yarn!) and had wonderful plans to finish it by the end of February.  No, no, no, that didn’t happen. There was a point at which this blanket sat untouched for weeks, and I thought it may turn into that work in progress that never gets completed.  However, I had an unexplained burst of motivation, and through broken needles (literally my needles broke mid-knit), dropped stitches, and insanely late nights, I completed it this week. And did I mention that I’m more than pleased with it?!

Beginner Stripes Native Knit Blanket

Okay, Mexico has always been one of my favorite countries. I’ve had the privilege of visiting the wonderful place multiple times, and even studied abroad there in the city of Monterrey. Hablas espanol?  I’ve always loved the look of the brightly colored woven blankets, and thought it would be fun to try to knit something that reminded me of those. It was a joy to pick out the yarn because the possibilities were endless on what colors I could put into this piece. Have fun picking out some fun colors!

This easy blanket is all done in garter stitch, and is totally suitable for a beginner that feels comfortable with the knit stitch.  You do need to know how to change colors, so if you’ve never done that just look it up on you tube. It is so easy, and this would make a great project to practice changing colors.

The Quick Explanation of How to Knit A Striped Blanket:

With your size 13, 35 inch cables, you will cast on 120 stitches holding two strands of worsted weight yarn. Knit however many rows of each color that you would like.  Make sure you always change colors on an even row, 2,4,6,8 etc.  A trick I learned half way through was that all my yarn ends were on the same side of the blanket.  One time I changed colors on the opposite side, and got the funky little line that shows on the “wrong” side.  The wrong side is pretty too, but if you want a consistent look, then stick with this method. You can make the blanket with as many or as few stripes as you’d like. Below is the pattern of exactly how I made this particular blanket.

Native Stripes Easy Knit Blanket

Notes:

This blanket measures 55 X 35 but is easily customizable to whatever size that you would like. It’s a nice size as a throw blanket or a lap afghan.  Simply add more stripes, or take stripes away to make it smaller or larger.

It is made holding two strands of worsted weight yarn together.

It is worked long ways.

DSC_3249
Knitting in rows on circular needles. My cable broke at one point. I was knitting away while every single stitch was dropping off onto nothing. Hot glue saved my needles and my sanity that evening!

You will need:

Size 13, 36 inch Circular Knitting Needles

Worsted weight yarn of your choice – I used Caron Simply Soft 4 skeins of grey, 2 skeins Neon Pink, 2 skeins Pagoda, 2 skeins Robins Egg, 2 skeins Blue Mint, 2 skeins Violet ( I had a lot left over, but bought two skeins of each in order to hold the two strands together while knitting)

Scissors

Tapestry Needle

How I Made it  “Pattern” :

Holding two strands of grey yarn, cast on 120 stitches.

Knit (garter stitch) 6 rows with grey

You are now going to make the “Colorful Stripe”

**Knit 2 rows with Robins Egg

Knit 2 rows with Blue Mint

Knit 6 Rows with Pogoda

Knit 4 Rows with Neon Pink

Knit 2 rows of Grey

Knit 2 rows with Violet

Knit 2 rows with Grey

Knit 4 rows with Neon Pink

Knit 6 Rows with Pogoda

Knit 2 rows with Blue Mint

Knit 2 rows with Robins Egg**

You are now moving to the bold stripes through the center of the blanket

Knit 12 rows with Grey

Knit 12 rows with Neon Pink

Knit 12 rows with Grey

Knit 12 rows with Robins Egg

Knit 12 rows with Grey

Knit 12 rows with Violet

Knit 12 rows with Grey

Now you will Repeat from ** to ** above (for the colorful stripe that runs along both sides)

Knit 6 rows of grey, Cast off, tie and weave in ends.

There you have it!

Easy Stripes Knit Blanket

 

Let me know if you have any questions about the pattern! Truth be known, this blanket will be going into my daughter’s room. You can check out the matching Dream Catcher that I made her HERE 🙂

Although I questioned why I decided to knit a blanket while I was making it, I am so happy that I did it. Do you enjoy knitting blankets?

If you enjoyed this, check out all of my other easy patterns! You can also follow me on Facebook or sign up for my newsletter! Thanks! 

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43 Comments

    1. Thanks so much for stopping by, and for the kind comments Victoria! So happy you and some others like the colors. I felt like it was risky

    1. Thank you so much Mona! At least you can’t really see my few mistakes 🙂

  1. This blanket is beautiful. I don’t knit very well, I am more experienced in crochet. The simple instructions and your comments about not really seeing mistakes are great encouragement. I am going to try it! Thank you

    1. Thank you for the kind words! I am so glad that you think the instructions are simple enough to follow. If you have any questions as you make it, feel free to ask! Hope you enjoy it.

      1. i need to chain 108 if i want to do baby afghan. What if I want to do bgiegr afghan? Do I just have to keep adding 4 chains? So 108 +4+4+4+4 .?Im just beginner so I need help with this.Thank you

        1. Hi Mavern,
          Sorry it took me so long to reply. We were out of the country in Europe. You can cast on as many as you would like to make it bigger. Then just add more stripes to make it as wide as you’d like. There’s no real science with how many you cast on. Hope that helps!

    1. Hi Kasandra,
      I am not sure what stores you have where you live, but I think JoAnn Fabric usually has a decent selection. You can also check Michaels. If you want to get them online, I have heard that EBay often has good deals. I wish I knew the BEST place to get them, but I usually just end up buying them from one of the craft stores here in town. I hope this helps you!

  2. Hello Jessica I just got my yarn to start my blanket over the weekend going to start this week i am new only been knitting a couple years now but i been teaching my self and i really like this pattern it easy to under stand and like your fingerless glove pattern to trying those next for a christmas presents for my daughters and daughter inlaws to .I just need more time in a day I would love to learn to crochet may be soon. but thank you so much for the pattern and please keep your great ideas coming enjoy your day and God bless you and your family

    1. Hi Cindy!
      Your sweet note just made my night! Thanks so much for your kind words, and I am so glad that you find the pattern easy to follow. I’m excited for you to make a blanket! I too haven’t been knitting for more than a couple of years, so I can totally relate. I wish there was more time in a day to knit and crochet as well! If you come across any questions as you make it, feel free to ask. I sometimes write these patterns late at night and I just always hope that I didn’t miss anything. Thanks so much again, and enjoy knitting your blanket !

  3. Hi,
    I love this pattern and found your instructions quite easy to follow. I would like to make this as a baby blanket, I know I would have to cast on less stitches. Do you have any ideas for how many I would cast on to make this a 35 inch blanket instead of 55 inches?
    Thanks.

    1. Hi Krysten,
      I’m so glad that you like the pattern, and love that you will make a baby blanket like it! I don’t know exactly how many to cast on, but doing a little simple math in my head….maybe somewhere between 80 and 90? If you’re not super picky about it being exactly 36 x 36, this might work fine. I’d love to know if you try it and how it turns out! Good luck !

  4. Hi, I saw the picture of the blanket, and I just love it, and I know I’ll have fun making it, one thing though, since I only knit with using one skein of yarn each time I knit, I guess it’ll be an extra learning thing using two skeins of yarn at a time! I never really done that, can I use only one skein at a time, or do I have to use two skeins each for this? I’ll have to try to find those color yarns like for the Egg one, I’ll try to find at Michaels store for that size circular needle! I didn’t notice any mistakes when I saw the blanket, you’re really good! Great looking blanket! Thanks for the knitting pattern!! 🙂

    1. Hi Anna!
      I’m so glad you like the look of the blanket! You’re welcome for the pattern of course! So for this pattern, you do have to hold two together, but it is SO easy. Really! You just hold the two, just as you hold the one. If you want to use only one, you would have to go down a few needle sizes and cast on maybe double the amount of stitches to get a similar size blanket. That is just a guess though, so don’t hold me to it. 😉 I think I did get my circular needles at Michaels too! You could always change the colors to others that you like if you can’t find the colors at a store near you. Let me know if you have any more questions, and I hope this helps a little!

    1. Hi Magen,

      Hope we can figure this out! It won’t let me see the link that you’ve attached with a picture. Can you send it to my email so I have a better idea of what you’re talking about? Send it to mamainastitch@gmail.com. It definitely should be wide as you get started. I am wondering what your gauge is using the checker board stitch. I’ve never done that one. Is it possible that it makes a smaller swatch than garter stitch? If so, that could be the reason it is not as wide. If you send me a pic, maybe we can figure it out. 🙂

  5. Hi, I’m a new knitter. I’ve been looking for a nice simple blanket to knit as my third project. Hopefully this isn’t too ambitious 🙂

    Just wondering, when you finish with the colours for the stripes, do you cut the yarn and then just weave in the end when you’re finished?

    1. Hi Wendy,
      I would go to YouTube and watch some videos on changing colors, and weaving in ends. I did just weave in the ends of the color stripes – make sure you keep them long enough to get them weaved in real well. Don’t leave yourself just a couple of inches or it will be hard to ever hide them. 🙂 Good luck!

  6. Hi Jessica,

    I’m a beginner knitter and I think this is an awesome practice project for me! I have some bulky yarn (billow) that I’d like to use and am wondering if I should just use a single strand with the 13 needles?
    Do you think it will come out similar?

    Thanks! RD

    1. Hi Robbyn! My guess would be yes, that it would be similar! Definitely try a small swatch to see if you like the drape, and if so, go for it! I’d love to see a picture on my Facebook page if you make it!

  7. I love these colors!! Such a beautiful blanket! I do not know how to knit at all..but do you think this would work out about the same if I just single crocheted the pattern you gave??

    1. Sorry for the delay in response Karen! I think single crocheting the whole thing would give you a very similar effect. Especially if you hold two together with a large hook. Good luck!

  8. Hi Jessica,

    Love your blanket! As I’ve just discovered your site (knitting season is right around the corner!), can’t wait to see the other patterns you have.

    I have a little question for you. You’ve started the pattern with ”Holding two strands of grey yarn, cast on 120 stitches.”, does it mean we pursuit the pattern with two strands of each color or is it just for the cast on?

    Thanks for you help,
    Kar

    1. Hi Kar,

      Yes, you hold two strands together for the entire pattern. You got it right! And yes, knitting season is around the corner and is definitely in full swing for me already! I’m so glad you like the blanket and the blog! Have a great weekend.

  9. My mom is beginning knitter but has been knitting for a long time. She says she’s a beginner, I say she isn’t. Anyway, she has tons of yarn and I think she would like to make this. She made a sweater called a stash sweater which was using up all the yarn in your stash to make this sweater, it didn’t call for any particular yarn. Could you possibly do this blanket as a stash so she wouldn’t need to buy worsted weight if she doesn’t have it? This would look so nice on our couch if she could do that.

    1. Hi Gail! Of course! She can use any worsted weight yarn that she likes. This would be a great stash buster!

    1. Hello Patricia, did you ever complete this afghan pattern in crochet? I want to make it using Bernat blanket yarn. Thanks, Kathy

  10. Hi Jessica, thanks so much for all of the beautiful patterns in this newsletter. I will be busy crocheting and knitting all winter and nicely reducing my stash!

    1. Hi Jean… do you ever finish this pattern in crochet? I want to make it using Bernat Blanket yarn… Kathy

  11. Hi! What a beautiful pattern and not complicated thank god! I want to knit to be relaxed not over think it with a complicated pattern.
    I have some questions, I have 5 different colours of bulky yarn and size 12.75 mm (17 US) circular needles ( was that the size of yours?). Just wondering if I needed to hold to strands of yarn together where the particularly yarn I have is bulky and would I still cast on 120 stitches to begin?

  12. Oh I really love your pattern and the colors stand out so nicely. I have had a request for an Afghan and they want it in peach and gray. If I were to use your pattern would you space the two colors every four rows? I have never used 2 colors at the same time. Appreciate your advice. Thanks so much

  13. Omg! This color combo is GORGEOUS! I love it!!! I really wish I had the eye to be able to play around and pick colors like this on my own. Great job!

    Can you tell me what size the one on the bed in your picture is? It looks a little bigger than a lap blanket 😉 . While I’m not the biggest fan of knitting blankets, because I like instant gratification projects, I have been knitting them for family and friends and they’ve been asking for blankets big enough to fit a bed.

    Thanks in advance! And again… wonderfully done!

  14. I really liked this pattern . I am knitting this in between knitting long strips for charity blankets in seed stitch so this makes a nice change from muttering knit one purl one !

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