Play with Stripes in this Squishy Blanket Pattern

One of the easiest ways to use a bunch of yarn, whether you’re getting rid of stash or just want to make a big project, is by knitting a blanket. Adding stripes is an easy way to use lots of different colors in a blanket, and you can give it a more harmonious look by alternating stripes of a neutral (or just a different) color to tie it all together.

That’s the concept of the True Stripes blanket from Purl Soho, but it adds a twist. By knitting some of the stripes vertically and some horizontally, you get even more fun texture and design interest, even with a simple garter stitch project.

The blanket, designed by Gaby Bush and Gianna Mueller, originally used a pretty off white for the main color and two contrasting colors for the stripes. The yarn used is a luscious wool and cotton blend that’s a light worsted weight, perfect for a spring baby or a throw to keep on the couch while it’s still a little cool in the evenings.

The free pattern is sized for babies and a throw blanket size, but you could pretty easily expand the concept to make an even bigger blanket (or make blocks in this style and sew them together when you’re done).

Because it’s me you will probably expect me to say that you could also make each of the interior stripes a different color if you’re using yarn you already have. This would be so pretty with ombre stripes in the same color family, or you can make most of a rainbow, or just use whatever coordinating yarns you have on hand.

You can grab the pattern on the Purl Soho website, where they also sell kits of the yarn for the baby blanket size.

[Photo: Purl Soho]

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Fall will be here before we know it, and that means there are holidays coming right behind where we might be entertaining at home. It’s always fun to have a hand knit touch in your home for other people to see, and if you’re going to be in the kitchen all day you might as well have some nice knit dish cloths to use.

I love this little plaid hand towel from Darling Jadore. Use a little bit of leftover cotton yarn from another project for the plaid portion. It looks like the horizontal stripes are worked as you knit and the vertical stripes are done with duplicate stitch, making this a quick and easy project even newer knitters can make.

Combine garter stitch and an easy eyelet pattern worked sideways to make the Annette Dish Towel from Cluck Cluck Boots, which is meant to be reminiscent of flour sack towels. It calls for DK weight yarn and you can work it in one color or two (or even three!).

Add a little more texture with this set of kitchen towels from Whileberry Creative. They’re mostly worked in garter stitch with borders in easy knit/purl patterns, and you can work them in sport or worsted weight yarn.

Two of Wands Shop has another cute allover knit and purl pattern they call the Seersucker Textured Tea Towel. It’s an easy repeating pattern worked in worsted weight yarn, and there’s a chart in the pattern you can use, but don’t have to, if you want to practice knitting from a chart.

The Classic Cloth dish towel from Handmade Home by Connie is another one that can use a little leftover yarn in a contrasting color, or you could color block it our use stripes throughout the pattern. This one uses worsted weight yarn and another easy repeating knit purl stitch pattern.

If you like to hang your towel on the oven handle or elsewhere but it’s always falling off, try the Stay Put kitchen towel from Fancy Step Knits. This project is worked in garter stitch and includes a hole partway through so you can pull the towel through itself over a rod or handle. Stripes are optional but a nice addition.

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