The Cloud Blanket — Knitcue Original No. 05

Read the free pattern and download the PDF at Knitcue. No email required. The site also has an optional illustrative tracker demo and a waitlist.

A soft, substantial throw with simple 2 x 2 rib texture. Knit flat in one piece, it uses an easy-to-remember two-row repeat and a relaxed bind off in pattern. Suitable for confident beginners who can knit, purl, cast on and bind off.

Materials
• Wool and the Gang Crazy Sexy Wool, super bulky / super chunky: 80 m (approximately 87 yd) per 200 g ball. Standard colours are 100% wool; Funfetti colours are 95% wool / 5% viscose.
• US 17 / 12 mm circular needles, 40 in / 100 cm or longer, used back and forth.
• Tapestry needle, scissors, tape measure; stitch markers and pins or clips optional.

Size and gauge
Cast on 128 stitches using the long-tail cast on. The approximately 51 x 60 in / 130 x 152 cm size is a design target at an estimated 10 stitches per 4 inches in lightly opened 2 x 2 rib; this is not a measured sample gauge. Wool and the Gang publishes 8 stitches and 10 rows per 10 cm in stockinette on US 17 / 12 mm. That reference gives 160 cm / about 63 inches across 128 stitches before rib contraction. Actual rib width depends on tension and how much the fabric is opened.

Yarn quantity
10 balls: 800 m / approximately 875 yd for the 128-stitch blanket worked to 60 in / 152 cm. Includes an allowance for binding off and variation. Actual consumption varies with tension, finished dimensions and needle size. Adjust the quantity if you change the width or length.

Follow the repeat to measured length, ending after a wrong-side row. There is no fixed total row count. Bind off in pattern, weave in ends, hand wash cold and dry flat without forcing the rib width.

Techniques: long-tail cast on, knit, purl, 2 x 2 rib, joining a new ball, bind off in pattern, weaving in ends and gentle blocking.

Free for launch. The PDF contains the complete instructions and can be used independently. The pattern is also included in Knitcue, currently in development, with row tracking and step-by-step pattern instructions.