This was an MKAL by Cascade that uses their superwash yarn in four colors. I decided to make mine in 100% wool for our sofa, so the focus was on stitch definition and neutral color that works with our color scheme. I did not participate in the MKAL when it first launched; I was a latecomer after seeing how great the finished blanket looked. It’s a fast knit for a blanket. It just took me awhile because of life stuff. As of August 2023, the pattern was still available via the Blanket of Many Stitches MKAL private Facebook Group.

Cascade’s pattern is 30 stripes with a border on all four sides. You would need their (free) pattern from their FB page to follow along with my notes. Most of the stitches I found online and many are on youtube if you need help with any of Cascade’s written directions. Cascade released the pattern in ten 3-stripe installments. I made a few changes to their pattern in the end third. I didn’t knit all the stripes because two were colorwork and I didn’t need the additional length for our sofa. My notes reflect the 28 stripes and order I used and mostly reflects Casade’s installments.

I am using one size 7 needle and one size 8 on a circular that was suggested to me on the MKAL’s FB page to have a consistent gauge throughout. I am very happy with the gauge and all the stripes though I was concerned with the King Charles Brocade. I like the pattern but there is a little puckering in that stripe, which i noticed in others’ blankets as well. I was able to block out the puckering. Friday Harbor pulled in too much. Maybe increase needle size by one/two more for that stripe. It did block out with some persuasion.

How I used my needles when called for in pattern:
7 = 7 + 8
8 = 8 + 9
6 = 6 + 7

I’m not sure I’d recommend the mixed needles to do again. The intent was to help get a consistent stitch back to front of the work, where the smaller needle is used on the back, purl-prominent side. I think this worked, but is highly stitch dependent.
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• CO 224 stitches

• Seed stitch border (instead of garter stitch), size 7, for 16 rows.

• Maintain Seed stitch side borders of 10 stitches and begin pattern stripes.

Installment 1

• Stripe 1: Diagonals, size 7. No changes to pattern.
• Stripe 2: Dimples, size 8. No changes to pattern.
• Stripe 3: Checkerboard, size 8. No changes to pattern.

Installment 2

• Stripe 4: Little Slipped Check, size 7. Misread repeat. Did 1-9 x2 then ended section after completing row 2.
• Stripe 5: Broken Rib Basketweave, size 7. No changes.
• Stripe 6: Jute stitch, size 8, using Sam’s directions:

Prep row 1: Seed Stitch 10 border stitches, K pattern stitches, Seed Stitch 10 border stitches
Prep row 2, Seed Stitch 10 border stitches, p2tog at beg of pattern stitches then P pattern stitches, Seed Stitch 10 border stitches (notice which way the decrease leans)
Row 1: Seed Stitch 10 border stitches: P1, sl1wyif to last pattern st, P1; Seed Stitch 10 border stitches
Row 2: Seed Stitch 10 border stitches; K1, P1 to last pattern st, K1; Seed Stitch 10 border stitches

Installment 3

• Stripe 7: Diagonal Scallop, size 7. Preparation Row 1: Seed Stich Border 10, K to marker, M1L and knit into the back loop, Seed stitch Border 10. YO very loosely. No other changes to pattern.
• Stripe 8: Mesh, size 6. Place lifeline after second prep row. Remove lifeline after stripe and use throughout as needed
• Stripe 9: Andalusian Stitch, size 7. No changes to pattern.

Installment 4

• Stripe 10: Pebble stitch, size 7. Knit Rows 1-4 three times making 4 rows of pebbles total. Stripe 9 is a repeat of three and I didn’t want another pattern with a similar repetition. Recommend this change.
• Stripe 11: Cuts Diagonal Variation, size 7. No changes to pattern.
• Stripe 12: Tweed Stitch, size 7. I inadvertently started the pattern on row 3 (confused the setup rows with pattern rows on my counter). This makes no difference to that pattern other than you have to realize your pattern row 1 is really pattern row 3 and your pattern row 3 is really pattern row 1. Management issue. :-)

Installment 5

• Stripe 13: Slip stitch bands, size 8. I didn’t like the idea that the original pattern’s Stripe 13 Knot Stitch would be next to the Stripe 12 Tweed stitch as Knot Stitch is very similar. So like many others, I switched the stripe order. Happy with this change. No changes to pattern.
• Stripe 14: Diagonal Tweed, size 8. No changes to pattern and 16 total rows.
• Stripe 15: Knot Stitch, size 8. Pattern as written…kinda. Somewhere in the pattern I lost a stitch. So I toggled between row 1 and row 3 on each RS to be sure the knots offset. Oddly I still cannot find where I lost the stitch and the pattern looks entirely correct. I suspect a YO slipped off the needle on a purl row. I added two prep rows after section and added a stitch in the first knit prep row right before the marker. I like the separation adding prep rows gives this section.

Installment 6

• Stripe 16: Gulls and Garter Mod, size 7. Unlike what you’ll find on you tube, this stitch is an optical illusion with the purl bump. The stitch I found on youtube actually catches that purl stitch, but this mod does not, in spite of looking like it does. Knit as written
• Stripe 17: Mock Cable, size 7. This stripe confused some folks. On the cable row you basically have alternating actions for each set of three stitches: 1) slip, knit, knit, pass slipped stitch over. 2) purl 3. Then on the row following, you need to make a stitch. So you’ll purl a stitch and take it off your left needle, YO, then purl into the next stitch like normal. You should end up with three stitches between the K3 so your count returns to the original stitch count.

Installment 7

• Stripe 18: Quilted Lattice, size 7. Change in row 8. This row ends on a SS (grabs the lattice) but starts on a K1 (doesn’t grab the lattice). To somewhat mirror the ends I grabbed the lattice on the first K stitch. It worked and looks better than not grabbing the lattice. Also, this entire pattern should be repeated to make a two inch stripe. So, per Sam’s modification, Knit preparation row, then did pattern rows 1-9 twice, and left off rows 10-11, for top/bottom symmetry. I like this pattern’s mirror to Gulls and Garter around the Mock Stitch.
• Stripe 19: Seersucker Stitch, size 7. I knit pattern as written, repeating 1-8 twice.
• Stripe 20: Twisted Waffle, size 7. I knit the two preparation rows, then pattern rows 1-4 twice, then 1-3, instead of knitting pattern row 4, I knit pattern row 2 (all purl), because I wanted symmetry at the bottom and top of the stripe. This means I only have “bar” ridges in the middle of this stripe.

Installment 8

• Stripe 21: Inserted King Charles Brocade. I feel I need some horizontal movement sooner than when the pattern suggested using this stitch. So instead of using this for Section 24, I used it for Section 22. Knit King Charles Brocade as written.
• Stripe 22: Purl Twist, size 7. Knit as written 12 rows of pattern + prep and finish rows.
• Stripe 23: Ridge Knit Stitch, size 8. I changed this to the Stockinette Ridge. This change (made for no particular reason) is very minor on rows 2 and 3 where the pattern rows start and end on single P (row 2) and single K (row 3) instead of the repeated stitches.
• Stripe 24: (Substituted stitch) Brick Stitch, size 7. Prep row K and M1 before border. Prep row P. Start Pattern.

Installment 9/10

• Stripe 25: Diamonds, size 7.

• Stripe 26: Basketweave, size 8.

• Strips 27: Little Raindrops/Diamond Drops (Substituted from the 365 Knitting Stitches A Year Perpetual Calendar) Did 11 rows total, purl row 12. (Balance the row and set up for next stripe with knit row 13, purl row 14, knit row 15, purl row 17.)

• Stripe 28: Friday Harbor: Start right on Row 1

• Seed Stitch End Border for 16 rows

Stop the pattern here or add an applied I-cord edge.

I bound off traditionally and then did an applied 5 stitch Icord binding with a provisional cast on and then I grafted the ends. I used this video as guidance but CO 4 (instead of 3). I used 67 gm (or 2/3 ball) of an entire ball for the icord edge. I should have made 3 repeats per corner, but only made 2 on this blanket. I did make a noticeable mistake in Installment 8, right in the middle of the work and which I didn’t see until i finished. I was able to weave in a scrap yarn piece and fake a fix.

Always check your entire stripe before proceeding.
And remember that lifelines are your friend.

Block and enjoy!

I went through some life stuff and the project timed out more than i intended, so my gauge at the end overall is tighter than the beginning. Just a reminder to knit on something every couple days to keep your gauge consistent.

(Baby blanket version made by someone else. 120 stitch center and 5 stitches on each side border. 19 stripes, and use colorwork stripe for gender stripe.)