Cabled Blanket in Rowan Wool Cotton 4 Ply - Downloadable PDF

Cabled Blanket in Rowan Wool Cotton 4 Ply – Pattern Summary

Designed by Linda Whaley and published by Rowan, the Cabled Blanket (pattern reference ZB196-00004) is a beautifully textured knitted blanket or throw, available as a free downloadable PDF. This is an intermediate-level knitting pattern that combines classic ribbing borders with an elegant repeating cable motif, making it an ideal project for knitters who are comfortable with basic techniques and ready to explore the satisfying world of cable knitting.

What Is Being Made

The finished project is a knitted blanket or throw, worked flat in one piece. The design features a structured ribbed border that transitions into a central cable panel pattern, giving the blanket a polished, heirloom quality. It is a substantial project, casting on 240 stitches, and is intended to be a statement piece for the home. The pattern has been photographed in two different yarn colourway combinations, showcasing its versatility.

Yarn Options and Materials

Linda Whaley specifies two yarn options for this blanket, both in the 4 ply weight category:

• Rowan Wool Cotton 4ply – The primary yarn listed for this pattern. You will need 8 x 50g balls. The blanket has been photographed in Celanden 482 and Paper 486, demonstrating how the cable texture reads beautifully in both tonal and neutral shades.
• Rowan Super Fine Merino 4ply – An alternative yarn option requiring 9 x 50g balls. This version has been photographed in Sky 264 and Marble 269, offering a softer, lighter feel with the same stitch definition.

Both yarns are 4 ply weight (also known as fingering weight), which produces a finely knitted fabric with excellent stitch clarity — particularly important when working cable patterns where definition is key to the overall visual impact.

Needles Required

The pattern uses two needle sizes, which is a common technique in blanket and garment knitting to create a tighter, neater ribbed border before opening up to the main fabric tension:

• 2¾mm (US size 2) needles – used for the ribbed border section
• 3¼mm (US size 3) needles – used for the main cable body of the blanket

Techniques Used

This pattern employs a range of classic knitting techniques that make it well-suited to an intermediate knitter looking to build confidence with cables:

• Flat knitting – The blanket is worked back and forth in rows rather than in the round, making it accessible without circular needle expertise, though long circular needles may be preferred for comfort when handling 240 stitches.
• Ribbing – A 2x2 rib border is worked over the first 16 rows using the smaller needle size, creating a neat, elasticated edge that frames the blanket and prevents curling.
• Needle sizing transition – Switching from 2¾mm to 3¼mm needles at row 17 is a deliberate technique to adjust the fabric tension for the cable section.
• Cable knitting – The central body of the blanket features a repeating cable pattern using both C6F (Cable 6 Front) and C6B (Cable 6 Back) techniques. These are six-stitch cables that cross stitches either in front of or behind the work to create the characteristic twisted rope effect. A cable needle will be required to hold stitches temporarily while the cross is worked.
• Pattern repeats – The cable design is structured around a defined stitch repeat, requiring the knitter to track row-by-row instructions carefully, particularly around the cable crossing rows.

Stitches Used

The following stitches and stitch patterns appear throughout the Cabled Blanket by Linda Whaley:

• Knit stitch (K)