285 Soft Cables Afghan - Blanket Knitting Pattern for Men and Women in Valley Yarns Amherst

285 Soft Cables Afghan – Blanket Knitting Pattern by Kirsten Hipsky

The 285 Soft Cables Afghan is a beautifully textured knitted blanket pattern designed by Kirsten Hipsky and published under the Valley Yarns brand. Worked flat in a single piece, this cozy throw combines classic cable crossings with a subtle textured background stitch to create a fabric that is visually rich yet approachable enough for beginner knitters. The pattern is available as a downloadable PDF and offers three finished size options — 36" x 36", 36" x 48", and 48" x 60" — making it versatile for a lap blanket, a generous throw, or a full-size bed accent.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a seamless, flat-knitted afghan — a soft, structured blanket suitable for home décor, gifting, or everyday use. The design is gender-neutral and works equally well for men and women. The repeating cable and rib motif gives the finished piece a classic, timeless aesthetic that suits a wide range of interior styles.

Techniques Used

• Worked flat: The entire afghan is knitted back and forth in rows on straight or circular needles, meaning no seaming is required at any stage. The result is a truly seamless finished object.
• Cable knitting: The signature technique in this pattern is the C2-3L cable cross — a 2-over-3 left-leaning cable in which 2 stitches are slipped to a cable needle and held to the front while 3 stitches are knitted, then the held stitches are worked. This creates the soft, twisted rope-like columns that give the afghan its name.
• Knit-below (kbw): A distinctive textural technique where the knitter works into the stitch in the row below rather than the live stitch on the needle. This elongates the stitch and adds subtle depth and thickness to the fabric between the cable columns.
• Ribbing and seed-stitch-style borders: The pattern incorporates alternating knit and purl sequences that frame the cable panels and create a neat, stable edge that resists rolling.

Stitches Used

• Knit (k) and purl (p) — the foundational stitches forming the overall fabric structure
• C2-3L — 2-over-3 left cable cross, the primary decorative stitch
• kbw — knit in the row below, used to add texture between cable repeats
• Cast on (CO) — the pattern begins with a cast on of 159 stitches for the two smaller sizes and 219 stitches for the largest size

Materials

• Yarn: Valley Yarns Amherst — a 100% Merino wool yarn in a worsted weight, with approximately 109 yards per 50g skein. The sample shown uses the colorway Jungle Green. Yardage requirements are 11 skeins for the 36" x 36" size, 14 skeins for the 36" x 48" size, and 19 skeins for the 48" x 60" size.
• Needles: US size 8 needles, or the size needed to achieve the recommended gauge. Circular needles may be used to accommodate the stitch count comfortably, though the piece is worked flat.
• Gauge: Approximately 4.5 stitches and 8 rows per inch in the stitch pattern. Achieving correct gauge is important for reaching the intended finished dimensions.
• Additional tools: A cable needle is required for working the C2-3L cable crosses throughout the pattern.

Difficulty and Suitability

Rated as a beginner project, the 285 Soft Cables Afghan is an ideal introduction to