Blanket in Sirdar Supersoft Aran - 5236 - Downloadable PDF

Sirdar Supersoft Aran Blanket – Knitting Pattern 5236: A Detailed Guide

This downloadable PDF knitting pattern from Sirdar (pattern number 5236) guides knitters through creating a beautifully textured knitted blanket measuring approximately 60 x 78 cm (23¾ x 30¾ inches). Rated as an intermediate level project, this design is ideal for knitters who are comfortable with cables, twists, and bobble techniques and are ready to take their skills to the next level. The finished blanket makes a wonderful handmade gift or a cosy addition to any home.

What Is Being Made

The pattern produces a single knitted blanket or throw worked as one flat piece. Its compact yet practical dimensions make it suitable as a lap blanket, a pram or cot cover, or a decorative throw. The overall fabric is rich with surface texture, combining classic cable crossings, travelling stitches, and raised bobbles into a cohesive lattice and bobble pattern that gives the blanket a striking, heirloom quality appearance.

Techniques and Construction

The blanket is worked flat on a single pair of straight knitting needles, casting on 108 stitches using the thumb method. The construction is straightforward in terms of shaping — there are no increases, decreases for shaping, or seams to sew — making the challenge entirely about executing the stitch pattern correctly and consistently across the rows. The pattern is written row by row and relies on the knitter following a detailed repeat sequence that builds the lattice and bobble design progressively.

Key techniques used in this pattern include:

• Cable knitting — using a cable needle to hold stitches temporarily at the front or back of the work before knitting them, creating the signature twisted rope effect of traditional cable panels
• Travelling stitches (twists) — moving knit stitches diagonally across a purl background to form the lattice framework of the design
• Bobble making — working multiple stitches into a single picked-up loop and then decreasing back down to create a raised, three-dimensional bobble that sits proud of the fabric surface
• Garter stitch — the first row establishes a garter stitch border element, and the pattern references garter stitch throughout as a structural component

Stitches Used

The pattern employs a rich vocabulary of knitting stitches and techniques. The primary stitch pattern is described as a lattice and bobble pattern, and the following specific stitch constructions are defined and used throughout:

• Knit (k) and Purl (p) — the foundational stitches that create the background fabric and define the texture between cable and bobble elements
• C4B (Cable 4 Back) — slip 2 stitches to a cable needle held at the back, knit 2, then knit 2 from the cable needle; creates a right-leaning cable cross
• C4F (Cable 4 Front) — slip 2 stitches to a cable needle held at the front, knit 2, then knit 2 from the cable needle; creates a left-leaning cable cross
• T3B (Twist 3 Back) — slip 1 stitch to a cable needle held at the back, knit 2, then purl 1 from the cable needle; moves knit stitches diagonally to the right across a purl field
• T3F (Twist 3 Front) — slip 2 stitches to a cable needle held at the front, purl 1, then knit 2 from the cable needle; moves knit stitches diagonally to the left across a purl field
• MB (Make Bobble) — a multi-step bobble construction: pick up the loop between stitches, work (k1, p1, k1, p1, k1) into it to create 5 stitches, turn and work short rows across these stitches, then decrease back down using p2tog, p1, p2tog and finally s1, k2tog, psso to complete the bobble
• Garter stitch (g-st) — knitting every row