Xander Blanket in Berroco Vintage - Downloadable PDF

Xander Blanket in Berroco Vintage — Knitting Pattern Summary

The Xander Blanket is a beautifully structured, colorful knitted throw designed by Nadia Glaser and published by Berroco. Available as a downloadable PDF, this pattern is rated Easy, making it an excellent project for beginner and confident beginner knitters who want to explore modular construction and color work without complex techniques. The finished blanket measures approximately 42 inches wide by 54 inches long (106.5 cm x 137 cm), creating a generous lap or throw-sized piece.

Construction Method: Diagonal Modular Squares

What makes the Xander Blanket distinctive is its modular, diagonal square construction. Rather than knitting the blanket flat from edge to edge or in the round, each individual square is worked on the diagonal — beginning at one corner and increasing outward to the widest point, then decreasing back to the opposite corner. This technique creates a satisfying, rhythmic knitting experience and produces squares with a natural mitered structure.

Once all squares are completed, they are sewn together using a tapestry needle. A key design detail is that the center stripe of each square is always worked in Color 1 (C1, Mochi). When the squares are assembled, these center stripes align across the entire blanket surface to form a cohesive grid pattern — a clever visual effect that emerges from the construction rather than from any complex colorwork technique like intarsia or stranded knitting.

Stitches and Techniques Used

• Garter Stitch — The entire blanket is worked in garter stitch (knitting every row), which gives the fabric a dense, squishy texture with excellent drape and lay-flat properties. Garter stitch is ideal for blankets because it does not curl at the edges.
• Kfb (Knit Front and Back) — Used as the increase method on every increase row, adding one stitch at the beginning of each row to shape the diagonal square outward from the cast-on corner.
• K2tog (Knit Two Together) — Used as the decrease method on every decrease row, reducing one stitch near the end of each row to taper the square back to its finishing corner.
• Modular / Mitered Knitting — Each square is a self-contained unit worked diagonally, a technique common in modular knitting that allows for easy color changes and a graphic, geometric finished appearance.
• Seaming / Finishing — Completed squares are joined using a tapestry needle, requiring basic seaming skills.

Color Palette and Yarn

The Xander Blanket is knitted in Berroco Vintage®, a worsted-weight yarn sold in 100-gram hanks. Berroco Vintage is a popular choice for blankets and home goods due to its soft hand, stitch definition, and easy-care fiber content. The pattern calls for a total of six colors, used in varying quantities to create the multicolor striped squares:

• 4 hanks — #5101 Mochi (C1) — the dominant neutral used for the center stripe of every square
• 1 hank — #5121 Sunny (C2)
• 2 hanks — #5136 Bird's Egg (C3)
• 2 hanks — #5194 Breezeway (C4)
• 2 hanks — #5176 Pumpkin (C5)
• 2 hanks — #5103 Mocha (C6)

The palette blends warm and cool tones — a creamy neutral, golden yellow, soft blue-green, airy breezeway blue, rich pumpkin orange, and warm mocha brown — resulting in a blanket that feels both cozy and visually lively.

Needles and Notions

• Knitting needles, size US 8 / 5 mm — or size needed to obtain gauge
• 60-inch / 150 cm circular needle, size US 8 / 5 mm — the long circular needle accommodates the full width of