Spieldecke in Schachenmayr Egypto Cotton - 4851 - Downloadable PDF

Spieldecke in Schachenmayr Egypto Cotton – Pattern 4851: A Detailed Summary

This free downloadable knitting pattern (Modell 4851) from Schachenmayr guides crafters through the creation of a charming play blanket (Spieldecke) measuring approximately 75 cm wide and 115 cm long. Designed for babies and young children, this blanket is constructed from multiple individual rectangular panels, each featuring its own decorative motif or texture. The panels are then assembled into a single cohesive piece. The design is playful and colourful, making it an ideal handmade gift or nursery accessory.

Yarn and Materials

The pattern calls for Schachenmayr original Egypto Cotton, a 4-ply weight cotton yarn, in a wide range of colours. The specific quantities and shades listed in the pattern are:

• 150 g each of Fb 215 Royal (navy blue) and Fb 131 Rubin (ruby red)
• 100 g each of Fb 09 Weiß (white), Fb 629 vanilla, Fb 237 sky (sky blue), Fb lachs (salmon), Fb 234 strawberry, Fb 210 navy, and Fb 173 salbei (sage green)
• Remaining yarn or 50 g of Fb 749 pink

The tools required include knitting needles in size 3–4 mm, a double-pointed needle set (Nadelspiel) in size 3–4 mm, a crochet hook in size 2.5–3.5 mm, and a blunt-tipped embroidery needle (Sticknadel ohne Spitze).

Construction Overview

The blanket is built panel by panel, with each rectangle worked separately and later joined. This modular approach makes the project manageable and allows each motif to be crafted with full attention. The variety of techniques used across the panels — including colourwork, embroidery, bobble textures, and even a small amount of crochet — makes this an engaging project for knitters who enjoy combining skills.

Panel Designs and Techniques

Rectangle 1 and Rectangle 3 – Bobble Texture (Noppen)

Two of the rectangular panels feature a bobble or nub texture (Noppen). Rectangle 1 is worked in one colourway, while Rectangle 3 is worked in the same manner but knitted in lachs (salmon). Bobbles are a classic knitting technique in which multiple stitches are worked into a single stitch and then decreased back, creating a raised, three-dimensional bump on the fabric surface. This adds tactile interest to the blanket, which is particularly appealing for young children.

Rectangle 2 – Elephant Motif with Jacquard and Intarsia Colourwork

This is the most technically involved panel. 81 stitches are cast on in vanilla and worked in stocking stitch (glatt rechts) — knit on right-side rows, purl on wrong-side rows. After 8 rows, the elephant motif is introduced over the central 57 stitches, worked from a chart (Zählmuster) over 102 rows. The pedestal beneath the elephant is worked using a combination of Jacquard (stranded colourwork) and Intarsia techniques, while the elephant itself is worked in Intarsia alone.

In Intarsia knitting, each distinct colour area is worked with its own separate ball or bobbin of yarn, and the yarns are twisted at colour joins to avoid holes. This is ideal for large, isolated motifs like the elephant. Jacquard or stranded colourwork involves carrying multiple yarns across the back of the work simultaneously, creating a double-layered fabric — well suited to smaller repeating colour sections such as the decorative base or podium.

Smaller colour details may alternatively be embroidered afterwards using duplicate stitch (Maschenst