Bo Peep Pure Botanical Garden Blanket KAL - Cornflower in West Yorkshire Spinners - WYSKAL04C - Downloadable PDF

Bo Peep Pure Botanical Garden Blanket KAL – Cornflower: Knitting Pattern Summary

About This Pattern

The Cornflower Botanical Garden Colourwork Blanket is part four of the Bo Peep Pure Botanical Garden Blanket KAL (Knit-Along), a free downloadable PDF pattern designed by Rosee Woodland for West Yorkshire Spinners. This intermediate-level knitting project produces a stunning colourwork blanket panel inspired by the delicate beauty of the cornflower, forming one section of a larger botanical-themed blanket. When all KAL parts are combined, the finished blanket measures 85cm wide by 83cm tall after blocking, making it a generous and decorative throw suitable for home interiors.

What Is Being Made

This pattern focuses on knitting an individual botanical colourwork blanket panel measuring 20cm wide by 19.5cm tall after blocking. The panel features a cornflower motif worked in detailed colourwork and is designed to be joined with panels from other parts of the KAL series to create a complete blanket. A knitted edging, measuring 2.5cm wide, is also included to finish the blanket neatly. An optional fabric backing using one metre of cotton jersey and matching polyester sewing thread is suggested for those who wish to line the finished blanket.

Techniques Used

• Stranded colourwork: A traditional Fair Isle-style technique where two or more yarn colours are carried across the back of the work, creating dense, warm fabric with intricate repeating or pictorial motifs. This is the primary technique used for the blanket panels.
• Strandtarsia colourwork: A hybrid technique combining elements of stranded colourwork and intarsia, allowing for larger isolated colour blocks or motifs without carrying yarn across the full width of the row. This technique is also employed within the panel design.
• Circular knitting for edging: The blanket edging is worked on a long circular needle, allowing the knitter to pick up stitches around the entire perimeter of the assembled blanket for a smooth, professional finish.
• Blocking: Wet or steam blocking is an essential finishing step referenced in the pattern, as the measurements given are post-blocking dimensions. Blocking evens out stitches and opens up the colourwork for a polished result.
• Optional fabric backing: A simple sewing technique is suggested for attaching a cotton jersey backing to the finished blanket, adding structure and warmth.

Stitches Used

• Stranded colourwork stitches: Worked flat on straight needles for the individual panels, following a charted cornflower motif.
• Edging stitches: Picked up and worked in the round on a circular needle, creating a neat border around the assembled blanket.
• Stitch markers, including eight hinged stitch markers and one contrast colour stitch marker, are used to mark sections during the edging construction.

Materials and Tools

• Yarn: West Yorkshire Spinners Bo Peep Pure DK — a high-quality DK weight yarn used for both the blanket panels and the edging. Multiple colours are required to achieve the botanical colourwork design, with the cornflower colourway being the focus of this particular KAL instalment.
• Needles for panels: A pair of 4mm (UK8 / US6) straight knitting needles are used to work the individual colourwork panels.
• Needles for edging: A 3.25mm (UK10 / US3) circular knitting needle, either 120cm or 150cm in length, is required for picking up and working the border edging around the assembled blanket.
• Notions: Eight hinged stitch markers, one contrast colour stitch marker, and optionally one metre of cotton jersey fabric with matching polyester sewing thread for a fabric backing.

Tension

Achieving the correct tension is particularly important in colourwork knitting, as both stranded and strandtarsia techniques can cause fabric to pull in or distort if not worked at the right gauge. The pattern specifies a stranded colourwork tension of 26 stitches