Southwest Geometric Blanket in Caron Simply Soft - Downloadable PDF

Southwest Geometric Blanket in Caron Simply Soft – Free Knitting Pattern (Downloadable PDF)

About This Project

This free downloadable PDF pattern guides knitters through creating a stunning Southwest Geometric Blanket, a large knitted throw measuring approximately 48" x 60" (122 x 152 cm). The finished blanket is built entirely from individual mitered squares, each measuring approximately 6" (15 cm), arranged into panels and assembled into a cohesive geometric design inspired by classic Southwestern color palettes and angular motifs. The pattern is rated Intermediate in difficulty, making it an ideal next project for knitters who have moved beyond the basics and are ready to explore modular construction and multi-color stripe sequences.

Construction Method: Modular Mitered Square Knitting

The blanket is constructed using a modular knitting technique, where individual mitered squares are worked one at a time and joined as you go — meaning very little seaming is required at the end. This method is both satisfying and efficient, as each completed square becomes a building block for the next.

The First Panel begins by casting on stitches for the very first square in the bottom left corner. Each subsequent square in the panel is worked by picking up stitches along the top edge of the previous square, then casting on the remaining stitches needed. Once the First Panel is complete, all remaining panels are worked by picking up stitches from the sides of the previous panel and its squares. A numbered diagram included in the PDF guides knitters through the correct square order and the specific stripe color sequence to use for each individual square, ensuring the Southwestern geometric pattern emerges correctly across the full blanket.

Stitches and Techniques Used

• Mitered Square Construction: Each square is shaped by working a centered double decrease on every right-side row, drawing the square inward from both sides toward a central spine. This creates the characteristic diagonal lines that define the mitered square aesthetic.
• S2P (Slip 2, Purl — Centered Double Decrease): The key shaping stitch of this pattern. On right-side rows, two stitches are slipped together knitwise, then knitted together with the next stitch, creating a neat, centered decrease that forms the mitered diagonal.
• Garter Stitch: The majority of each mitered square is worked in garter stitch (knitting every row), which gives the blanket a dense, reversible, and beautifully textured fabric. The pattern notes specify keeping the first stitch on each side in garter stitch throughout.
• Stocking Stitch (Stockinette): The centered decrease stitch itself is maintained in stocking stitch, creating a subtle visual contrast along the central spine of each square.
• Picking Up and Knitting Stitches: A core technique in this pattern, used to begin each new square directly from the edge of a completed one, eliminating the need for sewing panels together and keeping the construction seamless and tidy.
• Casting On Mid-Project: For each new square, half the stitches are picked up from a previous square's edge and the remaining stitches are cast on, requiring knitters to be comfortable with casting on at various stages of the project.
• K3tog (Knit 3 Together): Used to close off the final stitches of each square cleanly when only 3 stitches remain.
• Color Striping: Each square follows its own unique stripe sequence drawn from a palette of five colors, with color changes occurring at specific row intervals. Knitters work from the numbered diagram in the PDF to determine which stripe pattern applies to each square position in the blanket.

Stripe and Color Sequence Detail

The pattern provides detailed row-by-row color instructions for each square. For example, Square #1 is worked in Contrast A (Harvest Red) for rows 1–9, transitions to Contrast B (Pumpkin) for rows 10–39, and finishes in Contrast D (Bone) for the remaining rows. Square #2 uses a repeating stripe sequence alternating between Contrast D (Bone), Contrast C (Ocean), and Contrast E (Dark Chocolate). Square #3 cycles through Contrast A (Harvest Red), Contrast D (Bone), and Contrast E (Dark Chocolate