Gaudi Blanket in Rowan Handknit Cotton - Downloadable PDF

Gaudi Blanket in Rowan Handknit Cotton

What is Being Made

The Gaudi Blanket is a knitted throw blanket designed by Martin Storey. This is an advanced-level knitting project that creates a substantial finished piece measuring approximately 108 cm in length. The blanket is worked in a colorwork pattern that showcases multiple vibrant hues, making it a striking decorative piece suitable for home décor or as a generous throw.

Techniques Used

This blanket employs colorwork knitting as its primary technique, with the entire pattern worked from a chart. The design is constructed using stockinette stitch (stocking stitch) throughout, which is worked beginning with a knit row and repeating a 68-row pattern repeat. The blanket features a picked-up edging worked after the main body is complete, which involves picking up and knitting stitches along the cast-on edge and row-end edges. The edging includes strategic corner stitches that are marked for shaping. The finishing process includes pressing according to standard knitting guidelines.

Stitches Used

• Stockinette Stitch (St St): The foundational stitch used throughout the entire blanket body, creating a smooth, flat fabric with a distinctive V-pattern appearance on the right side
• Knit Stitch: Used to begin rows and as part of the stockinette stitch construction
• Purl Stitch: Used in the cast-off method (cast off purlwise on the wrong side) to create a neat edge finish
• Picked-Up Stitches: Used along the perimeter for the edging, with 73 stitches picked up along the cast-on edge and 204 stitches picked up evenly along the row-end edges

Materials

This project is worked in Rowan Handknit Cotton, a DK-weight yarn. The blanket requires multiple colors from the Rowan palette:

• Yarn A: Ecru (color 251) – 8 balls, the primary color
• Yarn B: Atlantic (color 346) – 2 balls
• Yarn C: Goldfish (color 376) – 1 ball
• Yarn D: Black (color 252) – 2 balls
• Yarn E: Canary (color 377) – 1 ball
• Yarn F: Gooseberry (color 219) – 1 ball
• Yarn G: Flamingo (color 368) – 1 ball

Needles required: One pair of 4mm (US 6) straight needles and one 4mm (US 6) circular needle at least 140 cm long. The circular needle is essential for accommodating the large number of stitches when working the edging around the blanket's perimeter.

Pattern Structure

The blanket is worked in a chart-based colorwork pattern that repeats over 68 rows. Knitters work across each row following the chart, maintaining stockinette stitch throughout. The main body continues until the piece measures approximately 108 cm, with the final row ending after chart row 55 with the wrong side facing. This structured approach allows knitters to create the complex, multi-colored design characteristic of the Gaudi blanket.