Honeycomb Blanket

Honeycomb Blanket by Nancy Hand

Project Overview

The Honeycomb Blanket is an intermediate-level knitting project designed by Nancy Hand that combines colorwork and cable techniques to create a finished blanket measuring approximately 26 x 28 inches. This downloadable knitting pattern is ideal for crafters looking to expand their skills with intarsia colorwork while incorporating decorative cable stitches.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a cozy knitted blanket featuring a honeycomb cable motif worked in multiple colors. The design showcases the interplay between structured cable patterns and soft colorwork, making it suitable as a decorative throw or baby blanket. The finished dimensions of approximately 26 x 28 inches make it a practical size for various uses.

Knitting Techniques Used

The Honeycomb Blanket employs several key knitting techniques:

• Intarsia Colorwork: Colors are worked into the fabric using the intarsia method, which requires managing up to 5 working threads simultaneously. This technique creates distinct color blocks without stranding yarn across the back of the work.
• Cable Knitting: The pattern features Honeycomb Cable 1 as the primary cable design, with an alternative Honeycomb Cable 2 option included for crafters who prefer a slightly wider finished blanket.
• Seed Stitch: The base fabric is worked in seed stitch, which creates a textured, reversible surface with excellent drape and flexibility.

Stitches and Stitch Details

The pattern utilizes fundamental knitting stitches combined in specific ways:

• Seed Stitch Construction: Seed stitch is created by alternating knit and purl stitches within rows and between rows. On the right side of the fabric, purl stitches appear on the wrong side as knits, and knit stitches appear on the wrong side as purls, creating the characteristic bumpy texture.
• Honeycomb Cable: The cable technique involves slipping 2 stitches onto a cable needle and holding them to the back of the work, knitting 2 stitches from the left needle, then knitting the 2 stitches from the cable needle. This creates the interlocking honeycomb pattern that gives the blanket its visual interest.

Materials and Yarn Specifications

The Honeycomb Blanket is designed to be worked with Plymouth Yarns Dreambaby DK, a DK weight yarn that provides excellent stitch definition for both the cable work and colorwork elements. The gauge is approximately 5.25 stitches per inch when worked in seed stitch.

Yarn Requirements:

• 2 balls of White (#100)
• 1 ball each of Sky (#124), Rose (#129), Lilac (#131), and Celadon (#133)

Needles and Notions:

• US Size 7 needles (one set required)
• 4 stitch markers (optional, but helpful for tracking pattern repeats)
• Cable needle (required for cable techniques)

Difficulty Level

This pattern is rated as intermediate difficulty, making it suitable for knitters who have mastered basic stitches and are ready to tackle colorwork and cable techniques. The combination of intarsia colorwork with multiple working threads and cable manipulation requires attention to detail and familiarity with these specialized techniques.

Design Flexibility

Nancy Hand has included two versions of the honeycomb cable within this pattern. Honeycomb Cable 1 is the primary design, while Honeycomb Cable 2 offers a more relaxed cable interpretation that produces a slightly wider finished blanket, allowing crafters to choose the aesthetic and dimensions that best suit their preferences.