I love searching for knit beauty on the internet. Knit beauty comes in many shapes and colors and styles. This one is especially fun because it’s so modern and contemporary. It looks like it was straight out of the “Hot Right Now” list at Pottery Barn. This is the kind of thing you make for those people who SAY they don’t like handmade! You’ll change their minds in a heartbeat. I know that this is labeled as a baby blanket but this would be outstanding as an adult blanket too.
The triangles in this blanket are made in short rows. Oh, I know. I hear you, “Short rows?! They’re so scary!” No, I promise you that they are not at all scary. In fact, if you will just give them a try, I think you will enjoy them just as much as I do.
Let’s define a short row, shall we? It’s just a row where you stop and turn before the end of the row and you leave the remainder unworked. That’s it. I promise. Yes, I know that there’s a rumor about the scariness of short rows. I think this rumor started because short row shaping is recommended in some garments to improve the individual fit. People purchase a pattern and decide that they would like it better with a bit of bust shaping so they add it on their own and they do all the math necessary to give their new sweater a perfect fit. It seems daunting and scary and magically mystical. But, that’s not the only use of short rows. This blanket from Purl Soho is an example of short rows just to make triangles. That’s super easy!
When you work in knit and you turn before you finish the row, you will want to do what is called a “wrap-and-turn”. If you don’t, you will have a hole between the stitches and you don’t want that. Of course, a hole may not show very much in this all garter stitch design, but it’s best to learn the wrap-and-turn anyway. Honestly, it couldn’t be easier. You just take a loop off the needle, wrap the yarn around it and put it back on the needle. When you come back through to close up the ends of the short rows, you work the wrap and the stitch at the same time.
If you don’t get the wrap-and-turn the first time, be sure to have a browse through YouTube. There are actually many different ways to accomplish a short row and you should use the method in which you feel most comfortable. Above all else, though, don’t be intimidated. I promise that this is easy and it’s so much fun!
Pick up your free knit pattern at Purl Soho HERE. Even more fun is that you can purchase a yarn pack with the yarn right on the site.
Enjoy!