Cascade Yarns A Tumbling Blocks Lapghan Knitting Pattern

Cascade Yarns A Tumbling Blocks Lapghan

What Is Being Made

The Cascade Yarns A Tumbling Blocks Lapghan is a knitted blanket designed for kids and home décor. This lapghan measures 33 inches wide by 43 inches long, making it an ideal size for draping over a lap, chair, or small bed. The project is classified as an easy skill level, making it suitable for beginner knitters who have basic knitting knowledge and are ready to work with simple stitch patterns.

Techniques and Construction

This lapghan is constructed using fundamental knitting techniques appropriate for beginners. The blanket features a structured design with distinct sections: a seed stitch border frames the piece on the bottom and sides, providing a finished edge and visual definition. The main body showcases the signature tumbling blocks pattern, which creates an optical illusion of three-dimensional cubes through strategic placement of knit and purl stitches. This visual effect is achieved entirely through stitch manipulation rather than color changes, making it an excellent project for learning how texture and stitch placement can create complex-looking designs.

The construction begins with casting on 150 stitches and working a 7-row seed stitch border at the bottom. The pattern is then set up with 5 stitches of seed stitch on each side for the side borders, with stitch markers placed to delineate the pattern sections. This structured approach helps knitters maintain consistency and makes it easier to follow the pattern repeat.

Stitches Used

The lapghan employs two primary stitch patterns:

• Seed Stitch: Created by alternating knit and purl stitches in a checkerboard pattern. Row 1 consists of *K1, P1* repeated across, and Row 2 reverses the stitch orientation by knitting over purl stitches and purling over knit stitches. This creates a textured, bumpy fabric that lies flat and is commonly used for borders.
• Tumbling Blocks Pattern: A 24-row repeat pattern that combines knit and purl stitches in varying sequences to create the illusion of three-dimensional interlocking cubes. The pattern uses repeating units of 10 stitches and builds the visual effect through 24 rows of strategic stitch placement. Rows alternate between different combinations of knit and purl stitches, with some rows featuring larger blocks (5 knits followed by 5 purls) and others featuring more intricate alternations that create the dimensional appearance.

Materials and Tools

This project requires Cascade Yarns 220 Superwash Aran yarn, which is composed of 100% Superwash Merino Wool. The yarn comes in 100-gram skeins with approximately 150 yards per skein. The pattern calls for 6 skeins in color #291 (Dark Ivy), a deep green shade that provides excellent stitch definition for the tumbling blocks pattern. The superwash treatment makes this yarn ideal for lapghans that may require occasional washing.

Knitting needles in US size 7 (4.5 mm) are required, or whatever size is necessary to achieve the specified gauge. The pattern also requires 2 stitch markers to help track pattern sections and a yarn needle for weaving in ends upon completion. The recommended gauge is 16 stitches by 20 rows over 4 inches in stockinette stitch, which is important to verify before beginning to ensure the finished lapghan meets the intended dimensions.