Noro Star Blanket Knitting Pattern

Noro Star Blanket

Project Overview

The Noro Star Blanket is an intermediate-level knitting project that creates a finished blanket measuring 50 inches wide by 55 inches long (127cm x 140cm). This downloadable PDF pattern guides knitters through constructing a decorative throw blanket using a structured modular approach.

What Is Being Made

This is a knitted blanket worked in four separate strips that are sewn together to create the final piece. The blanket features decorative star blocks worked in intarsia colorwork, with garter stitch borders framing the design. The finished dimensions make it an ideal size for a lap blanket or decorative throw for furniture.

Construction Techniques

The Noro Star Blanket employs several intermediate knitting techniques:

• Bottom-up construction: The blanket is worked from the bottom upward, with strips cast on and worked row by row until reaching the desired length.
• Modular strip assembly: Rather than knitting the entire blanket as one piece, the pattern divides the work into four separate strips. Each strip is completed independently and then sewn together, making the project more manageable and portable.
• Intarsia colorwork: The star blocks are created using the intarsia technique, which involves working with separate balls of yarn for each color block. This method prevents stranding yarn across the back of the work, resulting in a cleaner interior finish and better drape.
• Seaming: Upon completion of all four strips, they are sewn together using mattress stitch or a similar seaming method to create the unified blanket.
• Flat knitting: All sections are worked flat on straight needles rather than in the round, allowing for straightforward row-by-row progress.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns

The Noro Star Blanket combines two primary stitch patterns:

• Garter stitch: Used for the borders on each strip, garter stitch creates a textured, reversible fabric. Each strip begins and ends with 5 stitches of garter stitch in the main color, providing a neat frame for the central design.
• Stockinette stitch: The chart for the star blocks is worked in stockinette stitch (knit on the right side, purl on the wrong side), creating a smooth canvas for the intarsia colorwork to stand out.
• Slip stitch: Used in finishing and seaming techniques to join the completed strips invisibly.

Colorwork Details

The pattern uses two colors from the Noro Silk Garden yarn line. The main color (MC) forms the base and borders, while the contrasting color (CC) creates the star motifs. When working intarsia, knitters must twist the yarns on the wrong side where colors change to prevent holes from forming in the fabric. This technique requires using separate balls of yarn for each color block rather than carrying unused yarn across the back.

Materials Required

The Noro Star Blanket pattern specifies the following materials:

• Yarn: 15 x 50g balls of Noro Silk Garden in colorway #395 (main color) and 4 x 50g balls of Noro Silk Garden in colorway #84 (contrasting color). Noro Silk Garden is a luxury blend yarn known for its variegated color changes and silk content, which adds sheen and drape to finished projects.
• Needles: One pair of US size 7 (4.5mm) straight needles, or the size needed to obtain proper gauge.
• Notions: Stitch markers to denote pattern sections and garter borders.

Gauge

The pattern requires a gauge of 18 stitches and 26 rows over 4 inches (10cm) when working stockinette stitch on US size 7 (4.5mm) needles. Checking gauge before beginning is essential to ensure the finished blanket reaches the intended dimensions of 50 inches wide by 55 inches long.

Pattern Structure

Each of the four strips follows a consistent structure: a garter stitch border of 5 stitches in the main color, followed by the main pattern area where the star blocks are worked in intarsia. The pattern provides a chart to follow for the colorwork sections, with clear instructions on color placement and yarn management. Knitters work even (without increasing or decreasing)