Swans Island Swans Island Throw Blanket Knitting Pattern

Swans Island Throw Knitting Pattern

What is Being Made

The Swans Island Throw is a knitted blanket designed to replicate the appearance and feel of the brand's famous woven blankets. This heirloom-quality throw measures 46 inches wide by 57 inches long and is crafted as a complete knitted piece rather than a woven textile. The pattern is available in three sizes: Small, Medium, and Large, with the finished dimensions shown being for the Medium size.

Techniques Used

This throw is worked flat on circular needles and features a distinctive striped color pattern throughout. The primary construction technique is the linen stitch, a slipped stitch pattern that creates a woven appearance despite being entirely knitted. In linen stitch, yarn is carried in front of every other stitch, producing texture that closely mimics woven fabric. The stripe sequence follows a specific repeat: 4 rows of contrast color, 6 rows of main color, 8 rows of contrast color, 6 rows of main color, and 4 rows of contrast color. When changing colors to begin a new stripe, the new color is wrapped around the old color at the beginning of the row to maintain neat edges.

Stitches Used

The pattern relies primarily on two fundamental stitches executed in a specific sequence:

• Knit stitch (K1): Worked on right-side rows
• Slip stitch (sl1 purlwise): Slipped stitches are worked with yarn in front (wyif) on right-side rows and with yarn in back (wyib) on wrong-side rows

These two stitches alternate across every row in a multiple of 2 stitches, creating the characteristic linen stitch texture. The pattern also requires basic color-change techniques to transition between the main color and contrast color stripes.

Materials

This throw is knitted with 100% organic merino wool in worsted weight. The main color requires 10 skeins of Swans Island Natural Colors (shown in Logwood, color YW218), with each skein containing 100 grams and 250 yards. The contrast color requires 1 skein of Swans Island Natural Colors (shown in Natural, color YW211), also 100 grams and 250 yards per skein. Knitting is worked on a US Size 10½ (6.5 mm) 32-inch circular needle, or the size needed to obtain proper gauge. The circular needle is used to accommodate the large number of stitches required for the throw's width.

Gauge and Finishing

The pattern specifies a gauge of 6¼ stitches by 10 rows equals 1 inch in linen stitch. Checking gauge before beginning is essential to achieve the desired finished dimensions. When starting a new color stripe, crafters should leave a long enough tail to weave in neatly at the end of the project. The pattern is rated as Easy difficulty, making it accessible to knitters willing to work patiently on a larger project over time.