Valley Yarns Keepsake Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns Keepsake Striped Blanket

What is Being Made

The Valley Yarns Keepsake is a luxurious striped blanket designed for cozy home comfort. This project creates a soft, plush throw available in two sizes: a Lap Blanket measuring 36" x 40" or a larger Afghan measuring 54" x 72". The blanket features subtle color interplay through strategic striping that enhances the naturally soft texture of the yarn, making it an ideal project for creating a hygge-inspired home decor piece.

Techniques Used

This blanket is worked using several key knitting techniques that make it accessible to beginners while producing professional results:

• Bottom-Up Construction: The blanket is cast on and worked from the bottom edge upward, allowing you to easily adjust length as you knit
• Seamless, Flat Knitting: The entire blanket is worked in one continuous piece on circular needles, eliminating the need for seaming
• Striped Pattern: Color changes create visual interest, with stripes measuring 7 inches on the lap blanket or 15 inches on the larger afghan
• Knitted-On Borders: Garter stitch edges are incorporated directly into the fabric by working edge stitches throughout, creating a finished, polished appearance
• Optional Fringe Finishing: Four-inch fringes can be added to the short edges during finishing for additional texture and detail

Stitches Used

The Keepsake blanket employs fundamental knitting stitches that create its signature soft, plush appearance:

• Stockinette Stitch: Forms the main blanket field, creating smooth, uniform rows that showcase the yarn's luxurious texture and color variations
• Garter Stitch: Used for all borders—both the top and bottom edges and the side borders—providing a textured, reversible finish that frames the blanket
• Knit Stitch: The foundation for all construction, including the Long-Tail cast-on method for a secure, elastic edge

Materials and Yarn

The Keepsake blanket is crafted from Valley Yarns Chester, a bulky weight yarn that defines the project's luxurious feel. The yarn composition is 30% Alpaca and 70% Highland Wool, offering both softness and durability. Each hank provides 89 yards at 100 grams, making it ideal for quick blanket projects.

The color palette consists of three sophisticated shades:

• Color A (Cream): 4 hanks for the lap blanket or 10 hanks for the afghan
• Color B (Light Gray): 3 hanks for the lap blanket or 8 hanks for the afghan
• Color C (Charcoal): 4 hanks for the lap blanket or 10 hanks for the afghan, plus 2 additional hanks (or 4 for the afghan) if adding optional fringe

Needles required are US size 11 (8.0 mm) circular needles in 32" to 40" length, worked flat to accommodate the blanket's width. Additional finishing materials include stitch markers, a tapestry needle for weaving in ends, and a crochet hook for creating tassels if fringe is desired.

Gauge and Construction Notes

The blanket is worked to a gauge of 9½ stitches and 12 rows over 4 inches in stockinette stitch, measured after steam or mist blocking. The pattern uses a Long-Tail cast-on method to create a secure, elastic foundation edge. The lap blanket begins with 86 stitches while the larger afghan starts with 128 stitches, with corresponding adjustments to border width (1 inch for the lap blanket, 1½ inches for the afghan) and stripe length to maintain proportional design.

The blanket is finished with steam or mist blocking to even out stitches and enhance the yarn's natural loft, though wet blocking is not recommended for this fiber content. Yarn ends are woven in on the wrong side for a clean, professional appearance.

Skill Level

Rated as a Beginner project, the Keepsake blanket is designed to be accessible to knitters new to the craft while producing results that feel luxurious and accomplished. The straightforward stockinette and