Wave Knit Blanket Knitting Pattern

Wave Knit Blanket in Hayfield Spirit Chunky

What is Being Made

The Wave Knit Blanket is a generous throw-sized blanket created using the Hayfield Spirit Chunky yarn in shade 434 Spring. This beginner-friendly knitting project produces a finished blanket measuring approximately 100 x 135 cm (39½ x 53¼ inches), making it an ideal size for draping over sofas, chairs, or beds. The blanket features an attractive wave pattern that emerges through a combination of yarn-over increases and decrease stitches, creating a dynamic textured surface that is both visually interesting and relatively straightforward for newer knitters to execute.

Knitting Techniques Used

This pattern employs several fundamental knitting techniques suitable for beginners. The blanket begins and ends with garter stitch (knit every row), which creates a stable, textured border and helps prevent curling at the edges. The main body of the blanket uses a repeating 8-row pattern that alternates between purl rows and decorative knit rows featuring increases and decreases. The wave effect is achieved through strategic yarn-forward (yfwd) increases that add stitches, followed by double decreases using the knit-two-together (k2tog) and slip-one-knit-one-pass-slipped-stitch-over (s1, k1, psso) techniques. This creates the characteristic peaks and valleys of the wave design. Blocking is recommended to finish the blanket, involving pinning to measurements and allowing the piece to dry under damp cloths to set the stitch definition and even out the wave pattern.

Stitches Used

• Garter Stitch (g-st): Knitting every row to create the stable borders at the beginning and end of the blanket
• Knit (k): The fundamental knit stitch used throughout the pattern
• Purl (p): Alternated with knit rows to create texture and structure within the wave pattern
• Yarn Forward (yfwd): An increase technique that creates decorative eyelets and adds stitches to form the expanding sections of the waves
• Knit Two Together (k2tog): A right-leaning decrease used to reduce stitches and shape the wave pattern
• Slip One, Knit One, Pass Slipped Stitch Over (s1, k1, psso): A left-leaning decrease that works in tandem with k2tog to create symmetrical wave shaping

Materials Required

The Wave Knit Blanket requires 8 balls of Hayfield Spirit Chunky yarn in shade 434 Spring, with each ball weighing 100 grams. The yarn is a chunky-weight option that works up quickly, making this an efficient project for creating a substantial blanket. Knitting needles in size 6½mm (UK size 3, USA size 10.5) are needed; the pattern accommodates either a pair of straight needles or a 60cm circular needle, offering flexibility based on personal preference or available equipment. The recommended tension is 13 stitches and 22 rows over 10 centimeters (4 inches) when working with the specified needle size. The pattern begins with casting on 130 stitches using the thumb method, and the finished blanket is blocked to measurements using damp cloths to enhance the wave pattern definition and ensure even dimensions.