Wood & Steel Blanket & Pillow in Berroco Ultra Alpaca Chunky

Wood & Steel Blanket & Pillow in Berroco Ultra Alpaca Chunky

Overview

This downloadable knitting pattern by Alicia Plummer offers an intermediate-level project featuring a coordinated blanket and pillow set. The designs showcase the distinctive Knotted Wood stitch, a textured cable pattern that creates visual interest through strategic cable crossings. Both pieces are crafted from Berroco Ultra Alpaca Chunky yarn, a luxurious bulky-weight fiber that works up quickly on larger needles.

Blanket Specifications

The blanket measures approximately 41 inches by 45 inches after blocking, making it an ideal throw size for draping over furniture or providing warmth on a bed. The project requires 8 hanks of Berroco Ultra Alpaca Chunky in colorway #7201 Winter White, totaling 800 grams of yarn. Construction uses a 32-inch circular knitting needle in size 10 (6.00 mm), along with a cable needle for executing the cable stitches that define the pattern.

Pillow Specifications

The coordinating pillow is designed to fit an 18-inch square knife-edge pillow form and measures approximately 18 inches square when slightly stretched. This project uses 3 hanks of Berroco Ultra Alpaca Chunky in colorway #7206 Light Gray. Construction requires a 32-inch circular knitting needle in size 10 (6.00 mm), a spare size 10 needle, a cable needle, and waste yarn for a provisional cast-on technique. The pillow incorporates five stitch markers and a tapestry needle for finishing.

Techniques & Stitches

This pattern is graded at intermediate skill level and employs several key knitting techniques:

• Knotted Wood Stitch: A charted stitch pattern worked over a multiple of 16 stitches plus 8, creating a textured, dimensional surface through strategic cable placement
• Cable Crossings: The pattern uses two primary cable abbreviations: C4B (slip 2 stitches to cable needle and hold in back, knit 2, then knit 2 from cable needle) and C4F (slip 2 stitches to cable needle and hold in front, knit 2, then knit 2 from cable needle)
• Stockinette Stitch: Used as the base stitch between cable rows, with all wrong-side rows worked in purl
• Provisional Cast-On: Required for the pillow construction to enable a seamless join
• Blocking: Recommended to achieve final measurements and even out the textured stitch pattern

Yarn & Materials

Both projects feature Berroco Ultra Alpaca Chunky, a 100-gram hank bulky-weight yarn that combines alpaca fiber for softness and warmth. The blanket uses Winter White (#7201), while the pillow uses Light Gray (#7206), allowing for a coordinated yet contrasting set. The chunky weight ensures relatively quick project completion despite the cable work involved.

Gauge: Pattern calls for 14 stitches and 20 rows over 4 inches in stockinette stitch, and 19 stitches and 20 rows over 4 inches when working the Knotted Wood stitch chart. Checking gauge before beginning is essential to ensure proper finished dimensions.

Project Complexity

Designed for knitters with intermediate experience, this pattern requires comfort with cable stitches, chart reading, and circular needle techniques. The repetitive nature of the Knotted Wood stitch becomes meditative once the pattern is established, making it suitable for knitters ready to move beyond basic stockinette projects.