Back in the winter, when I published my Dock and Cabin cardigan pattern, my good friend Nancy said that she wanted a blanket pattern with all the same textures. Funny thing was, I already had it in the works!
Several months before, I had swatched the patterns in our Stone Soup DK yarn and the result was deliciously smooshy and inviting. I liked my first swatch SO much that I did one in a second shade. I put together a quick pattern, thinking that we could squeeze it into the winter ensemble collection. Our friend Amina agreed to knit the sample, saying “Blanket knitting is my happy place right now!”
In no time at all, we had this gorgeous blanket back in our hands and were snuggling up with it. But by then, we had decided to save it for fall and our October focus on Bare Naked Wools Stone Soup yarns.
You can imagine my impatience at having to wait so long to release a newly completed pattern. But wow, the time has flown by! Here it is, the week before Rhinebeck and the perfect time to get a blanket on the needles. Field and Shore knits up so quickly, it could even make your holiday gift list. The lap size blanket (shown here) is big enough to satisfy for TV watching and knitting, but small enough to be a very quick knit.
The waiting period gave me a chance to make a little YouTube tutorial for the twisted rib cable used in the design. I’ve incorporated this cable into several other designs and some knitters find it confusing to learn from the written instructions—better to see it live, so we’ve arranged that for you.
This is a great piece to toss over your favorite chair or to keep on hand for enjoying those last mild evenings on the porch or deck (or boat!). What baby wouldn’t feel handsome as all get-out sporting THIS blanket over his or her stroller or crib? It’s a sturdy, go-anywhere design for that special little cuddle bear.
Field and Shore includes several sizes, should you want something larger for a sofa or bed. Not to mention the wrap option—a lovely rectangle long enough to swaddle your upper body but keep the rest of you comfortable for driving.
Can’t you just feel the depth? Trust me it is all that and more . . . our Stone Soup blend is a velvety combination of four heritage wools—rambouillet merino from montana, churro, lincoln, and columbia wool—with some alpaca and a smattering of luxury fiber like silk, bison, and tencel to add those tweedy neps. It knits and washes to a flannelly soft surface that gets better and better over time. There’s no wonder that Stone Soup blend is my favorite of all our yarns (don’t tell the other yarns I said that!).
Of course, it will work with all of our other DK options as well. It would be particularly handsome in our Festivus yarn, with a needle change up for the worsted weight (maybe US9 and 10) or down for the sport weight (US7 and 8).
Shown here is the small blanket in Stone Soup DK, color Slate.
Thank you ever so much to our dear friend Amina for knitting this spectacular sample. If you’ll be at Rhinebeck next weekend, please stop by our booth at Indie Untangled or our popup shop on Sunday at the Courtyard Marriott in Kingston to fondle this lovely blanket in person. To purchase the Field and Shore pattern, click here.
