Amazing Log Cabin Blanket
Inspired by the process of turning traditional quilt blocks into contemporary knit designs, Anna Valles and her Amazing Log Cabin Blanket piece together a little history, a little fun, and a lot of beauty!
As with the historic quilt block, Anna starts with the center, knitting a striped square and then building new sections around it.
You add each additional block of stripes without any sewing or fuss, simply by picking up stitches or knitting across others that have been put on hold. To keep it all super tidy, check out our Picking Up Stitches tutorial for some tips!
With its tidy spin and three even plies, our Wigeon is the perfect yarn to create the sleek, graphic lines of this gorgeous blanket.
This sportweight yarn is 100% fine Falkland merino, which is hardy enough for a long-lasting, much-used blanket, but also bouncy, soft, and very satisfying to knit with!
With three new colors of Wigeon joining the team, we now have a beautiful palette of eighteen solid hues. Go bold like we did with Heirloom White and Orange Carmine, or maybe find a gentle, low-contrast pairing… Either way, your blanket is going to be amazing!
Designed for Purl Soho by Anna Valles. Anna learned to knit when she was nineteen and working at Disneyland. “Minnie Mouse” noticed she was having a hard time casting on during her break and showed her some basics! Besides knitting and designing blankets based on quilts, she enjoys reading, a little sewing, and watching movies with her husband and their dog, Friday. She also happens to be a manager at our warehouse, and it will be her 10-year anniversary at Purl Soho in April! Amazing design, Anna!
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, #PurlSohoAmazingLogCabinBlanket, and #PurlSohoWigeon. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
- Purl Soho’s Wigeon, 100% fine Falkland merino wool. Each ball is approximately 359 yards/ 100 grams.
- Color A: 5 (6) balls; approximately 1460 (2080) total yards required. We used Orange Carmine.
- Color B: 4 (6) balls; approximately 1400 (2000) total yards required. We used Heirloom White.
- US 6 (4 mm), 40-inch circular needles
- Spare US 4, 5, or 6, 60-inch circular needles (see Notes, below)
NOTE: If you’re knitting the Small Throw size, you may not need the 5th skein of Color A. If you don’t end up needing it, you can return unwound yarn for a refund within 30 days of purchase, or within 6 months, for store credit. Our Return Policy has all the details!
GAUGE
23 stitches and 46 rows (23 ridges) = 4 inches in garter stitch
SIZES
Small Throw (Large Throw)
Finished Dimensions: 41 inches wide x 43½ inches long (49 inches wide x 52¼ inches long)
NOTES
GARTER RIDGE
A “garter ridge” equals two rows of garter stitch. It looks like a prominent horizontal ridge and is an easy way to count rows!
SPARE NEEDLES
Spare needles are for putting stitches on hold that you later knit. If you’d rather use scrap yarn or stitch holders, you can. Just be sure you have spare needles so that, when the time comes, you can slip the on-hold stitches onto the needles so you can knit them!
PICKING UP STITCHES
For the cleanest pick-up edge, insert the needle into the outer most bump along the edge of the garter ridge.
Visit our Picking Up Stitches tutorial and scroll down to the “Along A Vertical Edge: Garter Stitch, Into the Ridge” section to see exactly how to pick up stitches for this project.
SCHEMATIC
PATTERN
Center Block
With Color A, cast on 116 (138) stitches. We used a basic Long Tail Cast-On.
Row 1 (right side): Knit to end of row.
Mark the right side of the fabric with scrap yarn or a removable stitch marker.
Knit every row until you have 10 (12) garter ridges (see Notes), ending with a wrong-side row.
Cut Color A.
*With Color B, knit every row for 10 (12) garter ridges, ending with a wrong-side row. [20 (24) total garter ridges]
Cut Color B.
With Color A, knit every row for 10 (12) garter ridges, ending with a wrong-side row. [30 (36) total garter ridges]
Cut Color A.
Repeat from * 3 more times, then slip all stitches onto spare needles (see Notes). [90 (108) total garter ridges; piece measures approximately 15½ (18¾) inches from cast-on edge]
Block A
With right side facing you, turn piece 90 degrees clockwise so left selvage is at top.
With Color B, pick up (see Notes) and knit 90 (108) stitches along top edge.
**Knit every row for 10 (12) garter ridges, ending with a wrong-side row.
Cut Color B.
With Color A, knit every row for 10 (12) garter ridges, ending with a wrong-side row. [20 (24) total garter ridges]
Cut Color A.
With Color B, knit every row for 10 (12) garter ridges, ending with a wrong-side row. [30 (36) total garter ridges]
Cut Color B.
With Color A, knit every row for 10 (12) garter ridges, ending with a wrong-side row. [40 (48) total garter ridges; piece measures approximately 7 (8⅜) inches from pick-up edge]***
Slip all 90 (108) stitches onto same spare needles (or scrap yarn).
Cut Color A.
Block B
With right side facing you, turn piece 180 degrees clockwise so Center Block right selvage is at top.
With Color B, pick up (see Notes) and knit 90 (108) stitches along top edge.
Repeat from ** to *** of Block A instructions.
Slip all 90 (108) stitches onto same spare needles (or scrap yarn).
Cut Color A.
Block C
With right side facing you, turn piece 90 degrees clockwise so on-hold stitches from Center Block are at top.
With Color B, pick up and knit 40 (48) stitches along Block B selvage, then with same working needles and yarn, knit across 116 (138) on-hold Center Block stitches, then pick up and knit 40 (48) stitches along Block A selvage. [196 (234) total stitches]
Repeat from ** to *** of Block A instructions.
Slip all 196 (234) stitches onto same spare needles (or scrap yarn).
Cut Color A.
Block D
With right side facing you, turn piece 180 degrees clockwise so cast-on stitches from Center Block are at top.
With Color B, pick up and knit 40 (48) stitches along Block A selvage, then with same working needles and yarn, pick up and knit 116 (138) stitches along Center Block cast-on edge, then pick up and knit 40 (48) stitches along Block B selvage. [196 (234) total stitches]
Repeat from ** to *** of Block A instructions.
Slip all 196 (234) stitches onto same spare needles (or scrap yarn).
Cut Color A.
Block E
With right side facing you, turn piece 90 degrees clockwise so on-hold Block B stitches are at top.
With Color B, pick up and knit 40 (48) stitches along Block D selvage, then with same working needles and yarn, knit across 90 (108) on-hold Block B stitches, then pick up and knit 40 (48) stitches along Block C selvage. [170 (204) total stitches]
**Knit every row for 10 (12) garter ridges, ending with a wrong-side row.
Cut Color B.
With Color A, knit every row for 10 (12) garter ridges, ending with a wrong-side row. [20 (24) total garter ridges total; piece measures approximately 3½ (4⅛) inches from pick-up edge]
With right side facing you, bind off knitwise.
Cut Color A.***
Block F
With right side facing you, turn piece 180 degrees clockwise so on-hold Block A stitches are at top.
With Color B, pick up and knit 40 (48) stitches along Block C selvage, then with same working needles and yarn, knit across 90 (108) on-hold Block A stitches, then pick up and knit 40 (48) stitches along Block D selvage. [170 (204) total stitches]
Repeat from ** to *** of Block E instructions.
Block G
With right side facing you, turn piece 90 degrees clockwise so on-hold Block D stitches are at top.
With Color B, pick up and knit 20 (24) stitches along Block F selvage, then with same working needles and yarn, knit across 196 (234) on-hold Block D stitches, then pick up and knit 20 (24) stitches along selvage of Block E selvage. [236 (282) total stitches]
Repeat from ** to *** of Block A instructions.
With right side facing you, bind off knitwise.
Cut Color A.
Block H
With right side facing you, turn piece 180 degrees clockwise so on-hold Block C stitches are at top.
With Color B, pick up and knit 20 (24) stitches along Block E selvage, then with same working needles and yarn, knit across 196 (234) on-hold Block C stitches, then pick up and knit 20 (24) stitches along Block F selvage. [236 (282) total stitches]
Repeat from ** to *** of Block A instructions.
With right side facing you, bind off knitwise.
Cut Color A.
FINISHING
Weave in all ends and gently wet block.
This is stunning!
Is widget yarn machine washable and dry??
Hi Sarah,
Thanks for reaching out! Wigeon is not machine washable, since it’s non-superwash wool. We recommend hand washing it in cold water and laying it flat to dry!
All the best,
Lili
Hello Purl Soho:
Once again, you’ve created a very beautiful blanket that I would love, love to make. But to use this yarn (which is so gorgeous) for the full sized blanket would cost $282. That’s a little steep for me. Could you recommend a slightly less expensive yarn that you carry that would work for this pattern?
Many thanks,
Susan
Hi Susan,
Thanks for reaching out! We totally understand that sometimes our yarn suggestions are more of an inspiration than a reality for many people. We are always happy to recommend less expensive (but still beautiful!) alternatives. In this case, we suggest that you try Good Wool, which is another sportweight yarn and will be perfect for this pattern!
Thank you again for asking. We’re sure that lots of other readers will thank you, too!
All the best,
Lili
Great suggestion. Much appreciated!
I understand all the numbers of pick ups on the selvedge edges, but in the tutorial, it says to pick up 3 out of 4 – if I do that, I won’t have the correct number of stitches and if I pick up all required stitches, it will most likely bunch?
thanks, Audrey
Hi Audrey,
Thanks for writing in! It sounds like the tutorial you’re looking at is describing how to pick up stitches along the vertical edge of a stockinette fabric. The reason that the 3:4 ratio works for stockinette stitch is because the ratio of stitches to rows in the gauge of this stitch pattern is generally about 3 to 4. However, in garter stitch, the row gauge is typically exactly double the stitch gauge! That means that you’ll need to pick up 1 stitch for every 2 rows–or, 1 stitch per garter ridge–when picking up stitches along a vertical edge. Hope this helps clarify things!
All the best,
Lili
hi love this pattern. Is there any way that I can use straight wooden knitting needles?
Hi Edith,
Thanks for reaching out. I’m afraid that it’ll be very difficult to use straight needles for this project due to the size of the blanket! We recommend using circular needles since you’ll eventually have the entire width of the blanket (either 41 or 49 inches) on your needles at once. That’s way to wide for a straight needle to accommodate, and the stitches will be in danger of falling off! On circular needles though, all the live stitches can sit comfortably on the cord, and it’s much easier to maneuver the knitting as well.
All the best,
Lili
Hi again. I am using a 2.5 wooden circular needle and I found one in size 40 inch length. I am hoping that this will be acceptable.
Thank you so much. I love dealing with your company. Amazing customer service and products!
I have some leftover Good Wool from the Wedge baby blanket. I have about 1800 yards left total and would like to knit a smaller version of this Amazing Log blanket. Do you have any recommendations on how to half the blanket? Thank you.
Hi A.,
Thanks for reaching out! This is a great pattern for modification, since there are many easy ways to do it. For a blanket that’s half the size, I’d recommend casting on half the stitch count and then knitting each “log” for half the number of garter ridges. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
Hello!!
I’m enjoying knitting this blanket! I am noticing that the math seems off (or maybe I’ve done it incorrectly)?
I am knitting Block C, which the pattern states should be 234 stitches (for the throw). However, the Center is only 108 and there are 48 stitches for Block A & Block B. Adding these together, it should be 204 total, however it says 234.
The Center somehow jumps from 108 to 138 in the pattern between Block B & C. Is this a typo? Or did I somehow miss where I’m supposed to add 30 stitches in the center?
Just want to be sure I’m doing it correctly before I continue! Thanks so much!
Hi Alexis,
Thanks for reaching out! The number of stitches you cast on for the Center was 138. You will knit the Center to 108 total garter ridges, which is likely where you’re seeing that number! Block C is parallel to the Center though, so you can disregard the ridge count, since you’re not picking up stitches perpendicularly as you did for Blocks A and B. Instead, for Block C, you will pick up one stitch for each of the 48 garter ridges in Block B, slip the initial 138 stitches of the Center back onto your needles, and then pick up stitches in the final 48 ridges of Block A. Hope this helps clarify things!
All the best,
Lili
H!I if I prefer to knit this with machine washable yarn, could I use Cotton Pure as a good alternative?
Hi Margaret,
Cotton Pure would be a perfect choice for this blanket! I’d just recommend knitting a gauge swatch before casting on your project, to make sure you get the correct gauge. You may need to size up or down your needles!
All the best,
Lili
Even though I don’t knit. I always look at the pattern and read the comments as I enjoy reading how crafty minds work.
I do automatically see inspiration for sewing a quilt!
Thinking of using Serif for this pattern instead of Wigeon for a slightly faster knit and something washable. Any thoughts on how many skiens I would need for each color? I understand that the gauge is a bit different and that I will need adjust the number of stitches and rows accordingly. Thanks!
Hi Megan,
I can absolutely help you figure out how many skeins of Serif you’d need for this pattern! Can you let me know if you’re planning on making the Small or Large Throw size?
All the best,
Lili
The large size, please! Thanks again.
Thanks for letting me know! You’ll need about 26 skeins of Serif (13 in each color) to make the Large Throw size!
All the best,
Lili
Thank you!
Definitely my next project! I see your response regarding making this smaller where you say half. Could I do it the same way but reduce everything by 1/3? The usual carriage blanket is about 24×30 I think.
Hi Mimi,
Yes, you could make a blanket that’s about a 3rd of the size by dividing the number of stitches and garter ridges each by 3 (and rounding to the nearest whole number)!
All the best,
Lili
Would it makes sense that I would then need about 1/3 the yarn
Yes, for a blanket that’s 1/3 of the original size you’re modifying (either the Small Throw or the Large Throw size), you would need 1/3 of the yardage required for that size!
All the best,
Lili
Hi! I’m not quite getting row gauge, I get 23 at by 42 rows for a 4″ square. How would you recommend modifying? I’ve already knit the center block, so thinking I can maybe modify as I’m picking up stitches?
Hi Pam,
Thanks for reaching out! I would not recommend modifying the blanket pattern at all. Garter stitch can stretch vertically very easily, but since this pattern involves picking up stitches along vertical edges, and because your stitch gauge is correct, everything will even out once you get to that step of the pattern! The picked-up stitches, which will be at the correct gauge, will essentially “lock” the row gauge into place. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
I am about to finish this project and was wondering how to wash it as I am very afraid of having the orange bleed into the off white. Will cold water with a little wool soap be ok? Any other precautions I should take?
Hi Ana,
We haven’t experienced Wigeon bleeding in the past, but it’s always a good idea to check! I’d recommend leaving a small snippet of the orange color in a glass of water for a few hours. If the water remains clear, then you’re all set to wash it as normal! Let us know if it does bleed though, and we can discuss the next steps from there.
All the best,
Lili
Hello, i’m confused! Block G is missing the paragraph about picking up the 20 stitches on either side, right? That needs to be done for block G too… i can’t see how it could work otherwise 🤔
Thanks!
Hi Faye,
I’m so sorry that this instruction was missing, and you’re absolutely right! You do need to pick up stitches before and after knitting the on-hold stitches. We’ve gone ahead and added that instruction to the Block G section. Thanks so much for bringing this to our attention so we could update the pattern!
All the best,
Lili
As I am finishing the center block, I’m realizing that I have 13 garter ridges instead of 12 for each stripe. Will I be able to continue to block A even though I have more than 108 stitches?
Hi Emily,
Thank you for writing in! I would suggest frogging back 2 rows to make sure you have 12 garter ridges. Since this pattern is all about picking up along the different edges, you will want to make sure you have the same counts as the pattern. Please let me know if you need any further assistance throughout the pattern!
All the best,
Gavriella
This is beautiful. I am wondering about using Fiddlehead. What would be the necessary modifications, or would the yarn not work in this pattern? Thanks so much. Jen
Hi Jen,
Thank you for writing in! We would recommend checking out our Piece of Cake blanket pattern that uses Fiddlehead and is a similar construction as our Amazing Log Cabin Blanket! I hope this helps!
Happy knitting,
Gavriella
Thinking of making this in plein air for the machine wash quality. Any thoughts on the fact that plein air is dk weight, not sportweight..
Hi Deborah,
Thanks for writing in! Although Plein Air is quite lovely, it is also a bit thicker than Wigeon. I recommend checking out our Cotton Pure as a great alternative for this pattern. I would also like to recommend our True Stripes Blanket as it is knit in Plein Air! I hope this helps but please let me know if you have any questions!
Happy knitting,
Gavriella
I wanted something a little more cuddly than cotton pure. It’s for a baby. I’ll have to think about the other pattern. Seems a little more complicated than I want to tackle right now. 😀