How to Build a Mohair Blanket
by Robbyn Kenyon
This is more of a set of general suggestioins than an actual pattern. I included the lace stitch patterns that I used, mainly to show that almost any pattern (or combination of patterns) that you like can be used easily. In concept, this is a light blanket capable of keeping you amazingly warm without a lot of weight. In excecution, it's a half dozen, randomly colored, mohair scarves stitched together on their long sides. This all came about because of the cruise trips my father keeps taking me on :) One of the lines we frequently travel has two wool/mohair throws in the closet of every cabin. Because I like my quarters to be as cool as possible when I'm traveling, eventually I dug out the throws to lay over me at night. Their light weight and toasty warmth completely seduced me. Of course the throws are available in the ship's gift shop for a princely sum but, as I'm sure you've figured out, I realized that I could make one. All I had to do was find the mohair. And then, I lucked into a huge assortment of Classic Elite La Gran mohair in a bargain bin. I hadn't imagined making my dream blanket out of many colors, but as I looked at what colors were available, I realized that I could put them together so they would coexist peacefully and provide visual as well as actual warmth.
The plan evolved to make the blanket in panels, changing colors as the whim struck but sticking with a single lace stitch pattern for each. I love knitting lace with mohair - while the size of the lace itself is large, the mohair retains the lighter, more declicate feel of smaller scale work. I know the idea of a lace blanket (How can it be warm with all those holes in it??) sounds like a bit of a contradiction, but it's really not. This blanket is very comfy and snuggly. It's the mohair that does it; this stuff is truly amazing at trapping and holding on to heat. It was simply a matter of deciding how long and how wide I wanted the finished blanket to be. The mohair (1620 to 1800 yards - 18 to 20 balls of Classic Elite La Gran) was worked on US size 10.5 $(6.5\mathrm{mm})$ needles. I wound up with 6 panels varying between 8 and $12^{\bullet}$ in width and all about $64^{\circ}$ long. When all the panels were done I had a momentary KRPA (Knitting Related Panic Attack) while I considered how in the world I would join them. Sew? Mohair? Unh-unh... Pick up stitches and do a three needle bind-off? Erm...maybe not :) An additional issue was that the panels were multi-colored and I wanted something to both set them off and unify them. Finally I decided to try a technique usually reserved for crocheted bedspreads and tablecloths. First, using black alpaca (I used doubled lace weight - fingering weight would be perfect!), I started at one corner with a single crochet (sc) and crocheted a succession of ch3 loops up the side of the first panel - single crochet,ch3 all the way up the side and end with a single crochet. This is a very flexible wat to go as you don't have to match the stitches of the panels and you can work as many (or as few loops) as you like so that things fit together nicely. Then I picked up the next panel and joined the black at one end, did a single crochet, and a chain and then a sc in the corresponding loop on the first panel. Then another chain and a single crochet in the second panel. It was just a matter of going back and forth between panels and connecting loops to loops. It worked out better than I had imagined.
When al the panels were joined, I did the chain 3 loops around the entire perimeter of the blanket. The finished measurements are about $60^{\circ}\mathrm{~x~}64^{\circ}$ These are the lace patterns I used.
Staggered Fern Lace - Panel of 20 stitches
1. (right side) K11, yo, K1, yo, K3, sl1-K2tog-psso, K2 2. (and all wrong side rows) K2, P18, K2 3. K12, yo, K1, yo, K2, sl1-K2tog-psso, K2 5. K2, K3tog, K4, yo, K1, yo, K3, (yo, K1) twice, sl1-K2tog-psso, K2 7. K2, K3tog, K3, yo, K1, yo, K11 9. K2, K3tog, K2, yo, K1, yo, K12 11. K2, K3tog, (K1, yo) twice, K3, yo, K1, yo, K4, sl1-K2tog-psso, K2 12. Repeat row 2. Repeat these 12 rows for pattern
Vandyke Lace - Panel of 21 stitches
1. (right side) K2, \*K2tog, YO, K1, YO, SK\*, K3, YO, SSK, K2; repeat between \*s once more. End K2 2. (and all wrong side rows) K2, P17, K2 3. K2, (K2tog, YO, K1, YO, SSK, K1) twice, K2tog, YO, K1, YO, SSK, K2 5. K2, \*K2tog, YO, K1, YO, SSK,\* K2tog, YO, K3, YO, SSK; repeat between $^{*}\mathrm{s}$ once more. End K2. 6. Repeat row 2. Repeat these 6 rows for pattern
Allover Eyelets - Panel of 25 stitches
1. (right side) K5, K2tog, YO, K1, YO, SSK, K5, K2tog, YO, K1, YO, SK, K5 2. K2, P21, K2 3. K3, YO, SSK, K5, K2tog, YO, K1, YO, SSK, K5, K2tog, YO, K3 4. K2, P21, K2 Repeat these 4 rows for pattern
Snowdrop - Panel of 23 stitches
1. (right side) K2, \*YO, sl1-K2tog-psso, YO, K5; repeat from \* to last 5 stitches, YO, sl1-K2tog-psso, YO, K2 2. (and all wrong side rows) K2, P19, K2 3. K2, $\mathbf{\nabla}^{*}\mathbf{Y}\mathbf{O}$ , s11-K2tog-pso, YO, K5; repeat from \* to last 5 stitches, YO, sl1-K2tog psso, YO, K2 5. K5, \*YO, SSK, K1, K2tog, YO, K3; repeat from \*, end K2 7. K2, \*YO, sl1-K2tog-psso,YO, K1; repeat from \*, end K2 8. Repeat row 2 Repeat these 8 rows for pattern Diagonal Lace - Panel of 19 stitches
1. (right side) K2, (YO, SSK, K3) three times, K2 2. (and all wrong side rows) K2, P15, K2 3. K2, (K1, YO, SSK, K2) three times, K2 5. K2, (K2, YO, SSK, K1) three times, K2 7. K2, (K3, YO, SSK) three times, K2 8. Repeat row 2 Repeat these 8 rows for pattern
Clivia - Panel of 19 stitches
1. (right side) K2, SSK, K5, YO, K1, YO, K5, K2tog, K2 2. (and all wrong side rows) K2, P15, K2 3. K2, SSK, K4, YO, K3, YO, K4, K2tog, K2 5. K2, SSK, K3, YO, K1, K2tog, YO, K2, YO, K3, K2tog, K2 7. K2, SSK, K2, YO, K1, YO, SSK, K1, K2tog, YO, K1, YO, K2, K2tog, K2 9. K2, SK, K1, YO, K3, YO, sl1-K2tog-psso, YO, K3, YO, K1, K2tog, K2 10. Repeat row 2 Repeat these 10 rows for pattern There's really nothing to this - it's a matter of getting colors you like and finding lace patterns that please you. While Ihave never been an orange person - or much in the way of an any-kind-of-warm-color person - I adore this combination of russets, bittersweets and tangerines accompanied by eggplant, magenta and fuchsia. When I wake up in the morning and look down the length of the blanket at all those glorious, glowing colors, I'm thrilled all over again and it's so silky and warm I can hardly bear to fold it up for the day. You can also make this out of any material that suits your fancy, taste and pocketbook. Almost anything will be heavier than mohair, but that's a matter of individual taste. Wool - even worked as lace - can be amazingly warm. Acrylics can get very heavy but my dearest friend in the world likes heavy blankets - it's part of comfortable sleeping for her. Use your imagination . there are lots of simple lace stitches that would work wonderfully. Even more fun, pick a few scarf patterns tha you adore, make the scarves and then assemble your blanket. Have fun! And stay warm :)
