How to Make a Quick Herringbone Knitted Blanket
There is something deeply satisfying about wrapping yourself in a blanket you made with your own hands. The weight of it, the texture against your skin, the way it drapes over the couch — all of it carries a quiet sense of accomplishment that store-bought throws simply cannot replicate. If you have been looking for a project that delivers that kind of reward without asking you to commit months of your life to finishing it, the herringbone knit blanket might be exactly what you need.
This project has been one of my favorites for a long time, and I want to walk you through every step of the process so you can make your own version at home. Whether you are a seasoned knitter looking for something satisfying and rhythmic to work on, or someone who has only recently picked up needles and wants to try something a little more interesting than a basic garter stitch, the herringbone pattern is more approachable than it looks. Once your hands get comfortable with the movement, it almost becomes meditative.
Let me show you exactly how it is done.
What Makes the Herringbone Stitch Special
Before we get into the materials and steps, it is worth pausing to appreciate what makes the herringbone pattern so beautiful. The stitch creates a dense, woven-looking fabric with a distinctive V-shaped zigzag that interlocks across the fabric. The result looks almost like woven wool rather than knitted fabric, giving your blanket a texture that reads as sophisticated and intentional.
This density is also practical. Because the stitches interlock, the finished fabric has very little stretch and holds its shape exceptionally well. It resists the kind of drooping or bagging that looser knit stitches can develop over time, which makes it ideal for a blanket that will be used regularly and thrown into the washing machine without much fuss.
The pattern is based on a simple technique: you knit two stitches together but only drop one off the needle, then knit the first stitch again before dropping both. On the purl side, the same principle applies in reverse. Once you internalize this motion, your hands will move through it almost automatically, and the fabric grows surprisingly quickly.
Materials You Will Need
Getting your materials right before you start will save you a lot of frustration once you are mid-project. Here is what I recommend for making a throw-sized herringbone blanket that measures approximately 40 by 60 inches — large enough to curl up under on the couch, but not so enormous that the project feels endless.
Yarn. Choose a bulky or super bulky weight yarn for the fastest results. A wool or wool-blend yarn with some natural loft will give you beautiful stitch definition, which really helps the herringbone pattern pop. You will need approximately 800 to 1,000 yards depending on your gauge and your finished dimensions. My personal preference for this project is an Aran or chunky weight in a solid or semi-solid colorway because the stitch pattern itself is the visual interest — busy variegated yarns can make it harder to see the herringbone.
Needles. Use circular needles in a length of at least 40 inches. Even though you are knitting flat (back and forth, not in the round), circular needles allow you to accommodate the large number of stitches a blanket requires without them crowding off the ends. For bulky yarn, you will typically use a US size 10 to 13 needle. Check your yarn label and swatch to confirm.
A tapestry needle. You will need this to weave in your ends when you finish. Do not skip this step — loose ends on a blanket will unravel with washing and use.
Scissors. A small, sharp pair kept near your knitting bag works perfectly.
Stitch markers. Optional, but helpful if you want to mark out sections or track your stitch count along the way.
Gauge and Sizing
Before casting on your full blanket, knit a small gauge swatch of about 20 stitches and 20 rows in the herringbone pattern. Wash and block your swatch the way you plan to treat your finished blanket. Measure it once it is dry and calculate your stitches per inch.
For a bulky yarn on a size 11 needle, a typical herringbone gauge is around 10 to 12 stitches over 4 inches. If your gauge is tighter or looser, adjust your needle size accordingly or simply adjust your cast-on number to match your desired finished width.
For the throw size I am describing — 40 inches wide — you would cast on roughly 100 to 120 stitches depending on your gauge. If you want a smaller lap blanket or a larger bed throw, scale your cast-on up or down accordingly. The herringbone pattern works over any even number of stitches, which makes it easy to customize.
How to Knit the Herringbone Stitch
The herringbone stitch uses a technique sometimes called the “slip one, knit one, pass slipped stitch over” approach, but the more common method for this particular fabric is a knit-two-together variant. Here is the version I use, which creates the classic interlocked chevron look.
The Herringbone Knit Row (Right Side)
Insert your right needle into the first two stitches on your left needle as if to knit them together. Wrap your yarn and pull through, creating a new stitch — but do not slide both stitches off the needle yet. Instead, slide only the first stitch off the left needle, leaving the second stitch still on. Then knit that remaining stitch through the front loop in the usual way, and slide it off. You have completed one herringbone knit pair.
Repeat this across the entire row. At the end of the row, you will knit the last stitch by itself as a normal knit stitch.
The Herringbone Purl Row (Wrong Side)
The purl side mirrors the same logic. Insert your right needle into the first two stitches as if to purl them together. Wrap and pull through, but again — only drop the first stitch off the left needle. Then purl the remaining stitch individually and drop it. Repeat across the row, finishing with a single regular purl stitch at the end.
This combination of right-side and wrong-side rows creates the herringbone fabric. It sounds more complicated than it is in practice. After about ten or fifteen minutes with the needles in your hands, the motion becomes second nature.
Casting On
For a clean, tidy edge on your blanket, I recommend a long-tail cast-on. It creates a firm, even foundation row that holds up well to washing and daily use. If you are not confident with the long-tail method, a simple backward loop or knitted cast-on will also work — just aim for consistency in tension so your edge does not pucker or flare.
Cast on your chosen number of stitches (remember, the herringbone pattern requires an even number). Leave yourself a tail of at least 6 inches for weaving in later.
Working the Blanket
Once you are cast on and your pattern motion feels comfortable, the blanket really does work up quickly. Here is a simple breakdown of what you will do, row by row.
Row 1 (Right Side): Work the herringbone knit row as described above.
Row 2 (Wrong Side): Work the herringbone purl row as described above.
That is your entire pattern. Repeat these two rows until your blanket reaches your desired length. For a 60-inch long blanket at a typical bulky gauge, you are looking at somewhere around 150 to 180 rows, which sounds like a lot but moves fast because bulky yarn grows quickly.
I like to knit this project in sessions — maybe an hour in the evenings or a few longer stints on a weekend. The rhythm of the stitch is genuinely enjoyable once you are in the flow of it, and the fabric visibly thickens with every sitting. That visual progress is one of the most motivating things about this project.
Tips for Keeping Even Tension
The herringbone stitch has a natural tendency to pull slightly tighter than standard stockinette, especially when you are first learning the motion. Here are a few things that help.
Do not panic if your swatch looks tighter than expected. Block it with steam or wet blocking before you measure, because the interlocked structure of the stitch relaxes considerably with moisture and will open up nicely.
Keep a conscious, relaxed grip on your needles. Tension problems in herringbone usually come from squeezing the needle as you work through the two stitches together — if you hold the needles too tightly, the fabric ends up stiff and difficult to work with. Let the yarn move freely through your fingers.
If you find yourself losing your place in the row, place a stitch marker every 20 stitches or so. This gives you a checkpoint to count back to if something feels off. Because the pattern requires you to knit pairs of stitches and then one final solo stitch at the row end, a count that goes wrong will usually show up as an awkward solo stitch in the middle of the row — your marker placement will help you identify where the error happened.
Binding Off
When your blanket has reached the length you want, it is time to bind off. For a herringbone blanket, I recommend a stretchy bind-off to match the character of the fabric. The standard bind-off can create a tight, rigid edge that looks and feels out of place against the denser herringbone texture.
My preferred method for this project is the stretchy knit bind-off: knit two stitches, then insert your left needle into both stitches on the right needle from left to right, and knit them together through the back loop. Repeat until one stitch remains, then cut your yarn and pull the tail through.
Alternatively, you can use a Jeny’s Surprisingly Stretchy Bind-Off, which works beautifully on dense fabrics and gives a very clean, even finished edge.
Finishing and Blocking
Once bound off, weave in all your ends using your tapestry needle. Weave each tail in at least two directions — in along the fabric, then back against itself — to prevent unraveling over time.
Blocking is not strictly necessary with every yarn, but it makes a genuine difference to the finished appearance of your blanket. For a wool or wool-blend yarn, wet blocking works beautifully: soak the blanket in lukewarm water for about 20 minutes, gently press out the excess water (do not wring or twist), lay it flat on a clean surface or blocking mats, and ease it into your desired dimensions. The herringbone pattern will bloom and soften, and any uneven tension in the fabric will even itself out.
Allow the blanket to dry completely before moving it — this can take 24 hours or more depending on your climate and the thickness of the blanket. The wait is worth it. The finished fabric after blocking looks polished, professional, and genuinely beautiful.
Yarn Color Ideas
One of the things I love most about this project is how versatile it is. The herringbone pattern looks stunning in almost any color palette, but here are a few combinations that particularly work well.
Neutral tones — creams, oatmeals, warm greys, and soft taupes — let the texture do all the talking and suit virtually any interior style. A deep forest green or navy blue reads as rich and cozy and makes the stitch definition pop especially clearly. For something more unexpected, a warm terracotta or rust color brings a contemporary warmth to the finished blanket that photographs beautifully and looks gorgeous layered with other textiles.
If you want to use two colors, consider knitting half the blanket in one and half in the other, with a smooth color transition in the middle. Because the herringbone stitch creates such a bold graphic fabric, even simple two-color work reads as genuinely sophisticated.
How Long Does This Project Take?
One of the most common questions I get about this pattern is how long it actually takes from cast-on to finished blanket. For an experienced knitter using bulky yarn, a throw-sized herringbone blanket typically takes between 15 and 25 hours of knitting time total. Spread over a few weeks of evening sessions, that is very achievable.
If you are newer to knitting or working more slowly as you get comfortable with the stitch motion, add a few more hours to that estimate. There is no pressure to rush. The beauty of this project is that every hour you put into it shows up immediately in the growing fabric — you will never feel like your work is disappearing into nowhere.
Caring for Your Herringbone Blanket
To keep your finished blanket looking beautiful for years, follow the care instructions on your yarn label. For most wool blends, this means a gentle machine wash on a cool cycle or a hand wash in lukewarm water, followed by laying flat to dry. Avoid hanging a wet knitted blanket — the weight of the water will stretch it out of shape.
Store your blanket folded rather than rolled, and keep it away from direct sunlight to prevent the colors from fading over time. With basic care, a well-made herringbone knit blanket can last for many years and become the kind of object you genuinely cherish.
Final Thoughts
The herringbone knitted blanket is one of those projects that earns its place at the top of a knitter’s queue. It is fast enough to stay motivating, beautiful enough to be proud of, and practical enough to use every single day. The stitch pattern feels special without being technically overwhelming, and the finished fabric has a quality and presence that impresses anyone who picks it up.
I hope this guide gives you everything you need to cast on with confidence. Once you finish your first herringbone blanket, I am fairly certain it will not be your last. There is something about making this particular piece — the rhythm of the stitch, the weight of the growing fabric in your lap, the moment you finally bind off and spread it out to see the full pattern — that makes it one of the most rewarding projects in the knitter’s repertoire.
Happy knitting.
