About the Zephyr Wrap:

The Zephyr Wrap is a light and lovely wrap. Knit with fingering weight yarn on US 6 (4.0 mm) needles, this generously oversized wrap is deliberately knit with a loose gauge to create the perfect transitional weather accessory. This may not be the best wrap for a walk in snowy, below freezing weather – but this has been perfect for the 40-50 degree (F) temperatures we’ve had this spring in New England!.

I used a combination of mini skeins and part of a grande skein (equal to six 100 gram skeins of fingering weight yarn!) from Yarn Cafe Creations to create a mossy green wrap with a deep, tonal rainbow-ish pattern on one edge. 

This wrap is knit on a diagonal so the length of each row is a full 32” long, but if you measure the width straight across the wrap from edge to edge, the width is approximately 24”. Also, because this wrap is knit on a diagonal, it feels like it’s much longer than 76” when worn. As shown in the image below, the finished wrap is shaped like a parallelogram (a rhomboid to be precise). 

Stripe Pattern

I created the rainbow portion of the Zephyr wrap using the Yarn Cafe Creations’ Gothic Collection Mini Skeins set in the Biscotti Sock base (a fingering weight blend of 85% wool and 15% nylon). As my main color is Gothic Moss, I used the Gothic Moss Mini Skein first to create a stripe of green on the edge that matches the majority of the wrap and then used the rest of the colors in a semi-rainbow order: 

• Gothic Moss
• Gothic Red
• Gothic Matcha
• Gothic Green
• Gothic Teal
• Gothic Blue
• Gothic Purple
• Gothic Burgundy
• Gothic Smoke
• Cardamom
• Gothic Rust

One of my goals when creating a mini skein project is to use up all of each skein in the project. I switched colors when beginning a right side row (either row 2 or 4 of the four-row pattern) because I wanted each change of color to look identical and I ended up with between 1 ½ and 3 yards of each color remaining. 

 If you aren’t fussy about how your colors transition, you could use each yarn until you have about 6” left (a tail to weave in) and then add the next color mid row or at the beginning of a wrong side row. If you’re looking closely at your wrap, you’ll notice that the colors change mid-row, but it’s not something you’d see from a distance.

Yardage Needed

To knit this wrap, you’ll need a total of 1,990 yards  (455 grams). I used 11 skein mini set (each skein is 87 yards/ 20 grams) and one ~2600 yard (600 gram) grande skein in Yarn cafe Creations’s Biscotti Sock yarn. 

If you’re using another fingering weight yarn combination, to knit a wrap that meets the dimensions, you’ll need a mix that adds up to 1,990 yards. For example, if you use a five skein mini skein set made up of 87 yard (20 gram) skeins, then you’ll have a total of 435 yards (100 grams) for stripes and will need 1,555 yards (355 grams) of your main color.  

Pattern Details:

• Skill level: Advanced beginner – intermediate
• Skills needed: knit and purl stitches, slipped stitches, increasing by M1, and decreasing by K2tog

• Size: 76” by 24”
• Gauge: 23 sts and 40 rows per 4” in the four row wrap pattern.

Materials:

• US 6 (4.0 mm) straight needles
• 1,990 yards  (455 grams) of fingering weight wool or wool blend yarn. Sample shown used 1,033 yards of the main color (a grande skein) and 957 yards of contrasting colors (Gothic Mini Skeins) in Yarn Cafe Creations’ Biscotti Sock (85% Superwash Merino Wool/15% Nylon). 
• Yarn needle (to weave in yarn tails)
• Scissors (to trim yarn tails after weaving in)

Abbreviations:

• BO: Bind off
• CO: Cast on
• k: knit
• k2tog: knit two together
• m1: Make one stitch: make one stitch by knitting into the bar (yarn) before the next stitch.
• p: purl
• sl1: slip one stitch 
• wyib: with yarn in back
• wyif: with yarn in front

Instructions:

To cast on and begin the Zephyr Wrap, you’ll use your main color and knit for approximately 3” (this will give you a fairly good match to the mini skein stripes). Once you knit your main color stripe, begin using your mini skeins to create stripes in whatever order you desire, switching to a new color on a right side row (either row 2 or 4). If you’re using the Gothic Yarns mini skein set, you can use the color order listed above to create a gothic rainbow. Once you’ve knit your last mini skein stripe, switch back to your main color and continue the four row pattern.  

CO 180 sts with main color on US 6 needle. Beginning knitting wrap following four row pattern repeat, adding stripes as described above.

• Row 1 (ws- set up row): knit all sts
• Row 2: sl1 wyib, k2, m1, *k1, p1; repeat from * to last 5 sts, k1, k2tog, k2.
• Row 3: sl1 wyif, purl to end of row. 
• Row 4: sl1 wyib, k2, m1, p1, *k1, p1; repeat from * to last four sts, k2tog, k2.
• Row 5: sl1 wyif, purl to end of row. 

Repeat rows 2 – 5, change colors as desired, until wrap measures 76” inches (or desired length), keeping at  least 10 yards for BO. BO all stitches loosely. Weave in loose ends and trim. Wet block. Enjoy!

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~Happy Knitting!