Tango Braided Wrap
Minimal effort, maximum impact - check! The new Tango Braided Wrap ticks both boxes. This beauty knits up so quick in chunky weight Hue + Me, and the dazzling Latvian braids (which are quite easy to create) add so much textural drama to this piece and make it look so much more complicated than it is. This project lends itself to endless gorgeous color combos (scroll down for some of my faves!) and makes an excellent gift or personal knit. Scroll down for the free pattern, purchase a printer-friendly PDF of the pattern here, or purchase the kit with all the Hue + Me yarn you’ll need here.
You may remember my Tango Braided Cowl from last fall. This design was an instant sensation and it was SO fun to see all of the color combos everyone came up with that I just had to do a spin-off …. and what better way than with a dramatic wrap?! The Latvian dance across this oversized blanket scarf in such a beautiful way that it was really hard to put down as I was making it because it’s so fun to watch the next braid come together and see how the colors play.
My favorite thing about the Tango designs is getting to see how each color pairs with every other one. Just like the cowl, every color in the wrap gets individually paired with every other color to really showcase the mix-and-matchable quality of Hue + Me. I don’t generally give too much love to the purples in the palette, so this was a great opportunity to use both Haze and Shadow.
My favorite way to organize a color combo is to mix neutrals with a pop of color. Since Haze and Shadow are very muted purples, I wanted to offset that with something punchier so I went with Arrowwood - also a great combo since purple and yellow are opposite each other on the color wheel and thus a complementary scheme. Adding in the lightest and darkest neutrals (Salt and Werewolf respectively) gave this piece so much excited contrast and really helps the braids stand out.
I’m so excited to see all of the color combos you all put together for this piece. Whether it’s all neutrals, all saturated colors, or a mix of the two, you really can’t go wrong since all 30 of the options in the Hue + Me palette pair so beautifully together. I love how this allows projects in this yarn to be so personalized and customizable, making them excellent choices for a group gift or KAL with your besties.
Looking for some combo guidance? Check out my Color Theory course series where I explain all of the psychology behind color and the best ways to combine them. I’m also happy to share some (10!) of my personal favorite combos for this design here:
This is an easy level knitting pattern, and the techniques involved are knitting, purling, and Latvian braids.
MATERIALS
3 skeins Lion Brand Yarn Hue + Me in Haze (617-144AH) for color A
1 skein each Lion Brand Yarn Hue + Me in Shadow (617-150AZ) for color B, Salt (617-098AS) for color C, Arrowwood (617-132AA) for color D, and Werewolf (617-152AB) for color E
(bulky, weight 5; 137yds/125m per skein)
Size US 11 (8mm) circular knitting needles, 40”/100cm long
Crochet hook (optional)
Tapestry needle
GAUGE
10.5 sts + 14 rows = 4”/10cm in stockinette
FINISHED DIMENSIONS
Length: 73”/185.5cm
Width: 17”/43cm
ABBREVIATIONS
*All Two of Wands patterns are written in standard US terms.
CO – Cast on
K – Knit
P – Purl
Rep – Repeat
RS – Right side
St(s) – Stitch(es)
WS – Wrong side
Note: Wrap is worked sideways.
PATTERN
CO 192 sts with color A using a long tail CO.
Rows 1-6: K.
Row 7 (WS): P.
Row 8 (RS): K.
Begin Latvian braid #1:
Change to colors B and C, leaving 8”/20.5cm tails.
Row 9: *P 1 with color B, P 1 with color C, rep from * across.
Row 10: *P 1 with color C, P 1 with color B, rep from * across, crossing the new color over the previous color to work each st. Note: yarns will become very twisted on this round but will untwist on the following round. Keep floats loose to prevent puckering.
Row 11: *K 1 with color B, K 1 with color C, rep from * across, crossing the new color over the previous color to work each st.
Change to color A, leaving 8”/20.5cm tails.
Row 12: K.
Row 13: P.
Rows 14+15: Rep rows 12 and 13.
Row 16: Rep row 12.
Begin Latvian braid #2:
Change to colors D and E, leaving 8”/20.5cm tails.
Row 17: *P 1 with color D, P 1 with color E, rep from * across.
Row 18: *P 1 with color E, P 1 with color D, rep from * across, crossing the new color over the previous color to work each st. Note: yarns will become very twisted on this round but will untwist on the following round. Keep floats loose to prevent puckering.
Row 19: *K 1 with color D, K 1 with color E, rep from * across, crossing the new color over the previous color to work each st.
Change to color A, leaving 8”/20.5cm tails.
Row 20: K.
Row 21: P.
Rows 22+23: Rep rows 20 and 21.
Row 24: Rep row 20.
Begin Latvian braid #3:
Change to colors C and E, leaving 8”/20.5cm tails.
Row 25: *P 1 with color C, P 1 with color E, rep from * across.
Row 26: *P 1 with color E, P 1 with color C, rep from * across, crossing the new color over the previous color to work each st. Note: yarns will become very twisted on this round but will untwist on the following round. Keep floats loose to prevent puckering.
Row 27: *K 1 with color C, K 1 with color E, rep from * across, crossing the new color over the previous color to work each st.
Change to color A, leaving 8”/20.5cm tails.
Row 28: K.
Row 29: P.
Rows 30+31: Rep rows 28 and 29.
Row 32: Rep row 28.
Begin Latvian braid #4:
Change to colors B and D, leaving 8”/20.5cm tails.
Row 33: *P 1 with color B, P 1 with color D, rep from * across.
Row 34: *P 1 with color D, P 1 with color B, rep from * across, crossing the new color over the previous color to work each st. Note: yarns will become very twisted on this round but will untwist on the following round. Keep floats loose to prevent puckering.
Row 35: *K 1 with color B, K 1 with color D, rep from * across, crossing the new color over the previous color to work each st.
Change to color A, leaving 8”/20.5cm tails.
Row 36: K.
Row 37: P.
Rows 38+39: Rep rows 36 and 37.
Row 40: Rep row 36.
Begin Latvian braid #5:
Change to colors B and E, leaving 8”/20.5cm tails.
Row 41: *P 1 with color B, P 1 with color E, rep from * across.
Row 42: *P 1 with color E, P 1 with color B, rep from * across, crossing the new color over the previous color to work each st. Note: yarns will become very twisted on this round but will untwist on the following round. Keep floats loose to prevent puckering.
Row 43: *K 1 with color B, K 1 with color E, rep from * across, crossing the new color over the previous color to work each st.
Change to color A, leaving 8”/20.5cm tails.
Row 44: K.
Row 45: P.
Rows 46+47: Rep rows 44 and 45.
Row 48: Rep row 44.
Begin Latvian braid #6:
Change to colors C and D, leaving 8”/20.5cm tails.
Row 49: *P 1 with color C, P 1 with color D, rep from * across.
Row 50: *P 1 with color D, P 1 with color C, rep from * across, crossing the new color over the previous color to work each st. Note: yarns will become very twisted on this round but will untwist on the following round. Keep floats loose to prevent puckering.
Row 51: *K 1 with color C, K 1 with color D, rep from * across, crossing the new color over the previous color to work each st.
Change to color A, leaving 8”/20.5cm tails.
Row 52: K.
Row 53: P.
Rows 54-59: K.
Bind off loosely.
FRINGE
Tie the tails at each end of the Latvian braids together with a single overhand knot.
Cut thirty-six 16”/40.5cm lengths of color A.
Holding 2 strands together at a time, attach 9 bundles of fringe using larks head knots along each short edge of the wrap – at each corner and in between each Latvian braid. To do so, fold the 2 strands in half and use the crochet hook or fingers to pull the folded loop through a space along the edge, then draw the ends of the strands through the loop to create the larks head knot. Trim fringe to desired length.
Secure and weave in any remaining ends.
Purchase the printable, ad-free pattern here.
Purchase the kit from Lion Brand here.
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