Buccaneer Flag Textured Throw

A 50 × 60 inch knitted throw in pewter, red, white, and orange — the classic Tampa Bay palette — worked in bold horizontal bands of basketweave, moss stitch, broken rib, and garter. A seed-stitch side frame and garter end borders keep the edges flat and give the blanket a finished, flag-like look.

This pattern is inspired by Tampa Bay Buccaneers team colors. It is not an officially licensed NFL product.

Skill Level: Intermediate
(Confident with knit and purl combinations, simple slip-free texture patterns, stripe color changes, and reading a row while maintaining a border.)

Finished Measurements

Blocked: Approximately 50 inches wide × 60 inches long (127 × 152 cm), including borders.

Measurements assume the stated gauge. If your gauge differs, width = 150 ÷ (stitches per inch); length = 300 ÷ (rows per inch).

Materials

Yarn: Worsted weight (CYC 4), approximately 2,050 yards (1,875 m) total, as follows:

Yardage includes a swatch and weaving tails. Actual use varies with gauge and how firmly you knit seed and moss. Buy an extra skein of MC if your skeins are under 200 yards (183 m).

Needles: US 10 / 6 mm circular needle, 32–40 inches (80–100 cm) long, or size needed to obtain gauge. A circular needle is used to hold the 150 stitches comfortably; the blanket is worked flat.

Notions:

• 2 stitch markers
• Tapestry needle
• Scissors
• Blocking mats and pins (or wires)

Gauge

12 stitches and 20 rows = 4 inches (10 cm) in Basketweave Pattern on US 10 / 6 mm needles, blocked.

Work a swatch of at least 24 stitches × 24 rows in Basketweave, bind off, wet-block, and measure the center 4 inches.

• 150 stitches at this gauge = 50 inches (127 cm) ✓
• 300 rows at this gauge = 60 inches (152 cm) ✓

Change needle size to match gauge. A tighter gauge yields a smaller, denser blanket.

Notes

• The throw is worked in one piece from the bottom up. There is no shaping; 150 stitches remain throughout.
• Place markers after the first 10 stitches and before the last 10 stitches. These 10-stitch zones are the seed-stitch side borders except in the full-width garter sections (bottom border, orange ridges, top border), where every stitch is knitted.
• Change colors on the right side for a clean stripe. Cut the old color, leaving a 6-inch (15 cm) tail. Do not carry unused colors up the side.
• Seed stitch (even stitch count) is *k1, p1 on every row. Knit the purls and purl the knits as they face you if you ever lose your place.
• Row gauge in moss and broken rib is close to basketweave; garter is slightly shorter per row. Wet-blocking evens the stripe depths.
• Slip the first stitch of every row purlwise with yarn in front (optional) for a neater selvedge, then work the rest of the border as written. If you use this selvedge, the remaining 9 border stitches plus the slipped stitch still total 10.
• Weave in ends as you go, or leave them and weave during finishing. There are 8 color changes (16 tails) plus cast-on and bind-off.

Abbreviations (US)

BO — bind off
CC — contrasting color
CO — cast on
k — knit
MC — main color
p — purl
pm — place marker
rep — repeat
RS — right side
slm — slip marker
st(s) — stitch(es)
WS — wrong side
* — repeat the instructions following the asterisk as directed

Stitch Patterns

Worked over the center 130 stitches unless a section says to work all 150 stitches.

Seed Stitch Border (10 sts, even; every row)
*K1, p1; rep from * to marker (5 times).
(10 sts: k1, p1, k1, p1, k1, p1, k1, p1, k1, p1 ✓)

Basketweave Pattern (multiple of 10 sts; 12-row repeat)
Rows 1–6 (RS and WS): *K5, p5; rep from * to marker.
Rows 7–12: *P5, k5; rep from * to marker.
Repeat Rows 1–12.
(130 sts = 13 repeats of 10 ✓)

Broken Rib (even number of sts; 2-row repeat)
Row 1 (RS): *K1, p1; rep from * to marker.
Row 2 (WS): Purl to marker.

Moss Stitch (even number of sts; 4-row repeat)
Rows 1–2: *K1, p1; rep from * to marker.
Rows 3–4: *P1, k1; rep from * to marker.
Repeat Rows 1–4.

Garter Stitch (any number of sts)
Knit every stitch, every row.

Pattern

Cast On and Bottom Border (MC Pewter)

With MC and US 10 / 6 mm needle, using a long-tail (or your preferred firm edge) cast-on, CO 150 stitches.

Rows 1–16: Knit. (16 rows garter; Row 16 is a WS row.)

Bottom border = 16 rows at 20 rows / 4 inches = 3.2 inches ✓

On Row 16 (WS), place markers: knit 10, pm, knit 130, pm, knit 10. (10 + 130 + 10 = 150 ✓)

Red Basketweave Band 1 (CC1 Red) — 36 rows

Join CC1 at the beginning of the next RS row. Cut MC.

Rows 17–52: Work 3 full repeats of Basketweave (12 rows × 3 = 36 ✓) as follows:

RS Rows 1, 3, 5 of each repeat:
[Seed border to marker], slm, *k5, p5; rep from * to marker (13 times; 130 sts ✓), slm, [seed border to end].

WS Rows 2, 4, 6 of each repeat:
[Seed border to marker], slm, *k5, p5; rep from * to marker, slm, [seed border to end].
(WS: knit the knits and purl the purls of the basketweave so the k5/p5 columns stack.)

RS Rows 7, 9, 11 of each repeat:
[Seed border to marker], slm, *p5, k5; rep from * to marker, slm, [seed border to end].

WS Rows 8, 10, 12 of each repeat:
[Seed border to marker], slm, *p5, k5; rep from * to marker, slm, [seed border to end].

After 36 rows you have completed Row 52 (WS). Stitch count: 150 ✓

White Broken-Rib Band 1 (CC2 White) — 24 rows

Join CC2 at the beginning of the next RS row. Cut CC1.

Rows 53–76: Repeat the following 2 rows 12 times (2 × 12 = 24 ✓).

Row A (RS): [Seed border to marker], slm, *k1, p1; rep from * to marker (65 times; 130 sts ✓), slm, [seed border to end].
(The full RS row is *k1, p1 across all 150 sts ✓)

Row B (WS): [Seed border to marker], slm, purl to marker, slm, [seed border to end].

After 24 rows you have completed Row 76 (WS). Stitch count: 150 ✓

Orange Garter Ridge 1 (CC3 Orange) — 16 rows

Join CC3 at the beginning of the next RS row. Cut CC2.

Rows 77–92: Knit every stitch (both RS and WS). Markers may stay in place; slip them as you come to them. (16 rows garter; full width, 150 sts ✓)

After 16 rows you have completed Row 92 (WS).

Pewter Moss Field (MC Pewter) — 116 rows

Join MC at the beginning of the next RS row. Cut CC3.

Rows 93–208: Work Moss Stitch over the center 130 stitches for 29 repeats of the 4-row pattern (4 × 29 = 116 ✓), keeping 10-stitch seed borders.

Moss Rows 1 and 2:
[Seed border to marker], slm, *k1, p1; rep from * to marker, slm, [seed border to end].
(On these two rows the entire 150-st row is *k1, p1 ✓)

Moss Rows 3 and 4:
[Seed border to marker], slm, *p1, k1; rep from * to marker (65 times; 130 sts ✓), slm, [seed border to end].
(Borders remain *k1, p1; only the center switches to *p1, k1.)

After 116 rows you have completed Row 208 (WS). Stitch count: 150 ✓

Orange Garter Ridge 2 (CC3 Orange) — 16 rows

Join CC3 at the beginning of the next RS row. Cut MC.

Rows 209–224: Knit every stitch. (16 rows; Row 224 is WS.) Stitch count: 150 ✓

White Broken-Rib Band 2 (CC2 White) — 24 rows

Join CC2 at the beginning of the next RS row. Cut CC3.

Rows 225–248: Work the same 2-row Broken Rib as Band 1, 12 times (24 rows ✓).

RS: Seed 10, slm, *k1, p1 to marker, slm, seed 10.
WS: Seed 10, slm, purl to marker, slm, seed 10.

After 24 rows you have completed Row 248 (WS). Stitch count: 150 ✓

Red Basketweave Band 2 (CC1 Red) — 36 rows

Join CC1 at the beginning of the next RS row. Cut CC2.

Rows 249–284: Work 3 full repeats of Basketweave exactly as in Band 1 (12 × 3 = 36 ✓), with seed borders.

After 36 rows you have completed Row 284 (WS). Stitch count: 150 ✓

Top Border (MC Pewter)

Join MC at the beginning of the next RS row. Cut CC1. Remove markers on the first row of this section (or on the bind-off row).

Rows 285–300: Knit. (16 rows garter; 284 + 16 = 300 ✓. Row 300 is WS.)

Top border = 16 rows = 3.2 inches ✓

Bind off knitwise on the next RS row, keeping an even, elastic edge (use a needle one size larger if the bound-off edge draws in).

Row Census (inline validation)

16 + 36 + 24 + 16 + 116 + 16 + 24 + 36 + 16 = 300 ✓
Every section has an even row count, so every new color starts on a RS row ✓
Stitch count every row: 10 + 130 + 10 = 150 ✓

Finishing

1. Weave in all ends on the wrong side, following the color of each stripe so tails do not show through. Split-ply weaving (threading the tail through the backs of same-color stitches for 1–2 inches, then reversing direction) is more secure on a blanket that will be washed.
2. Wet-block: Soak in lukewarm water with a little wool wash for 15–20 minutes. Press out water (do not wring). Lay flat to 50 × 60 inches (127 × 152 cm), pinning the edges straight so the seed borders and garter ends are even. Let dry completely.
3. After blocking, check for any ends that have worked loose and reweave them.

Color Sequence (quick reference)

Pewter garter → Red basketweave → White broken rib → Orange garter → Pewter moss → Orange garter → White broken rib → Red basketweave → Pewter garter.

Schematic (text)

50" (127 cm)
|<-------------- 150 sts -------------->|
| 10 seed |     130 st field      | 10 seed |
|  3.3"   |        43.3"          |  3.3"   |

60" (152 cm) tall:
  16 rows  Pewter garter          ~ 3.2"
  36 rows  Red basketweave        ~ 7.2"
  24 rows  White broken rib       ~ 4.8"
  16 rows  Orange garter          ~ 3.2"
 116 rows  Pewter moss            ~23.2"
  16 rows  Orange garter          ~ 3.2"
  24 rows  White broken rib       ~ 4.8"
  36 rows  Red basketweave        ~ 7.2"
  16 rows  Pewter garter          ~ 3.2"
                                 ------
                                 60.0" ✓

Stripe depths are approximate before blocking; moss and broken rib may read slightly shorter or taller than basketweave until blocked.

Enjoy your Buccaneer Flag Textured Throw.