Mah Jongg Tile Throw

A cozy, beginner-friendly garter stitch throw inspired by the classic colors of mah jongg tiles: ivory faces, forest-green backs and table felt, crimson for the Red Dragon, and navy for the engraved lines of the honors. Wide, even stripes stack like a mah jongg wall at the start of play. Knit every row — no purling, no shaping, no charts.

Note: This is a simple garter stitch pattern. For pictorial mah jongg tile motifs (bamboo, dots, and character tiles) and other complex stitch patterns, request an intermediate or advanced difficulty blanket for full stitch pattern support with charts and detailed instructions.

Skill Level

Beginner. Knit every row; change colors at the start of a stripe.

Finished Measurements

50 in wide × 60 in long (127 × 152.5 cm), after blocking.

One size. A generous lap / sofa throw.

Materials

Yarn Worsted weight (CYC 4), approximately:

Yardages include a buffer for swatching and weaving in. Ivory is 70% of the throw (42 of 60 in / 336 of 480 rows) — do not skimp on Color B.

Suggested substitutes: Cascade 220, Lion Brand Wool-Ease, Knit Picks Wool of the Andes, or any worsted that meets gauge. A wool or wool-blend blocks and wears well; an acrylic worsted is fine for easy care.

Needles US 8 / 5 mm circular needle, 36 in (90 cm) cable, or size needed to obtain gauge. Worked flat — the cable holds 200 stitches comfortably.

Notions

• Tapestry needle
• Scissors
• Tape measure
• Optional: 9 locking stitch markers (place every 20 sts to make counting the cast-on easier)
• Optional: blocking mats and pins

Gauge

16 stitches and 32 rows (16 garter ridges) = 4 in (10 cm) in garter stitch, blocked.

4 sts = 1 in; 8 rows = 1 in.

Check your gauge. A 5 × 5 in (12.5 × 12.5 cm) swatch is 20 sts × 40 rows. If you have too many stitches per 4 in, go up a needle size; too few, go down. Throw size will change by about 3 in (7.5 cm) of width for every 1 stitch of gauge difference across 200 sts.

Abbreviations (US)

• BO — bind off
• CO — cast on
• k — knit
• st(s) — stitch(es)
• garter stitch — knit every row
• ridge — 2 knit rows (the horizontal bump you can count on the fabric)

Pattern Notes

• The throw is a rectangle. You will have 200 sts on every row. There is no increasing or decreasing (200 sts throughout ✓).
• Garter stitch is reversible. There is no right or wrong side for the fabric; pick one edge as your “color-change edge” and stick to it.
• Every stripe uses an even number of rows, so each new color starts on the same edge. Leave 6 in (15 cm) tails at every change.
• Count ridges if that is easier than counting rows: 2 rows = 1 ridge. Stripe heights are also given in inches so you can measure as you go.
• Optional neat edge: slip the first stitch of every row purlwise with yarn in front, then take yarn to the back and knit the rest of the row. This is not required.
• Cut the yarn at each color change (stripes are too wide to carry up the side neatly). Weave tails into the same-color stripe.
• Do not join a new ball in the middle of a row if you can help it; join at a side edge.

Stripe Sequence (summary)

Work from the bottom of the throw to the top. All rows are knit.

Row check: 32 + (56 × 6) + (16 × 5) + 32 = 32 + 336 + 80 + 32 = 480 rows → 480 ÷ 8 = 60 in ✓
Inch check: (4 + 4) + (7 × 6) + (2 × 5) = 8 + 42 + 10 = 60 in ✓
Color-change check: all row counts even → changes stay on one edge ✓

Instructions

With A and US 8 / 5 mm needle, using a long-tail cast-on, CO 200 sts.

(200 sts ÷ 4 sts per in = 50 in / 127 cm ✓)

If you like, place a marker every 20 sts while casting on (10 groups of 20 = 200 ✓), then remove the markers on the first row.

Section 1 — Green wall (Color A)
Knit 32 rows (16 ridges), or until piece measures 4 in (10 cm) from the cast-on edge.
Cut A, leaving a 6 in (15 cm) tail. Join B.

Section 2 — Ivory tile (Color B)
Knit 56 rows (28 ridges), or 7 in (18 cm) of ivory.
Cut B. Join C.

Section 3 — Red Dragon (Color C)
Knit 16 rows (8 ridges), or 2 in (5 cm).
Cut C. Join B.

Section 4 — Ivory tile (Color B)
Knit 56 rows (28 ridges), or 7 in (18 cm).
Cut B. Join A.

Section 5 — Green Dragon (Color A)
Knit 16 rows (8 ridges), or 2 in (5 cm).
Cut A. Join B.

Section 6 — Ivory tile (Color B)
Knit 56 rows (28 ridges), or 7 in (18 cm).
Cut B. Join D.

Section 7 — Navy honor line (Color D)
Knit 16 rows (8 ridges), or 2 in (5 cm).
Cut D. Join B.

Section 8 — Ivory tile (Color B)
Knit 56 rows (28 ridges), or 7 in (18 cm).
Cut B. Join C.

Section 9 — Red Dragon (Color C)
Knit 16 rows (8 ridges), or 2 in (5 cm).
Cut C. Join B.

Section 10 — Ivory tile (Color B)
Knit 56 rows (28 ridges), or 7 in (18 cm).
Cut B. Join A.

Section 11 — Green Dragon (Color A)
Knit 16 rows (8 ridges), or 2 in (5 cm).
Cut A. Join B.

Section 12 — Ivory tile (Color B)
Knit 56 rows (28 ridges), or 7 in (18 cm).
Cut B. Join A.

Section 13 — Green wall (Color A)
Knit 32 rows (16 ridges), or 4 in (10 cm).
Piece should measure 60 in (152.5 cm) from the cast-on edge (480 rows ÷ 8 rows per in = 60 in ✓). You still have 200 sts ✓.

Bind off: With A, bind off knitwise. Keep the bind-off loose — use a needle one size larger if your bind-off tends to pull in. The bound-off edge should measure 50 in (127 cm), matching the cast-on (200 sts ÷ 4 = 50 in ✓).

Cut yarn, leaving a 6 in (15 cm) tail. Pull through the last stitch.

Finishing

1. Weave in all ends on the same-color stripe, following the path of the stitches so tails do not show on either face of the garter fabric. You will have tails at 12 color changes plus the cast-on and bind-off (26 ends). Take your time; this is the only “fussy” step.
2. Block. Soak in lukewarm water with a drop of wool wash for 15–20 minutes, press out water in a towel (do not wring), and pin to 50 × 60 in (127 × 152.5 cm). Garter stitch relaxes and the stripes even out with blocking. Let dry completely.
3. No seaming. No border to pick up — the green start and end bands frame the stack of tiles, and garter stitch does not curl.

Schematic

                    50 in (127 cm)
              |<-------------------->|
              +----------------------+   ---
              |     A Forest Green   |    4 in
              +----------------------+
              |      B Ivory         |    7 in
              +----------------------+
              |     C Crimson        |    2 in
              +----------------------+
              |      B Ivory         |    7 in
              +----------------------+
              |     A Forest Green   |    2 in
              +----------------------+
              |      B Ivory         |    7 in
              +----------------------+     60 in
              |       D Navy         |    2 in   (152.5 cm)
              +----------------------+
              |      B Ivory         |    7 in
              +----------------------+
              |     C Crimson        |    2 in
              +----------------------+
              |      B Ivory         |    7 in
              +----------------------+
              |     A Forest Green   |    2 in
              +----------------------+
              |      B Ivory         |    7 in
              +----------------------+
              |     A Forest Green   |    4 in
              +----------------------+   ---
                 CO 200 sts (bottom)

Width: 200 sts ÷ 4 sts per in = 50 in ✓
Length: 4+7+2+7+2+7+2+7+2+7+2+7+4 = 60 in ✓

Care

Follow the ball band. Superwash wool or acrylic: machine wash gentle, lay flat to dry. Non-superwash wool: hand wash, lay flat.

Designer note

The palette follows a traditional American mah jongg set: ivory tile faces, forest-green backs, crimson Red Dragon, and navy honor-tile ink, stacked the way a wall is built before the first deal. If you prefer a three-dragon reading, treat the two crimson bands as Red Dragon, the inner green bands as Green Dragon, and the navy band as the White Dragon’s outline on ivory.