The Traveling Afghan: Knit Week #3
It’s finally here! The Traveling Afghan!
“Wait - what’s the traveling afghan” you ask?
Join Lion Brand and 49 designers and bloggers from seven different countries as we embark on the 2020 "My Life in Yarn" campaign with the Traveling Afghans project! Starting in January, the Traveling Afghans set sail from NYC and will journey to a new designer every two weeks. Each designer will create a 10"x10" square to add to the blanket before sending it off to the next person to add theirs. Each of us will publish the pattern for free online so YOU can follow along with us and create your own knit or crochet afghan! This year-long collaborative effort will feature stories from we designers about our paths as makers, and will give you the opportunity to learn new stitches and make new friends in the community along the way.
Here's how you can participate with us!
1. Purchase a yarn kit now for either the knit or crochet Traveling Afghan - it has everything you need to get started with us. Knit kit HERE, Crochet kit HERE
2. Visit the landing page for the project, hosted by Alexandra Tavel from Two of Wands, for the master list of all designers and links to their sites as well as the itinerary for the afghans so you can have a peek at the route they will be taking as they travel around the world. www.twoofwands.com/travelingafghans
3. Follow the all designers on social media to get updates on their pattern releases and learn about their maker journeys. There may even be some giveaways to enter! - @mylifeinyarn on Instagram does a pretty good job of getting all the major highlights
4. Host a CAL or KAL with your local maker friends! Get together throughout the year in person or online to add your squares. We would love to see YOUR life in yarn too, so make sure to tag Lion Brand Yarn in your posts and use the hashtags #thetravelingafghans #lionbrandyarn and #mylifeinyarn and either #thetravelingknitafghan or #thetravelingcrochetafghan
The Itinerary
I am lucky #3! Based over here in Ireland, the land of lots of rain, really good butter, and pints of Guinness. You can follow along with all the designers’ progress over on Alexi’s site (linked above), or here on mine as we continue! Check out all the places the Knit Afghan is going!
#1 - 1/1-1/13 - New York City, USA - Alexandra Tavel of Two of Wands - Square pattern HERE
#2 - 1/15-1/28 - Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria - Sandra Gutierrez of Nomad Stitches - Square pattern HERE
#3 - 1/29-2/11 - Dublin, Ireland - Katie Moore of The Queen Stitch - that’s ME! Pattern for the Square is below!
… If you’re participating and following along, I will be continuing to update this list every two weeks with the new squares so you don’t have to go hunting for it :)
Once I’m finished here I’ll be sending the Afghan all the way over to Nova Scotia, Canada - for Kelly Brooks of Knitbrooks !
Pattern #3: The Crown
My journey as a maker and a designer is characterized by the desire to rule over my own space. Design what I want, make what I want, and share what I want. The fiber arts give us so much opportunity of expression through each of the different crafts (knit, crochet, embroidery, weaving, etc) and the way in which we create through those crafts - with different stitches, color palettes, and the yarn itself. I am a firm believer in the mantra ‘anything is yarn if you try hard enough’ - from our proper wool blends, to recycled cut up T-shirts, to metal rings… the list goes on. What I want is for this square to represent being the owner of your own space and your own actions - whether it be as a QUEEN, or a KWEEN, or however you self identify as a ruler!
This pattern is a simple purl stitch crown motif made on a stockinette backing. Simple, effective, memorable, just like my ruling style, *hair flips*.
Printable version available HERE for a euro
MATERIALS:
1/2 skein Lion Brand Wool-Ease, or approx 100yds/90m of another worsted weight (category 4) yarn
Size US 8 (5mm) knitting needles
Tapestry needle
FINISHED DIMENSIONS:
10" x 10" / 25.5cm x 25.5cm
GAUGE:
17 sts + 22 rows = 4"/10cm in stockinette pattern after blocking
PATTERN NOTATIONS:
co - cast on, k - knit, p - purl, sl1P - slip 1 stitch purl-wise, wyib - with yarn in back, wyif - with yarn in front
PATTERN
CO 43
Row 1: sl1P wyib, k across
Row 2: sl1P wyif, P across
Repeat Rows 1-2 until piece measures 2in” long (about 11 rows)
Row 12: sl1P wyif, P 12, then follow chart (below).
*Always start even rows with sl1P wyif, purling across, and knitting the navy blue stitches.
*Always start odd rows with sl 1 P wyib, knitting across, and purling the navy blue stitches.
*The chart below is symmetrical so you can always read from the right to left! (chart is red from right to left, bottom to top)
If you would like additional help with the chart there are additional written instructions below
Rows 56 Repeat Row 2
Rows 57- 65: Repeat Rows 1 + 2
Row 66: Cast off
Block to measurements.
Written Chart instructions:
Row 12: sl1P wyif, p 12, k 17, p13, turn
Row 13: sl1P wyib, k12, p17, k13, turn
Rows 14+15: Repeat Rows 12+13
Row 16: sl1P wyif, p 11, k19, p12, turn
Row 17: sl1P wyib, k 11, p19, k12, turn
Rows 18-21: Repeat Rows 16+17 two more times
Row 22: sl1P wyif, p10, k21, p11, turn
Row 23: sl1P wyib, k10, p21, k11, turn
Rows 24-29: Repeat Rows 22+23 three more times
Row 30: sl1P wyif, p10, k5, p2, k7, p2, k5, p 11, turn
Row 31: sl1P wyib, k10, p5, k2, p7, k2, p5, k 11, turn
Row 32: sl1P wyif, p 10, k4, p4, k5, p4, k4, p11, turn
Row 33: sl1P wyib, k 10, p4, k4, p5, k4, p4, k11, turn
Row 34+35: Repeat Rows 32+33
Row 36: sl1P wyif, p10, k3, p5, k5, p5, k3, p11, turn
Row 37: sl1P wyib, k10, p3, k6, p3, k6, p3, k 11, turn
Row 38: sl1P wyif, p9, k3, p7, k3, p7, k3, p10, turn
Row 39: sl1P wyib, k9, p3, k7, p3, k7, p3, k10, turn
Row 40: sl1P wyif, p9, k2, p8, k3, p8, k2, p10, turn
Row 41: sl1P wyib, k9, p2, k8, p3, k8, p2, k10, turn
Row 42: sl1P wyif, p8, k2, p9, k3, p9, k2, p9, turn
Row 43: sl1P wyib, k8, p1, k10, p3, k10, p1, k9, turn
Row 44: sl1P wyif, p7, k2, p10, k3, p10, k2, p8, turn
Row 45: sl1P wyib, k7, p1, k12, p1, k12, p1, k8, turn
Row 46: sl1P wyif, p5, k3, p12, k1, p12, k3, p6, turn
Row 47: sl1P wyib, k5, p3, k12, p1, k12, p3, k6, turn
Rows 48+49: Repeat Rows 46+47
Row 50: sl1P wyif, p20, k1, p21, turn
Row 51: sl1P wyib, k20, p1, k21, turn
Row 52: sl1P wyif, p19, k3, p20, turn
Row 53: sl1P wyib, k19, p3, k20, turn
Rows 54+55: Repeat Rows 52+53
Return to pattern instructions
Happy crafting!