I’m so excited to announce that I am participating in an amazing year-long project sponsored by Lion Brand Yarn called the Traveling Afghans. The project starts in January 2020.
In conjunction with Lion Brand’s “My Life in Yarn” 2020 campaign, the Traveling Afghans is a collaborative effort of 49 knit and crochet designers and bloggers from seven countries!
Over the course of one year, two afghans will be created....one knit and one crochet.
Starting in January, the Traveling Afghans will set sail from New York City and journey to a new designer every two weeks. Each designer will design and create a 10"x 10" square to add to either the knit or the crochet blanket before sending it off to the next designer who will add their square.
Each designer will publish the pattern instructions for their 10" square on their website for free so you can follow along with us and create your own knit or crochet afghan!
THE ULTIMATE MYSTERY KNIT-A-LONG!
I am thrilled to join with 24 other knitting designers to participate in the knit afghan project.
It will be so fun to see each designer reveal their square every two weeks throughout 2020. Even the participating designers don't know what the other 10" square designs will be! I'm so excited to see how this afghan comes together!
Scroll down to see the list of all the designers collaborating on the Knit Traveling Afghan.
January 6, 2020: Instructions for Square #1 are now available!
Click here to get the instructions on the Two of Wands website.
January 25, 2020: Instructions for Square #2 now available!
Click here to get the instructions on the Nomad Stitches website.
February 4, 2020: Instructions for Square #3 now available!
Click here to get the instructions on The Queen Stitch website.
February 24, 2020: Instructions for Square #4 revealed!
Click to get instructions on Knitbrooks website.
BASICS ABOUT THE KNIT AFGHAN:
Finished Afghan Size: approximately 40" wide x 60" long....plus the addition of a border around the entire blanket.
Worsted Weight Yarn: We're using Lion Brand Wool-Ease worsted weight yarn. (16 skeins for a total of about 3,150 yards)
Knitting Needles: US 8 (5mm)
Lion Brand Kit: Lion Brand is offering a kit that includes enough Wool-Ease worsted weight yarn to knit the entire Traveling Afghan. The kit is available in your choice of one of seven beautiful colorways. Click here to purchase the kit on the Lion Brand website. [affiliate link]
The Afghan Pattern: Each designer will share the pattern instructions for their 10" square on their website when it is their turn to add to the traveling blanket. All pattern instructions will be available for free.
Travel Plan: A new square will be revealed approximately every two weeks starting in early January 2020. Scroll down to see the travel schedule for the blanket and links to each designer's website.
Click here to see my blog post about knitting the first square and how to block it.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE:
Would you like to join in on this one-year mystery knit-a-long? Here's how you can participate...
1. Purchase a yarn kit now for either the Knit Traveling Afghan or Crochet Traveling Afghan so you have everything you need to get started when the first square pattern is released in early January 2020. Or, use your favorite worsted weight yarn! You will need approximately 3152 yards / 2880 meters of worsted weight (#4) yarn. You will need US 8 (5mm) knitting needles for the knit afghan or a J/10 (6mm) hook for the crochet afghan. (See more info on this topic below under frequent questions.)
2. Visit this page for the itineraries of the afghans below along with the master list of all designers and links to their sites so you can follow along as they travel around the world and new patterns get released.
3. Follow the designers on social media to get updates on their pattern releases and learn about their maker journeys.
4. Host a knit-a-long with your knitting friends! Get together throughout the year in person or online to add your squares.
5. Share your Traveling Afghan project on Instagram and be sure to add these tags: @LionBrandYarn #travelingafghans #lionbrandyarn #mylifeinyarn and either #travelingknitafghan or #travelingcrochetafghan as well as the new @mylifeinyarn Instagram account created by Lion Brand to see updates on this project and more!
Would you like to receive updates when the new Traveling Knit Afghan knit squares are revealed? Click here to sign up for my Fifty Four Ten Studio newsletter!
ANSWERS TO FREQUENT QUESTIONS:
Do I have to buy a kit to participate? No! You can use any worsted weight yarn you like...any brand, any fiber. Even your stash yarn! The kits are available if you would like to use exactly the same yarn as the designers.
Can I use a different color of the Lion Brand Wool-Ease? Yes! Click here to see all the pretty colorways available in Wool-Ease worsted weight yarn. You will need at least 16 skeins of this yarn if you choose one color for the entire blanket. To use multiple colorways...plan on more yarn!
Are there other Lion Brand yarns that will work for the afghan? Yes! Some other worsted weight Lion Brand yarns to consider are Touch of Cashmere (acrylic & cashmere), Basic Stitch (100% acrylic), Re-Up (cotton & polyester), Jeans (100% acrylic), Pound of Love (100% acrylic), Fisherman's Wool (100% wool), and Heartland (100% acrylic). Be sure to purchase approximately 3,150 yards to make the entire afghan in one color. (Solid colors that are light or medium darkness will probably show the various stitch patterns best.)
Do I have to make the afghan in a solid color? Not at all! The afghan the designers create will be made all in one color so we will be able to stick to the allotted yardage. Feel free to use any color combination you would like...especially if you are using stash yarn. (Keep in mind that you may need additional yardage in order to accommodate different colors for each square.)
Where can I find the patterns for each square? The pattern instructions for a new 10" x 10" square will be released approximately every two weeks starting in early January 2020. Each designer will post the instructions for FREE on their website. Bookmark this page to check back for announcements of each pattern release and follow me on Instagram for updates!
How can I post my project on Ravelry and connect it to the Traveling Afghan pattern? Alexandra from Two of Wands is our lead designer on this project. She has set up the official "pattern" pages on Ravelry. You can link your project to either the Traveling Knit Afghan or the Traveling Crochet Afghan on Ravelry.
What is the skill level for the afghan project? All of the squares will be beginner up to easy+ level. Some designers will offer photos or video tutorial support. Trying each of the various squares is a great way to learn new stitch combinations! If there's a square that you find too challenging, you can skip that one and repeat one of the other designs that you like instead.
Why do I have to go searching on so many different sites for the patterns? With 49 designers contributing to this project, there has been an enormous amount of coordination to make it work smoothly and we have all put in many hours even before launching. Each designer is dedicating their precious time to designing, photographing (and in some cases videoing), editing, and publishing a pattern for others to enjoy for free. Many of these designers rely on traffic to their blogs for income, so visiting each one individually is important and fair. I will add direct links to each new pattern when they are published....see the below the map.
What is the point of the project? As part of Lion Brand Yarn’s “My Life in Yarn” campaign for 2020, the Traveling Afghans project is a way for designers and makers from around the world to come together and form a GIANT knit-a-long and crochet-a-long where everyone is welcome and stories about how yarn has impacted our lives will be shared. We want this project to be inclusive and accessible and hope that it will inspire beginners and seasoned crafters alike! Many of the designers will be sharing touching stories about the specific stitches they’ve chosen to use for their squares, and the hope is that it will continue to generate conversations of acceptance and connectivity within our crafting community.
ITINERARY FOR THE KNIT TRAVELING AFGHAN:
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This year-long collaborative effort will feature stories from the designers about their paths as makers, and will give you the opportunity to learn new stitches and make new friends in the community along the way.
KNIT TRAVELING AFGHAN DESIGNERS:
#1 - 1/1-1/13 - New York City, USA - Alexandra Tavel of Two of Wands
Click here for Square #1 instructions on the Two of Wands website.
#2 - 1/15-1/28 - Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria - Sandra Gutierrez of Nomad Stitches
Click here for Square #2 instructions on the Nomad Stitches website.
#3 - 1/29-2/11 - Dublin, Ireland - Katie Moore of The Queen Stitch
Click here for Square #3 instructions on The Queen Stitch website.
#4 - 2/12-2/25 - Nova Scotia, Canada - Kelly Brooks of Knitbrooks
#5 - 2/26-3/10 - Alberta, Canada - Stephanie Lau of All About Ami
#6 - 3/11-3/24 - Alberta, Canada - Chantal Miyagishima of Knitatude
#7 - 3/25-4/7 - BC, Canada - Christie Bodden of Christie Bodden Designs
#8 - 4/8-4/21 - Oregon, USA - Makenzie Alvarez of Hanks and Needles
#9 - 4/22-5/5 - California, USA - Phanessa Fong of Designs by Phanessa
#10 - 5/6-5/19 - California, USA - Angie Bivins of Whistle & Wool
#11 - 5/20-6/2 - California, USA - Jane Tsou of Gorilla Knits
#12 - 6/3-6/16 - Nevada, USA - Chenoa Wilcox of jellyKNITTING
#13 - 6/17-6/30 - Utah, USA - Rachel Misner of Evelyn & Peter
#14 - 7/1-7/14 - Colorado, USA - Jessica Potasz of Mama in a Stitch
#15 - 7/15-7/28 - Kansas, USA - Jerica Tompkins of Yarn Hook Needles
#16 - 7/29-8/11 - Kansas, USA - Mary Lee of Fifty Four Ten Studio
#17 - 8/12-8/25 - Minnesota, USA - Kaitlin Barthold of Originally Lovely
#18 - 8/26-9/8 - Minnesota, USA - Julia Anastasi of Northern Loop Knitwear
#19 - 9/9-9/22 - Winona, MN, USA - Trista Ziemendorf of While They Dream
#20 - 9/23-10/6 - Illinois, USA - Heidi Gustad of Hands Occupied
#21 - 10/7-10/20 - Illinois, USA - Jewell Washington of Northknits
#22 - 10/21-11/3 - Michigan, USA - Destiny Meyer of Knifty Knittings
#23 - 11/4-11/17 - Virginia, USA - Nathan Bryant of Loop N Threads
#24 - 11/18-12/1 - Rhode Island, USA - Jake Kenyon of Kenyarn
#25 - 12/2-12/16 - New Jersey, USA - Vanessa Coscarelli Black of Vanessa Knits
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