Sylvan Afghan by Erica Russo

Sylvan Afghan

Knitting
March 2012
Any gauge - designed for any gauge ?
English
This pattern is available for $4.99 USD buy it now

Overview:
A modular, completely customizable afghan that can be adapted to any weight of yarn. Nine-page, full-color pattern includes written directions, photos, and a chart.

Skills Needed:
You should be comfortable with CO, K, P, increase, decrease, yarnover, knit through the back loop, and bind off. Instructions are included for specific increases, decreases, and joining the strips together.

Yardage:
How much yarn you need depends entirely on three things: your gauge, what weight of yarn you’re using, and how big of a blanket you want. The pattern is very stretchy. Measurments are approximate, and your mileage will vary. In broad strokes:

I made the pictured afghan (roughly 68” x 72”) using about 4,760 yards of a heavy DK/light worsted yarn held double (extra warm and cushy).

I could get the same-sized afghan from about 2,800 yards of the same DK yarn held single.

You could make a queen-sized (60” x 80”) throw out of about 5,000 yards of sport-weight yarn held double.

You could get a 38” x 45” baby blanket out of about 2,000 yards of the same sport-weight held single.

Although the yarn I used, Traveller, is listed as a DK-weight, in terms of gauge, it is almost indistinguishable from Cascade 220, which is generally considered a worsted.

Assembly:
In response to some questions I’ve been receiving: The instructions are written for each strip to be knit separately, and then joined using a dead-easy (really. I am not a crocheter.) single crochet. This method allows the project to be portable right up until the very end, and also allows you to experiment with color placement. You could, however, easily knit each strip onto the preceding one--but it would make the project less portable. Thank you!!

Miscellany:
-You could easily knit a handful of strips (3-5?) for an awesome scarf/wrap.
-It took me 12 minutes to knit a leaf. When you add in the extra time to crochet the strips together (about 10 minutes/seam), my total project time was about 33 hours.
-Super-smart Ravver Tanasay pointed out that rather than making the two different strips (Strip I is all whole leaves and Strip II begins and ends with a half-leaf), you could simply knit all of the strips beginning with a half-leaf and ending with a whole leaf and then alternate directions to make them fit together. (That makes more sense if you’re looking at the pattern.)