You know what I find myself wanting most at this time of year, when the grey Northwestern winter feels like it will never end?

Color!

This is the New Traditions Afghan, which I designed hoping to soothe the post-holiday winter blues. At this time of year, I always need a little bit of extra cheerfulness and a shot of color is a surefire way to provide that! The geometric blocks themselves, which borrow their star motifs from traditional quilt blocks, are bright and colorful, while the borders between them are worked log- cabin style (which is another quilting technique that has long been used by knitters–or did quilters borrow it from us??) in a neutral palette.

I loved designing a piece that owes debts to two different craft traditions, and I loved that I got to use my math background in working out the geometry of the quilt blocks! I wanted this project to be attainable even for knitters without a hugely specialized skill set, so all the blocks are modular, requiring knitters only to pick up stitches, knit, and work simple increases and decreases. I’d love to make all the blocks, and then knit a second set in a different colorway, and combine them for a bed-sized crazy quilt! Unfortunately, I don’t knit that fast!

I hope you all like the New Traditions Afghan as much as I liked making it! I’m really excited to see what all you creative folks do with the pattern!

Edited to add:

I’ve had a few requests to see the back of the piece, so…here it is! When I make this, I want to back it with some quilting cotton, rather than weave in the ends like the sample:

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