The Traveling Afghans patterns by Two of Wands

The time has come for the Traveling Afghans to officially set sail around the world, and I cannot tell you how excited I am to launch this epic project and kick it off with the first pattern for both the knit and the crochet afghans! Scroll down to find both patterns and more information on this huge collaborative effort.

If you haven’t visited the landing page for the project on my site and/or you have no clue what the Traveling Afghans are, you can get all of the details here. Essentially, Lion Brand yarn is sponsoring a massive group design/blog hop for a knit afghan and a crochet afghan, which will travel around the world from one designer to the next as they each add a 10”x10” square and publish the pattern FREE online for you to make them along with us! We have 49 designers in 7 different countries participating (that’s 25 designers per blanket, since I’m doing a square for both), and all of them are so excited to share not only their patterns with you but also stories about their maker journeys and what yarn means to them as part of Lion Brand’s 2020 campaign, “My Life in Yarn.”

Got questions? I’ve recently added a whole FAQ section at the bottom of the landing page with lots of answers to all of the questions I’ve received thus far so make sure to check that out if you need help!

If you’re following along and making an afghan with us, feel free to save the passport stamp below and share it on your social media! We are encouraging local groups to coordinate KAL/CALs with their maker friends, so if you belong to a group in your area please share this with them as well and don’t forget to use the hashtags:

#travelingafghans #mylifeinyarn #lionbrandyarn #travelingknitafghan #travelingcrochetafghan

This project has been in the works for several months and I’ve put SO. MUCH. WORK. into it but I could not be more proud of the incredible designers who are contributing and all of the crazy coordination it took to get this off the ground. I’ve seen sneak peeks of each of the design concepts and I cannot wait for you all to see them! Each square pattern is suitable for beginner-easy+ level crafters and many of them will come with photo and/or video tutorials (see below for the first ones!) so it’s a great way to learn a new skill if you’re a newbie.

For the first patterns of each afghan, I chose to use matching stitches in each craft. The impetus for the Traveling Afghans project was Lion Brand’s idea for their “My Life in Yarn” campaign for this year. With so much wonderful focus on inclusivity and giving makers of all backgrounds a voice in our community, this project is a way for us to showcase the talent of so many different designers coming from very different places but all sharing a love for yarn. I’m so thankful for all of the friends I’ve met in yarn world and the way this form of art has connected us all, so I chose a basketweave stitch for my squares to represent us all being woven together through yarn, our medium.

I’m rarely able to record and edit video tutorials, but I got into the swing of things after creating several to showcase how I use yarn to decorate for the holidays and wrap presents, so I kept my set up and filmed a step by step tutorial for both squares! When I shared this image on social media I got tons of requests for the blocking mats and camera mount shown in the photo, so if you’re interested you can find both in my Amazon storefront in the “knitting” or “crochet” sections here.

And speaking of shopping, you’re welcome to use any worsted weight yarn you like for the Traveling Afghans squares, but if you’re interested in the full yarn kit from Lion Brand you can grab one here!