Traveling Knit Afghan – Square Six by Knitatude

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Traveling Knit Afghan – Square Six by Knitatude

And here is Square Six of the Traveling Knit Afghan, designed by Knitatude saying welcome to spring with a wonderful flower pattern!

The Traveling Afghan is finishing up its little tour through Alberta, Canada. After an extra quick stop with Stephanie of All About Ami, which you can read about here, it is now with Chantal of Knitatude. See how this journey started right here!

Inspiration

The Designer

The sixth square of the knit afghan is designed by Chantal Miyagishima of Knitatude. You may know her for a couple of reasons. From the top of my mind…

1. her social media presence, especially on Instagram;
2. calling things out as they are;
3. designing amazing beginner-friendly patterns that you can actually make!
4. having a fantastic relationship with her testers;
5. advocating for size inclusivity in pattern designing!

I follow Chantal for a while now and I have to say that I am a true fan! She is a knitter and her work was one of the reasons that made me learn to knit. I mean, the things she can make and better yet, that she can make accessible to a beginner!

This is definitely one of her distinctive factors. Her patterns are really doable and as I mentioned above, she strives to design for every body shape! Furthermore, she recently released a series of posts on how to alter a pattern to fit your body shape. If that isn’t an honest effort to make the crafting world more inclusive, then I don’t know what is…

It was also one of her patterns – the Easy Eyelet Yoke Sweater pictured below – that inspired my first top-down yoke pattern, the Cloud 9 Sweater. It just goes to show how much you can learn from her!

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So yes, I’m a fan of this wonderful person who even without knowing me, has always answered my messages, whether about where to find helpful resources about knitting or just to say something silly to cheer each other up!

The Pattern

Reading Chantal’s story of how yarn has influenced her life was really interesting. I had no idea that she started her business so soon and I can just about imagine all the craziness those early days must have been. And yet, she is still here and kicking! (I know, could I love her more??)

Her inspiration for this square lies in her heritage and it is a wonderful and fitting homage to the past and present. So hop on over to her blog and read why her square is called the “Field of Tulips”. 🙂

Project

For this square, I’m back to using my Beige Norway 10 ply yarn from Morris & Sons. I used it before in the first and third squares. I’m using it again to achieve a sort of chess-like look to my afghan.

Furthermore, I’m sticking with my 4.00 mm knitting needles. I did see a comment somewhere referring to using a crochet hook and though it took a little while to click, I soon found out what it was for.

And of course, don’t forget the blocking mats!

Pattern

All the materials and other information needed for the pattern are listed in Knitatude blog post.

Traveling Knit Afghan – Square Six by Knitatude

Here is the pattern for Square Six of the Traveling Knit Afghan.

The pattern is truly beginner-friendly! Asides from the basic stitches it has only a single stitch decrease.

And the flowers… they’re just as easy as the end result is beautiful! The pattern includes written instructions and a video tutorial on the flowers. The tutorial is especially helpful to show you where the needle should go. As for the technique required to make the flowers, I have a little trick for you… If you’re having a little trouble picking up the yarn (the last one can be a bit stubborn sometimes), just grab a crochet hook, pick up the yarn and place it on the needle! Ta-dah! This little tip can help you avoid losing a couple of stitches along the way.

For me, the main difficulty with this pattern was figuring out how big or small the loop should be to give the flowers just the right look. I think I made my loops just a tad bigger than they needed to be. Mainly, because I was afraid that when it came to blocking that the loops would be too small and would pull on the square. That didn’t happen, and all in all, I prefer that they are looser instead of too tight. So, if you’re wondering about this too, just go for the looser option. 😉

Finally, no project is done without blocking. And this square was no exception. Find out more about blocking your projects here!

Final thoughts on Square Six

Another simple pattern that works up into a gorgeous square.

Once again, the basic knit stitches make for a beautiful result. And not just that, but a simple technique can change completely the outcome of a design.

And this is something that works not just in knitting but in life. Sometimes simple actions can make an impact and change the future. And that is where I think Chantal’s core work is. Her efforts to include as many sizes as possible in her designs and sharing the knowledge to adapt her patterns, aim for a future that is more inclusive and less critical of one’s body shape. Here’s to hoping her influence keeps reaching further and to a future of inclusivity.

See you in the next square.