Pattern Inspiration:

This year, 2016, is the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service. Smart Knits - a knitting group out of Logan, Utah - thought that a great way to celebrate the National Park Service and the sublime lands that it protects was to design a National Parks blanket. The blanket is made up of 60 blanket squares - one to celebrate each of the 59 National Parks and one square to celebrate the National Park Service itself.

Located primarily on Mount Desert Island on the coast of Maine, Acadia National Park was the first national park established east of the Mississippi River. Originally created as Lafayette National Park in 1919, it was renamed Acadia in 1929. Led by George B. Dorr, local residents and landowners donated the land that would become Acadia National Park to the National Park Service so that it would be preserved and protected for the enjoyment of future generations. The park protects diverse environments and landscapes, including granite peaks, forests, lakes, rocky coastline, and intertidal areas. Acadia contains more than 120 miles of historic hiking trails and 45 miles of scenic carriage roads. Many of the historic features of these trails and carriage roads, such as stonework, are still visible. The designer conducted field work for her Masters degree in Natural Resources Management at Acadia, and ran the Bar Harbor Half Marathon–much of which follows the carriage roads–with her lab-mates in 2008. The pattern for this square was inspired by the craftsmanship and beauty of the historic stonework observable in buildings, bridges, and along trails throughout the park.

This Pattern:

If you purchase this pattern, you will receive only the pattern for the Acadia National Park blanket square. If you would like to purchase a subscription to all of the blanket squares please buy the eBook.

All proceeds from this pattern will be donated to the National Park Foundation in celebration of the National Park Service Centennial.