Modern quilts are truly a source of inspiration for me. In particular, I love how artists of this craft have taken a skillset of days gone by and modernized the look to appear more contemporary, without sacrificing any of the traditional attention to detail and craftsmanship. This project is a knitter’s take on these modern quilts, as it combines a bright, cheerful palette with a contemporary, geometric pattern. “Kagan’s Quilt” was named using an amalgam of my two muses for this project: Katherine Upitis, designer and maker of the original quilt, and Megan Ingram, dyer of the Lichen and Lace yarn, which I used exclusively in this blanket. Hence, Katherine + Megan -->  Kagan, connoting a perfect match of inspiration and yarn!

This blanket requires roughly 600 grams/2000 meters/or 2200 yards of sock weight yarn.

For my variation, I used Lichen and Lace 80/20 Sock Yarn in the following colorways and amounts:
Natural – 300 grams/1,002 meters /1,095 yards
Amber – 60 grams/200 meters/219 yards
Shrub – 25 grams/85 meters/92 yards
Sweet Pea – 55 grams/184 meters/200 yards
Huckleberry – 45 grams/150 meters/165 yards
Citron – 35 grams/116 meters/128 yards
Blue Lagoon – 25 grams/85 meters/92 yards
Lilac – 35 grams/116 meters/128 yards

My gauge for this blanket was 26 sts and 48 rows over 4”.
Gauge is not critical for this project, but differences could impact yardage needed, especially in the main color. I needed every bit of my three skeins of Natural to finish this baby blanket. If you tend to knit loosely, I would advise buying a fourth skein of your background color.

My finished blanket is a 37” x 37” square. The size is easily adjustable, simply by adding repeats of your favorite quadrants. (Of course, doing so will require additional yarn.)

For two of the four quadrants, I used short rows. There are numerous ways to complete short rows and I encourage you to use whichever technique you prefer! For my sample, I used the Wrap and Turn approach and opted to knit my wraps together with my stitches. To compare other techniques, please visit the Bloom Handmade forums: “Kagan’s Quilt - Testing in Progress” and “All Things Short Rows”. My lovely testers were generous with their comments and photos.

If you are new to short rows, please don’t be discouraged from giving this pattern a try. There are informative videos and tutorials available online. Simply do a search for “garter stitch short rows”. You’ll be sure to find a tutorial that works for you! I’m also willing to lend a hand via my forum or Ravelry message.