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.

Wind Cave National Park is located in western South Dakota and was established in 1903 as the sixth National Park and the first cave in the world to have a National Park designation. The cave is named for the barometric winds that occur at its entrance. Above ground, bison, prairie dogs, pronghorn, and black-footed ferrets call the mixed-prairie grassland home, while below ground is the densest cave passage system ever found.

The third longest cave in the United States, Wind Cave is renowned for its amazing boxwork made from calcite formations that resemble a honeycomb structure. During her childhood the designer took her first tour of Wind Cave, located just outside of her family’s home town of Rapid City. Since then, the designer has taken several tours of the park, including the ever popular natural entrance tour, which guides visitors through the original cave entrance discovered by explorers. This square design imitates the intricate boxwork that covers the many walls of Wind Cave..

This Pattern:

If you purchase this pattern, you will receive only the pattern for the Wind Cave 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 theNational Park Foundation** in celebration of the National Park Service Centennial.**