Felted and Mended Afghan in Lion Brand Fishermen's Wool - 90089AD

Felted and Mended Afghan in Lion Brand Fishermen's Wool – Pattern 90089AD

This free knitting pattern from Lion Brand Yarn invites knitters to create a beautifully textured, one-of-a-kind felted and mended afghan measuring approximately 42 x 56 inches (106.5 x 142 cm) after felting. Rated Easy in skill level, this project is an excellent introduction to the art of intentional felting and freeform embroidery, combining classic knitting construction with a creative, artisanal finishing process. The result is a warm, dense throw with a handcrafted, heirloom quality.

What Is Being Made

The finished project is a large blanket or throw afghan constructed from 12 individually knitted and felted blocks. Each block is knitted as a rectangle, and during the felting process the fabric shrinks and transforms into a square. Once felted, the blocks are embroidered with freeform decorative motifs and then sewn together to complete the afghan. The design is intentionally open-ended, encouraging knitters to express their own creativity through the embroidered details.

Techniques Used

• Knitting in Stockinette Stitch: Each block is worked flat in classic Stockinette Stitch, knitting on the right side and purling on the wrong side, producing a smooth fabric ideal for felting.
• Wet Felting by Machine: Completed blocks are felted by washing in a machine on a hot wash/cold rinse cycle with detergent and additional clothing items for agitation. Additional felting can be achieved by machine drying. This process causes the wool fibers to interlock, shrinking the rectangular blocks into squares and creating a dense, sturdy fabric.
• Freeform Embroidery: After felting, decorative motifs are embroidered onto each block using contrast yarn colors. The pattern encourages simple, expressive shapes and allows for variation in scale and stitch density. Masking tape can be used to outline shapes such as squares or triangles directly on the felted surface as a guide for embroidery.
• Seaming and Assembly: The 12 embroidered felted blocks are sewn together using a large-eye blunt needle to form the finished afghan.

Stitches Used

• Stockinette Stitch (St st): The foundational stitch for all 12 blocks — knit on the right side, purl on the wrong side.
• Embroidery Stitches: Freeform embroidery stitches worked in contrast colors onto the felted surface to create decorative motifs. The pattern encourages simple, improvised shapes rather than prescribed stitch types, making this an accessible and expressive embellishment technique.

Materials

• Lion Brand Fishermen's Wool (Color: Oatmeal, #150-123): 4 balls used as the main yarn (Color A). This is a 100% pure wool yarn that felts beautifully, making it the ideal base for the blocks.
• Lion Brand Wool-Ease (Color: Chili, #620-120): 1 ball used as contrast Color B for embroidery.
• Lion Brand Wool-Ease (Color: Clove, #620-198): 1 ball used as contrast Color C for embroidery.
• Lion Brand Knitting Needles, Size 9 (5.5 mm): Used to knit all blocks at a gauge of 16 stitches and 22 rows = 4 inches in Stockinette Stitch with the main yarn.
• Large-Eye Blunt Needles (Set of 6): Used for seaming blocks together and working embroidery on the felted surface.

Pattern Notes and Creative Flexibility

One of the most distinctive features of this pattern is its emphasis on creative freedom. The embroidered motifs are intentionally described as freeform and simple, meaning no two afghans made from this pattern need to look alike. Knitters are encouraged to change the scale of motifs, add more or fewer embroidered stitches, and experiment with the placement of shapes. This makes the Felted and Mended Afghan not just a knitting project but also a personal artistic