Lotus Moon Tiles – Yarn Planning

A little over a month ago I published the Lotus Moon 12 inch afghan block. I was thrilled about the positive response it received. But almost immediately after publishing the pattern, I looked at it and it begged me not to be done with it. It wanted to be more. Quickly I realized octagon motifs would be perfect for this design and I set to work right away. Nearly every moment since the day I published the afghan block has been spent on this new pattern, my first ever full sized afghan pattern – Lotus Moon Tiles.

Yesterday I shared the first photo of the afghan on Facebook, and again, I’m thrilled with the positive response. The afghan pattern will be available on August 3rd (that’s this Wednesday). But until then, I’ve had some requests about the yarn I used. Some of you are quite eager to get a jump on your yarn order! So below I will outline how much yarn I used of each color.

The final pattern document will have even more details about yarn usage and color planning for those of you that like to plan ahead in detail, like me. But for those of you looking to duplicate my colors the below information should be more than adequate.

Now I know that this particular yarn is not available to everyone, also, I am in no way sponsored by Lion Brand. I just happen to really like working with Vanna’s Choice and I love that it is available in the craft stores near me as I tend to prefer store shopping over online shopping. Please, feel free to use whatever yarn you prefer.

Yarn Used: Vanna’s Choice (Worsted Weight)
Size of Afghan: 46″ x 60″, 12 octagon motifs made
Total balls used: 19

11 Colors used:

• 2 balls Fisherman (a warm creamy off white with yellow undertones), about 315 yards used
• 1 ball Duckie (a sunny yellow), about 45 yards used
  • (I’m so sorry, this one I pulled from my stash and is now discontinued. Mustard would also work but it’s a bit bolder than I would prefer, but you need such a small amount you could easily sub another brand and it would go unnoticed.)
• 1 ball Pink (a soft pastel pink), about 150 yards used
• 1 ball Rose Mist (a marled pink), about 140 yards used
• 2 balls Magenta (a bold and rich pink with blue undertones), about 200 yards used
• 2 balls Seaspray Mist (a marled green), about 240 yards used
  • Alternately, in the Lotus Moon afghan square I used Lime (a bright lime green, NOT fluorescent) which brightens the color palette just slightly. It’s actually my preference, but I have a hard time getting it locally.
• 1 ball Kelly Green (a bold and rich green, mostly a pure green but with a bit of blue undertones), about 150 yards used
• 2 balls Silver Blue (an extremely light pastel blue), about 215 yards used
• 2 balls Aqua, (a very bright electric blue), about 275 yards used
• 2 balls Sapphire (a bold gem tone blue), about 275 yards used
• 3 balls Navy (darkest blue), about 370 yards used

Finally, I’ve been asked to translate these colors to Stylecraft Special DK colors for those of you who are not in the US. Again, I am in no way sponsored by Stylecraft.

I’ve also estimated the DK yarn usage below for a 20 motif afghan that is about the same size as the worsted weight one I made. It is an estimate based on math, not trial. I do NOT guarantee these estimates. If you’re worried about having enough, buy more. That’s the best I can give you.

The yarns and yardage listed below are my best approximations. I cannot guarantee the colors will look as nicely together as the ones I used and I recommend you compare them yourself before purchasing. I will not make any promises about color. I cannot guarantee the yardage I’ve estimated. If you’re worried about having enough yarn, buy an extra ball of the color. I can’t make any promises about yarn I haven’t used myself and I have not made this pattern with this yarn.

Possible Yarn Alternative: Stylecraft Special DK
Size of afghan: estimated 48″ x 60″, 20 motifs
Total balls: estimated 15

• 2 balls Cream, estimated 385 meters
• 1 ball, Citron, estimated 50 meters
• 1 ball, Pale Rose, estimated 180 meters
• 1 ball, Carnation (from the Extra Special DK line)
• 1 ball, Raspberry, estimated 245 meters
• 1 ball, Cypress, estimated 300 meters used, might be best to buy 2 balls just in case
  • This one is hard to pick, you may want to use your best judgement on choosing which of the lighter greens to use.
• 1 ball, Green, estimated 200 meters
• 1 ball, Sherbet, estimated 250 meters
• 2 balls, Turquoise, estimated 335 meters
• 2 balls, Petrol (or possibly Royal), estimated 335 meters
• 2 balls, Midnight, estimated 420 meters

More details on the Stylecraft colors are coming! But if you want to get in on the conversation, some resident experts are breaking down the colors in the “Peek Sneaking” thread over at Polly’s Place on Ravelry.