Lilies & Lace Throw: The Grand Prize Afghan Contest Winner Knitting Pattern You Need to Make
There are knitting patterns, and then there are the ones that stop you mid-scroll. The ones that make you reach for your needles before you have even finished reading the instructions. The Lilies & Lace Throw is exactly that kind of pattern. A grand prize winner in an afghan contest that drew hundreds of talented entries, this breathtaking blanket combines the timeless elegance of lace work with the organic softness of floral motifs to create something that feels both heirloom-worthy and genuinely achievable for intermediate knitters.
Whether you are looking to challenge yourself with a project that will stretch your skills, searching for the perfect handmade gift for someone special, or simply wanting to create a statement piece for your own living room, the Lilies & Lace Throw deserves a place at the top of your project queue. In this post, we will walk through everything you need to know to cast on with confidence — from materials and gauge to the construction method, finishing techniques, and tips that will help your throw come out looking like it belongs in a museum.
Why This Pattern Won the Grand Prize
The judges who reviewed this afghan contest were looking at hundreds of submissions, each one representing hours of work and genuine creativity. So what made the Lilies & Lace Throw rise to the top?
First, there is the design itself. The combination of lily motifs worked into a lace grid creates visual depth that is almost impossible to achieve with simpler stitch patterns. When light falls across the finished throw, the flowers seem to bloom from the fabric, their petals catching the shadows in a way that feels almost three-dimensional. This is the result of careful attention to how knit stitches, purl stitches, yarn overs, and decreases interact when placed in deliberate relationship to one another.
Second, the pattern is thoughtfully constructed. The throw is worked in separate panels that are joined together, which means you are never wrestling with an unwieldy amount of fabric draped across your lap. Each panel is a manageable size, and working through them one at a time gives you natural stopping points and a satisfying sense of progress. For a large project like an afghan, that psychological momentum matters enormously.
Third, the yarn choice plays a crucial role. The original award-winning throw was worked in a sport weight wool-blend with just enough drape to allow the lace sections to open up beautifully when blocked, while the denser lily sections hold their shape without pulling. Finding that balance is genuinely difficult, and the pattern achieves it with a kind of quiet genius that only becomes apparent once you start knitting.
Materials You Will Need
Before you cast on, gathering the right materials will make your experience smoother and your finished project more satisfying.
Yarn: You will need approximately 2,200 yards of sport weight yarn. A wool or wool-blend yarn is strongly recommended because it responds beautifully to wet blocking, which is essential for opening up the lace sections and giving the lily motifs their full definition. Look for something with a smooth twist and good stitch definition — textured or loosely spun yarns tend to muddy the lace pattern, making it harder to read the design clearly. A yarn with around 75 percent merino wool and 25 percent nylon will give you durability alongside the softness and blocking properties you want. For color, the original was worked in a warm ivory that allows every detail of the lace to show without distraction, but soft sage, dusty blue, or pale lavender would all be equally stunning choices.
Needles: US size 4 (3.5mm) circular needles, at least 32 inches long. The length is important because even though you are working panels rather than the full throw at once, circular needles distribute weight more evenly and prevent the strain on your wrists that straight needles can cause over a long project. You may also want a spare set of the same size needles or stitch holders for when you need to put work aside temporarily.
Additional tools: A set of stitch markers will be invaluable here — plan on having at least 20 on hand, preferably in two colors so you can differentiate between the markers that signal lily motif repeats and those that mark the lace panel boundaries. You will also need a tapestry needle for seaming and weaving in ends, blocking mats and rust-proof pins, and a measuring tape.
Gauge: 24 stitches and 32 rows to 4 inches in stockinette stitch after blocking. Please take this seriously. In a project of this size, being even half a stitch off per inch will result in a throw that is significantly larger or smaller than intended — and because the lily motifs have a specific number of stitches dedicated to their proportions, being off gauge will also distort the flowers themselves. Swatch generously, block your swatch as you intend to block the finished throw, and adjust needle size until you hit the gauge.
Understanding the Construction
The Lilies & Lace Throw is constructed in five vertical panels, each measuring approximately 10 inches wide and 54 inches long. When seamed together, the finished throw measures approximately 50 by 54 inches — a generous lap blanket or a cozy throw for a sofa.
Each panel features a central column of lily motifs framed on either side by a four-stitch garter border, with lace sections filling the space between the central motif column and the border. The lace pattern used is a classic feather and fan variation that has been modified to echo the curved lines of the lily petals, creating a visual conversation between the two elements that is part of what makes this design so cohesive.
The panels are identical, which is both a blessing and a consideration worth thinking about. Working the same panel five times means you will become deeply fluent with the pattern — by the third panel, most knitters find they can work entire sections without consulting the chart, which gives the project a meditative quality. On the other hand, some knitters find repetition discouraging. If you are in that camp, consider using the panels as an opportunity to experiment with subtle variations — perhaps working three panels in your main color and two in a closely related tone for a watercolor effect, or working each panel in a different complementary color and seaming them together for something bold and contemporary.
Reading the Pattern Charts
This pattern includes both written instructions and charts for the lily motifs and the lace sections. If you have not worked from charts before, this project is a wonderful introduction, and the investment in learning to read them will pay dividends across your knitting life.
The lily motif chart covers a 24-stitch by 32-row repeat. Each symbol in the chart represents a specific action: a blank square is a knit stitch on the right side and a purl stitch on the wrong side, a circle represents a yarn over, a right-leaning slash represents a knit two together, and a left-leaning slash represents a slip slip knit decrease. The yarn overs and their paired decreases are what create the lace — they maintain the stitch count while building the open fabric and directional lines that form the lily’s petals and stem.
A helpful approach when learning a new chart is to trace through it with a sticky note or magnetic board before you begin knitting, identifying where each element of the motif lives on the grid. Where does the center of the flower sit? Which rows form the petal curves, and which form the stem? Understanding the visual logic of the chart before your needles are in motion will prevent the confusion that often comes from trying to decode a symbol mid-row.
For the lace sections flanking the central motif, the chart covers an 18-stitch by 8-row repeat. Once you have worked through the repeat twice, you will likely have it memorized, which makes the long panels much faster than they initially appear.
Step-by-Step Panel Instructions
Cast on and border setup: Using your preferred cast-on method — a long-tail cast-on will give you a neat, elastic edge that suits this project well — cast on 62 stitches. The first and last four stitches of every row form the garter border: knit these on every row, both right side and wrong side. Set markers after the first four stitches and before the last four stitches to help you remember this.
Establishing the lace sections: Rows 1 through 8 set up the lace sections on either side of where the lily column will begin. Working these foundation rows carefully and accurately is important because any errors here will compound across the hundreds of rows that follow. If you find a mistake in these early rows, it is far better to rip back and fix it than to try to compensate later.
Beginning the lily motif column: At row 9, you will begin placing the central lily motif. Place markers on either side of the central 24 stitches to clearly delineate the lily column from the lace sections. Work the lily chart from row 1 as you continue the established lace pattern on either side.
Completing the panel: Continue working until you have completed 11 full repeats of the lily motif chart, which will bring you to the full 54-inch panel length. End with a right side row before binding off, and use a stretchy bind-off — the Russian bind-off or Jeny’s Surprisingly Stretchy Bind-Off both work well here — to ensure the top edge matches the elasticity of the cast-on edge.
Blocking: The Step That Makes Everything
There is no polite way to say this: your Lilies & Lace Throw will not look like the photograph before blocking. Lace, in its unblocked state, is a rumpled, slightly confusing-looking thing, and that is entirely normal. Blocking is not an optional finishing step here — it is the process that transforms the fabric from knitted rows and columns into the opened, defined, genuinely breathtaking piece this pattern is designed to be.
To block each panel, soak it in cool water with a small amount of wool wash for at least 20 minutes. Gently squeeze out the water — never wring — and roll the panel in a clean towel to remove excess moisture. Lay it flat on your blocking mats, pin the cast-on and bound-off edges to the correct length, then carefully stretch the lace sections outward and pin them open. The lily motifs should be pinned so the central column sits straight and the petals are symmetrically extended. Step away, let everything dry completely — typically 24 hours — and then experience the satisfying moment of removing the pins to reveal the finished panel in its full glory.
Repeat this process for all five panels before seaming. Blocking before seaming, rather than after, ensures each panel is the correct size and that your seams will lie flat and even.
Seaming the Panels Together
Once all five panels are blocked and dry, lay them out in your preferred order. If you chose to work them in different colors or subtle variations, this is the moment to arrange them until you are happy with the sequence.
Use a mattress stitch to seam the panels together. The mattress stitch creates an invisible join that sits neatly between panels without adding bulk or breaking the visual flow of the design. Work each seam from bottom to top, taking one bar between the first and second stitches of each panel and pulling the yarn just tightly enough to close the gap without puckering. Consistent tension across the seam is more important than tight tension — the goal is for the seam to disappear, not to cinch the panels together.
After seaming, weave in all ends securely, working them in different directions through the purl bumps on the wrong side of the work to prevent them from working loose over time.
Tips for Success from Experienced Afghan Knitters
Keep a row counter and use it religiously. In a pattern with repeating motifs over hundreds of rows across five panels, losing your place is remarkably easy, and having a reliable count means catching errors before they become too large to fix comfortably.
Work in good light. Lace knitting asks you to distinguish between stitches, yarn overs, and decreases at speed, and doing this in dim light is a recipe for miscounted rows and missed yarn overs that you will only notice several inches later.
Give yourself permission to put a panel down and come back to it. Unlike some projects that lose their logic when you step away, the chart-based nature of this pattern means you can always orient yourself by looking at what you have worked and comparing it to the chart. There is no shame in taking a week off and returning refreshed.
Consider making a project bag dedicated to this throw, keeping one panel and its associated chart and row counter together so nothing gets separated. Throwing everything into a general knitting bag makes it easy to lose your place or mix up materials.
Finally, take progress photographs. A project of this scale represents a significant investment of time and energy, and watching your panels accumulate across weeks or months is genuinely motivating. And when the finished throw is on your sofa — or wrapped around someone you love — you will want to be able to look back at the journey from cast-on to completion.
The Finished Throw: What You Will Have Made
When the last end is woven in and the final blocking is complete, what you will have is something genuinely extraordinary. The Lilies & Lace Throw is the kind of piece that gets noticed — guests ask about it, family members request their own, and it ages beautifully, softening and draping further with every wash while the motifs retain their definition.
More than any of that, though, what you will have made is a grand prize-winning design worked by your own hands, at your own pace, through every challenge and quiet triumph that a long project like this brings. That combination of beautiful pattern, satisfying construction, and the pleasure of skilled work accomplished slowly and well is exactly why so many of us knit in the first place.
Cast on with confidence. The lilies are waiting to bloom.
