Knit or crochet afghan or wall-hanging with variations for a cushion or baby blanket.

This afghan/wall-hanging is a representation of a finite field (sometimes known as a Galois field). It was inspired by a particular branch of mathematics used for things like keeping your credit card secure and turning digital signals into the pictures you see on your TV.

It doesn’t matter if you aren’t interested in the Maths because it is a fascinating design that gets more interesting each time you look at it.

At first glance you may see just ‘another arrangement of squares’ … and then you may see a diagonal line going across. Keep looking and you will start to see lots of other things.

What you see first will probably depend on the colours you choose. I tried to find 16 colours to form a ‘rainbow’. You can see them along the sides. You don’t have to use these colours but you should choose 16 noticeably different colours. Another colour is needed for the border. As with all Woolly Thoughts afghan patterns there is a colouring sheet for you to plan your colours.

The pattern includes variations using fewer squares and only 8, or 4, colours.

The wall-hanging shown in the photos is about 114 cm (45”) square and was made using DK yarn. The crochet squares have solid sides and holey corners. I chose this type of square because I liked the extra effects created by the diagonal lines of holes. Any knit or crochet squares could be used. Any yarn can be used. Using different squares, adding more rounds, or changing the yarn will affect the overall size. The pattern also includes suggestions for knitting in long strips, instead of squares.

Read the story of this afghan on Ravelry or on Woolly Thoughts web site.

Note: This pattern is not recommended if you don’t like joining small pieces.

jankt3 made a fabric version.