This is the fourth afghan in our popular series of afghans published in past issues of Knitter's Magazine. Spanning six years (beginning with our Spring 1996 issue), we've featured The Great American Afghan, The Great North American Afghan, The Great American Kid's Afghan and now, The Great American Aran Afghan.

This latest series was the result of a design contest open to our readers. Knitters were challenged to design a square using one color and some type of Aran patterning. In response, we received so many wonderful squares that it was extremely difficult to choose just 24, and even more difficult to choose just one grand prize winner!

The first four squares appeared in the Winter 2000 issue, followed by more squares in each of the next six issues. The designs feature a wide variety of techniques, from basic cables to more innovative (and challenging) stitch configurations.