Browse Tag by crochet afghan
Crochet, Projects, Solid Granny Afghan

The Fourth, Final & Finished Afghan

The last time I shared a progress picture, the afghan I was working on was 12 x 11 squares. The colors were blending nicely, but it wasn’t very big. If you’re going to hand-crochet a blanket, then you commit to make a blanket.

I decided to extend the pattern and the afghan turned out to be 12 x 14 squares. I worked until the yarn ran out. Now we’ve got ourselves a blanket! I added 8 rows of a granny-square border, working the same three double crochet cluster into each opening to mirror the look of a granny square.

The inspiration was, of course, Attic 24’s Granny Patchwork afghan.

crochet granny square blanket

Lucy of Attic 24 uses a different method for making granny squares and it’s one I’ve adopted myself. (Once you make 168 squares, you learn to love something). Lucy prefers to not work the chain between 3 DC clusters and only uses 1 chain instead of 2 for the corner stitches. Cutting out or reducing the number of chains makes a tighter square without sacrificing the base elements of the traditional crocheted granny. I really liked her modification.

This afghan was the fourth and final piece in a series of blankets I’ve been working on for the last 4-5 years. I told myself I wouldn’t get sentimental, but it’s hard not to! When I was a senior in college (2011), someone contacted me through my Etsy shop and asked me to crochet a blanket for her daughter as she started college.

The plan was one afghan a year for four years.

#1: Crochet Hexagon Blanket

Crochet Hexagon Blanket

#2: Ripple Crochet Blanket

Crochet Ripple Blanket

#3: Picot Granny Square

rainbowafghan

and this is #4.

crocheted granny squares

Of the four, my favorite was the third one–the Picot granny square. It also took the longest amount of time (by far), but the design is so unique I loved making it. Textured, small and large squares and the colors–just perfection.

Over the years, the woman who contracted the blankets and I became friends. We exchanged Christmas gifts and emails, thoughts on the blankets as they came together. A random note to share vacation plans and life updates. She’s seen me move four times, congratulate me on two new jobs and always been a part of my free time.

It was odd packing up the last of the blankets and writing the final note a few weeks ago. I’ve never met this woman or her daughter who graduated from Yale, yet somehow we’ve been part of each other’s lives. Her daughter joked she’ll have to consider grad school to keep the blankets coming!

It’s the end of a JJCrochet era. Now the question becomes… what to work on next.

Crochet, Pictor Granny Square, Projects

It’s Finished: The Crochet Granny Square Afghan

I’ve been crocheting the granny square picot afghan for the past year.

Like the two blankets before it, this blue-purple-red-green-yellow combo was a treat to make. The 3-D granny squares have raised centers that look complicated, yet become easy after the 80th repeat. (If you’d like to try your hand at making a square, you can with this picot granny square video tutorial).

rainbowafghan

crochetafghancloseup

A few weeks ago, I finished crocheting the blanket based on Lucy’s original design. I had just ended my last square when I realized there was enough yarn to make another repeat–which would mean three additional rows. The ‘inspiration afghan ‘is a rectangle, but adding the extra rows made this one into a square.

I forged ahead and am glad I did. I rather like the extra inches since it makes the blanket even longer for maximum warmth.

rainbowfull

Project Details: 

  • 52 Skeins of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino
  • Size E (3.5mm) crochet hook
  • Inspired by Attic 24′s flower granny square afghan
  • Time to crochet: 1 year
  • Worth it factor (WIF):  YES!  Loved learning how to make the raised granny square flowers. Could be my favorite blanket of the bunch.

rainbowafghan2

My favorite part of designing this afghan was not using the same bordering color for a square in any given row OR column. It was like playing sudoku. I even enlisted the help of my roommate. We’d pause the episode of Friday Night Lights we were watching (hello, Tim Riggins) and whisper to ourselves, “light pink…? no. maroon?….. no. Ooh – navy!” as we’d scan the rows and talk through color options until finding a suitable choice.

Adding on the three extra rows, I didn’t think it was possible, but without any real planning it worked out. A rainbow afghan of totally random colors.

Afghan edging is a faux-picot stitch repeat of [3 slip stitch,es *sc, ch 2, sc* in next stitch ] around.

rainbowedge

I’m packaging up this afghan tonight and am sad to see it leave, though it’s going to a good home, joining its hexy and ripple afghan sisters. Keep the faith, dear reader, as there is already a fourth afghan in the works. The kaleidoscope continues!

Crochet Ripple Blanket

New Year – New Afghan!

Happy New Year!  I hope everyone had a relaxing holiday and was able to spend time with family and friends.  This was my first Christmas working so it was great to take a few days off, treck back home to PA, and enjoy the holidays with my family.  (And in case you’re wondering, yes, my siblings once again got free crochet lessons for Christmas.)

With the advent of a new year comes a new treat!

Crochet RIpple Blanket

A few days before Christmas, I was commissioned to make a new afghan – this time a ripple.  This blanket was ordered by the same wonderful lady who ordered the crochet hexagon blanket  a couple months ago.  Remember that beauty – it’s probably the nicest thing I’ve ever crocheted.

Up until I crocheted “hexy“, I wasn’t much of an afghan crocheter.  I used to tend towards quick, instant-gratification projects.  A number of you have called me out on my new-found affinity for afghans, and I must agree.  I seem to be an afghan convert!

So now to introduce my new project for the first part of 2011: The Crocheted Ripple Afghan, inspired by Attic 24’s lovely ripple blanket.

The Details

  • Pattern: “Neat Ripple Pattern” by Attic 24
  • Yarn: Debbie Bliss “Baby Cashmerino“, a love part Merino wool (55%), part microfibre (33%), and part cashmere (12%) yarn
  • Crochet Needle: Size E (4.0mm) crochet hook
  • Deadline: August 2012 (but I’m hoping sooner!)

The yarn for this afghan arrived the day I was leaving for Christmas so I was able to have it over the little break I had.  Let me tell you, friend, there was lots of crocheting over the holidays!  This pattern is so relaxing, so simple, so theraputic and the colors – oh the colors.  The way they blend together and flow so perfectly.  It’s quite the treat.

Crochet RIpple Blanket

Crochet Ripple Blanket Pattern

Crochet Ripple Blanket

I’m excited to work on this project throughout the winter (especially since they’re calling for 8 inches of snow tomorrow) and am excited to blog about my progress.  I guarantee there will be an over-abundance of pictures, so much so that you’ll probably be sick of ripples by the time the afghan’s finished.  I apologize in advance.

So far, I’m 45 rows into the afghan.  Wow – that sounds like a lot. I promise I spent time with my family and did more than crochet over Christmas!

Crochet Ripple Blanket Pattern

Crochet Ripple Blanket Pattern

Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino Yarn

Crochet Ripple Afghan

I’d like to come up with a creative name for this blanket – something more original than “the ripple afghan”.  Anyone have a suggestion?

But Happy New Year to you, dear friend- Here’s to a great, ripple-filled 2012!

Crochet, Crochet Hexagon Blanket, Projects

The Calm Before the Storm: Hexy Part IV

I am 10 hexagons away from finishing Hexy.  Yes, you read correctly ten.  T-E-N.  Ten.  That means I’ve crocheted 149 hexagons – crazy!   It seemed like a few months ago that we began this journey together, hexy and me. I guess it has been 5 months.  It’s bittersweet as I start crocheting the eleventh and final row of Hexy.  Now is not the time to get sentimental, though (that will be the next post.) For now, let’s focus on the progress.

Hooray for crocheting!  Hooray for hexagons blankets!

Here’s hexy’s progress so far:

*Caution, it’s an overload of crocheted hexagons below*

Crochet Hexagon Blanket

Crochet Hexagon Blanket

Crochet Hexagon Afghan

Crochet Hexagon Afghan

Crochet Hexagon Blanket

Crochet Hexagon Afghan

After the 10 final hexagons are crocheted, I will be putting on a scalloped border to finish.  I can’t wait until it all comes together.  Only a few more weeks…

Let me know what you think about hexy’s close-to-completed state in the comments!