The Cat Afghan Heads Home

I started this pattern I discovered in the November/December 1997 Hooked on Crochet magazine for a Christmas present for 2011. I learned so many new skills along the way. I did not finish it for Christmas, but continued to work on it. Then I washed it back in February preparing to give it as a late present. I thought I had gone through and fixed the ends from my earlier work where I knew little about weaving in the ends. However, after the washing I was faced with tons of short ends that needed to be fixed to save the piece. I could not even look at it, so I put it away to be faced later.

This Easter we had a special visitor who has not been able to be with us for a while due to illness. She came to my rescue and used a crochet hook and a technique her Aunt had taught her to catch all those nasty loose ends. I was so relieved and touched at her act of kindness. The girl who got the afghan was thrilled. I was sure she had forgotten about the afghan, but the minute she walked through the door on Easter and saw it she asked if it was finally done. It took two generations, but yes it is finally completed and with its new owner.

Check out the Holiday Blogs and Special Event Blogs for More Patterns:

Afghan Patterns

Baby Blankets

Halloween Page

Thanksgiving

Christmas

Valentines

St. Patrick's Day

Easter

Graduation

Patriotic

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Sunset Throw

I finished my third Christmas afghan. This is the Sunset Throw pattern found in Crochet World August 2011. I fell in love with the colors and started to hunt down Red Heart's Melonberry every time I had a coupon or I found Red Heart Super Saver on sale. I have enough left over, that I am hoping to make a doll blanket in matching colors for the child's 18" doll. No guarantees that the doll blanket will not end up a birthday instead of a Christmas present, as I still need to make one more Christmas full sized afghan.

Check out the Holiday Blogs and Special Event Blogs for More Patterns:

Afghan Patterns

Baby Blankets

Christmas

Halloween

Patriotic

Toy Themed Afghans

Valentines

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Bright Waves Ripple Afghan

This is the Washington State Afghan from Blue Ribbon Afghans from America's State Fairs: 40 Prize-Winning Crocheted Designs that I purchased a several months ago. This was one of my larger stash busting projects. However, I did end up having to order more Caron Kelly Green as this is no longer available locally. I was able to pick up Red Heart Super Saver Gold locally as my stash was not large enough to finish the project.

The Bright Waves Ripple was one of those simple, but challenging projects. The pattern was not difficult, but I have since started a more challenging chart pattern that I have not pulled out nearly as often as I have this one. It was worth the effort though. I now have the second Christmas afghan finished.

Now that I have started tackling my first chart afghan I am seriously considering making the Colorado Halloween Afghan for my own house next year. There is no way it will make this year's project list.

Check out the Holiday Blogs and Special Event Blogs for More Patterns:

Afghan Patterns

Baby Blankets

Christmas

Halloween

Patriotic

Toy Themed Afghans

Valentines

Pictures may not be used without written permission.

Blue Ribbon Afghans from America's State Fairs

I found Blue Ribbon Afghans from America's State Fairs: 40 Prize-Winning Crocheted Designs in one of my recent afghan pattern hunts.

This book combines 40 prize winning afghan patterns with stories of state fairs that awarded the prizes and biographies of the winners.

I am working on Washington's Bright Waves and so far have found the directions clear and easy to follow. I hope to have it finished for a Christmas present. When it is finished, I will post pictures. There are several other state afghans I am interested in trying.

Afghan Experiment

As I mentioned before I wanted to make Christmas Afghans this year. I purchased Lion Brand's Thick and Quick Wool-Ease Yarn to make one of their free patterns. I soon realized while I loved the color selection of the designer, that I was not as crazy about the pattern. Since most of my other patterns use traditional worsted weight yarn I decided to experiment using just the ripple portion of the Connor's blanket to make just the ripple without the bobbles. As I mentioned in the post about Connor's blanket this makes a blanket with the ripple on the long side, not the short side. The original pattern is available for purchase not a free pattern.

The heavier weight has created a longer blanket that was one of my goals as this child is older and I am hoping the blanket will not be outgrown. The pattern also has a different look to it, which I am pleased about because I do not want the blankets to be duplicates of each other. I want the brothers and sister to have individual blankets. I have a traditional worsted weight ripple with a blue pattern for the last child in this family.

If this pattern comes out well I have Lion Brand Hometown Yarn that I bought for a relative on the other side of the family. The pattern I bought it to use with was another free Lion Brand pattern that uses the same stitch I did not like. Therefore, I will need another substitute pattern and this would be a great option. If not I will explore other options.

If you arrived here looking for free afghan patterns check the following blog pages:

Free Afghan Patterns

Toy Theme Afghans

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Granny Square Afghan Completed

This was a fun project and I promised I would post the details when it was completed. The pattern title is Granny Square Afghan. It comes from the Annie's Quilt and Afghan Club series published in 1996. The pattern number is QAC317-04. I have been collecting a few of these pattern offerings and this is the first one I have attempted to make. While out of print, they are offered on various vintage pattern sites as well as traditional auction sites.

I loved the bright colors and the rectangular granny squares. While I have made several granny squares, I had no idea how the rectangle would work until I was several rows into the process. While some people can read the directions and get a picture, I have to work through it before I can see how it will work. Once I have done a particular style a few times, then I can read it and anticipate the next step.

My husband is already enjoying his early birthday present. One advantage of this pattern was the length. A few of our afghans are short and barely cover his toes. This one leaves plenty of extra room to spare. With an unexpected cold spell, he and the dogs have been snuggling while watching the opening baseball games.

If you arrived here looking for free afghan patterns check the following blog pages:

Free Afghan Patterns

Toy Theme Afghans

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The Afghan Continues

I started this project with a Christmas date in mind. However, as usual my projects change. My husband has become attached to this unusual Granny Afghan and I am going to give it to him for his birthday. I have since found several other patterns to make for Christmas so it works for me. I get to experiment with different patterns. I still have more colors to add, but I like the results to date.

I found a new free ripple pattern at AC Moore this weekend from Lion Brand. The one I grabbed did not rip clean so I downloaded the pattern from their website yesterday. This is the first time I am going to be using the heavier yarn to make a project. The yarn was onsale at Knitting Warehouse and was cheaper than the price at JoAnn's.

If you arrived here looking for free afghan patterns check the following blog pages:


Free Afghan Patterns

Toy Theme Afghans

Rectangle Granny Square Project

I really enjoyed working with the bright primary colors on the Circus Baby Afghan. That project got me thinking about making some afghans for Christmas projects using primary colors for some of the younger children on my gift list. I went through my patterns looking for three candidates.

In the past, I have tried using the same pattern and different colors. I learned the last time I tried this that color variation does little to help keep my interest. Once I have completed a long project, I have little desire to repeat the project. My hope is that by finding three compatible projects to use the same color schemes I will finish all three.

I started the first project over the weekend and this where the projects stands. This pattern is from the out of print Annie's Attic Afghan club. When I complete the project, I will post the pattern number for anyone who may be looking to locate it.

I love granny squares, but have two issues with granny afghans. The first is making the squares all the same size. The second is having the patience to sew them all together. My Mom had a paper bag full of granny squares that my little sister and I played with for years. We would lay the granny squares out on the floor to design our own afghans. I do not know if Mom ever assembled the squares. It is too bad she did not donate them to a group that would have used them. I remember them as being beautiful squares, just needing someone who would put them all together. I suspect that even if I get the grannies to match, I may never have the patience to put them all together. I keep hearing about alternatives that allow you to assemble as you crochet. As of yet, I have not located a pattern that will let me do that.

This is a compromise and a practice pattern. I have never seen a rectangle granny. It has been fun learning how to work with one. There is also the size of the piece. Most of the items I crochet tend to be much smaller. It is challenging getting used to working with heavier pieces.

The other two patterns I am considering are variations on the ripple. It is a challenging goal to complete all three before Christmas. I will have to see how far I get before they need to ship.

If you arrived here looking for free Afghan or Baby Afghan Patterns:

Afghans Free Patterns

Baby Blanket Patterns

Toy Theme Afghans

Afghan Free Patterns

Colder weather always makes us think of warmer projects. I have started searching for some afghan patterns to share.

Crochet:

Angular Granny Throw

Autumn Evening

Autumn Log Cabin Throw

Blue Ridge Throw

Blushing Grannies

Bright Nights

Butterfly Throw

Building Blocks Throw (Lego Inspired)

Carousel Throw

Crayon Ripple

Crochet Pattern Central

French Country Throw

Graphic Grannies

Heirlooms Stitch Throw

Kaleidoscope Afghan

Medallion Circular Throw

Our House Quilt

Pennsylvania Dutch

Pinwheel

Post Stitch Throw

Purple Kitty Scroll Down

Pyramid

Rectangle Granny Square

Rainy Day Ripple Throw

Rosebud Throw

Round Ripple 12 Point

Round Ripple Bedspread Queen Size

Skipping Stones Circular Afghan

Spectrum Throw

Spider and Cobwebs Throw

Swirling Fans Throw

Wavy Blanket Scroll Down

Windows

Winter Skies Throw

Knit:

Greek Key

Knitting Pattern Central

Nature's Inspiration

Northern Motifs

NYC Skyline

Plum Mosaic

Purple Kitty Scroll Down

Scrapper's Stripe Afghan

Loom:

Simple Afghan

Check out the Holiday Blogs and Special Event Blogs for More Patterns:

Baby Blankets

Christmas

Halloween

Patriotic

Toy Themed Afghans

Valentines

Pictures may not be used without written permission.

Toy Theme Afghans Crochet and Knit

I started this blog entry looking for fun free patterns for children older than the baby blankets, but younger than the adult versions that are so readily available. I am building a list that will continue to grow as I find interesting projects.

Crochet:

Alphabet

Angel Blanket Buddy

Bary Bear

Bearghan

Cat and Mouse Blanket and Pillow

Checkerboard Complete with Playing Pieces

Choo Choo Train

Counting Sheep

Crayons

Frog Henry Hopper

Jigsaw Puzzle

Kitty Blanket Buddy

Monkey

Pikachu

Prince of Egypt

Rufus Rabbit

Sea Creatures

Shaggy Puppy Blanket Buddy

Snake

Spiderman

Teddyghans

Teddy Bear Blanket Buddy

Teddy Bear Tartan

Teddy Go Round

Tiger Afghan

Train

Wheels on the Bus

Zoo Animals

Knit:

Airplane

Bedtime Story

Block Fun Blanket

Map of the United States

Teddy Bear






Picture Credit: Noricum Flickr.com