I'm joining Marie Anne over at Every Day Crochet for Work In Progress Wednesday.
This is my round ripple afghan. I'm really enjoying making it. I'm doing it in bright colors. My son, David, loves it, and has, I think, claimed it. That's fine, he loves new blankets, particularly afghans. Every time I lay it out on the floor to look at it, David is right there, sitting on it, and playing with it. Nice to know he enjoys it. This started out as a scrap basket project, but as each round is larger, and needs more yarn, I have started using skeins instead of scraps. In fact, I have to admit that I have bought a couple of skeins of yarn just for this afghan.
I actually don't like the way this pattern started out. I was inspired by another blogger (gee, I wish I could remember who) who was making this, hers was so cute. Hers was also done in colors with white, though mine is a little different. But she linked to a pattern on-line that used two different sizes of shells in the corners, and says to rotate out the sizes. I've since seen this pattern in a few books and magazines, and they all use the larger shell throughout. Now, the center of mine is a little puffy, and I have to work with it to get it to lay flat. That's fine, really, I think it will be fine once it has been used and loved, and washed a few times, but still. I switched to using the larger shell throughout, and the outer edges are not having that problem. If I weren't so far along on this afghan, and if David weren't so in love with it, I think I would pull it out and start again. I think David would have a fit if he saw me pull it apart, though, so I won't. Ha. Poor little guy, he'll get his blanket.
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What I love is how each row changes the whole look of the blanket. You can tell the difference, I think, in just those two pictures.
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I also love all the different shapes I am seeing in afghans and throws. There are so many I am planning to make, in so many different shapes. How fun is that! Circles, hexagons, stars, it's all so much fun! I saw one in the new Crochet World Afghan book that is round and lacy, it's a baby blanket, I think I'll make that and use it as a tablecloth, frankly. The afghan has seriously gone way beyond the square.
I'm also working on these squares, they're so beautiful, I think. They combine to make a throw called The Sunny Spread. It's designed by Ellen Gormley over at GoCrochet, don't you just love everything she designs? I love her. Pammy Sue at Scotty's Place put up the link to this free pattern online, thanks, Pammy Sue. I am making it in Sungold by I Love This Yarn. What I love is that this is a solid color yarn, but the design of the block makes it look almost variegated. The textures bring out light and shadow, and make the block so beautiful, I think. I can't wait 'til this is finished.
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I do feel a little guilty making it in ILTY when the design says it's made in Red Heart yarn, and of course, I got the pattern (like I get so many patterns) off of the Coats and Clarks website. I justify that by reminding myself of the obscene amount of money I spend and have spent over the years on Red Heart yarn. I like that yarn, in fact, the round ripple is being made using Red Heart, but for the most part, I have decided that I am going to use ILTY for anything I plan to snuggle into, because it is just so cuddly soft.
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Y'all have a great day!
Ack, this is a terrible picture. I finished my Christmas afghan, a round ripple in ILTY Cranberry, Linen, and Dark Olive. Oh, this thing is beautiful, if I do say so myself. I bought three skeins of each color, and only used two of the green and the linen, and have most of the third of the Cranberry left, so it didn't take a lot of yarn. I worked four rows of each color per repeat (seven rows of Cranberry to start, I like the center bigger so it doesn't get lost visually) and the finished product is about sixty inches big. I'm loving this.
