Finally done!

What should have been an easy crochet project turned out to be a two year project simply because of my carpal tunnel syndrome. I wanted to make an afghan for Josh's nephew but wasn't sure what colors to make it in until I came upon the pattern for the Corner to Corner afghan through the Wayback Archives. Then I remembered he liked the colors I used for a doll blanket so I used those colors. It would be easy to say that the color choices tested my eyesight the whole time I was working on it - especially the orange section. I made it large enough to fit over a queen size bed and long enough to cover his 6'5" frame. The afghan was originally supposed to be for his birthday last year - then I thought I would get it done for Christmas '07 - nope - talk to the hand. Then I worked on it hoping to get it done for his birthday this year - didn't happen so I was determined to get it done for Christmas this year and I did - I finished it up two weeks ago and mailed it out to him. Of course, now he's on a vacation with his sister and family so he won't see it until probably sometime in January but at least it's done and in his house.

Another project that I was working on mostly as a trial basis was a towel topper that has a shape of a Christmas tree for the topper. I found one on the web but the instructions called for it to be made seperate from the towel and to be sewn on when done. Well, I'm not one for Step One - Step Two when it can be done in one step so I went about experimenting with the pattern until I got it to work out with the same number of stitches but crocheted directly on the towel instead of seperately.

This is the end result in that. I kinda like it - in fact, I made a few for the Oasis Senior Center for their craft shop and they sold a single towel for $10! Cool beans. Maybe I'll be able to get more of them done for next year's Christmas sales. I wanted to make the button gold but didn't have any gold colored yarn with me that day. My button isn't really a button either - I've been using those bone rings and sc around those then taking a needle and sewing through the sc to the other side several times to make it whole. Works just as good as a regular button but cost less (have you seen the prices of buttons lately???) - I can get 14 bone rings for the price of one card of two buttons!

Now I'm off onto my next project(s) - I want to make an Native American afghan for Mike's birthday (may be lucky to get it by Christmas LOL) and I also want to make some shawls for my mother and her friend for when we go to the dinner theatre and they want to keep the chill off their shoulders. If I like them enough I might make some for the nursing home residents as well.

Reunion Prize

My mother is having a birthday club reunion at the end of this month (everyone was born in 1923) and since this is likely to be the last one they will have I offered to make an afghan as a special prize. Since I had a mess of exchange squares in my craft room that I have yet to put together, I thought this would be the perfect time. But will I have enough time to get it done? I got this idea in late July-early August and I'm not one to get a project done very fast at times. I put aside the project that I was currently working on to get this done for mom.

With each square that I was working on I was getting frustrated because some were not 7" square - many were not SQUARE period so I had to do a lot and I do mean A LOT of finagaling to get the squares to come out, well, SQUARE. After much hair pulling and ready to say "FORGET IT" - I finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel and put together the last row in one day - a magic feat for me. I assembled all the squares with the flat braid join (I just love that method) and then the edging was a simple granny square cluster (3 dc's in each chain space) and then topped it off with a row of sc in each st and a lsc in each space between the clusters. I thought it came out pretty good considering what I had to work with and all the frustration I was having with the different fibers and different tensions that the other ladies in my exchange group used.

Now I wonder if I'm ready to tackle the other bag of squares. Nah -- I think I'll finish up the two other afghans that I'm working on.

Granny Ripple

This is one of the very first afghans that I made. Since then I have seen a number of different styles under the same pattern name. This particular pattern is roughly 30 years old because I made this back in the 70's.

I love crocheting - I find it very relaxing....except for those times when I get a complicated pattern and I end up frogging more often than I do crocheting. LOL Eventually I get it and complete the project. This was one of those times. I plan on making another afghan with this pattern name but in a different colorway - something bright as I love bright colors. The pattern name --- Granny Ripple.