Afghans

Since yesterday, I've been trying to catch up on all the blog posts that I've missed for a week. Phew! Finally there. In the process, I came across Marie Anne's post to join the A to Z Blogging Challenge. I've been thinking about whether or not I could do it. Apparently my brain cells were forgetting that April started today...

Without even deciding yet if I can keep up with this challenge, here's my first post: Afghans!

Jewel Afghan--I've been working on this one for months...and haven't touched it for months.

Ugly Blanket--see note above.

"Christmas Afghan"--I found this beautiful variegated yarn, and I knew I had to make something. I must have tried 3 or 4 different patterns and pulled every one of them apart. I finally decided that I needed to do something different to showcase the pretty colors. I'd avoided it for years, and it was finally time to make an afghan out of strips pieced together. We put it away almost as soon as I was done (since it was just after the New Year). It was SO fun to pull it out the next Christmas. I haven't had the heart to put it away since then. If anyone comes over and cares about my lack of decor, they already know me well enough to forgive it anyway.

The nice part about this pattern was that the strips weren't just sewn together, they were crocheted together: sc, ch 3, sc in opposite strip, ch 3, sc in first strip, etc. This was a really good thing since I didn't even own a yarn needle then!

If you look closely, you can see the way it created the zig-zag look in between them. Also, the edging is done in a reverse single crochet. That was a new and exciting stitch to learn! It's what created those bumps on the right edge.

My First Ripple Afghan--ooh, this was a fun project to start. The ripple was the epitome of a classic afghan in my mind when I was growing up.

Our Wedding Afghan--This is the afghan my mom made for our wedding gift. Also the classic ripple. =) She did it with two strands of yarn, so it is nice and warm!

And just for fun (and sentimentality), I thought I'd throw in the afghan that hubby's Great-Grandmother made for him when he was a boy. It's a treasure. She was a dear and wonderful woman (I met her when hubby and I were in college). Funny thing: I can never quite figure out the stitch she used...

(Yep, I cheated and just threw it over the Christmas one; thus the odd stripes.)

Well, not every A to Z post will be this long, but it's been a fun trip for me!