This is one sad looking little afghan, isn’t it? Sigh… so much for my goal of one square a month! I really need to get back on track. Honestly, now I’m not even sure I like the blue so much. But I’m just going to keep on going. I can always redo a square if I need too later on. My mom is crocheting the same pattern, but in just one color and she is so far along and it looks so pretty! She didn’t like a few of the squares in the sampler, so she substituted other squares that fit. I might end up doing the same. A couple sets of instructions are very confusing. I’ll either save those for last, or not do them at all. Well, I’d better get hooking!
Last month I was really motivated to start this project and I completed the first two squares. Both were very quick and easy. The shell square is especially pretty, I think. The only thing that concerns me is that they are very clearly not the same size, even though I used the same type of yarn and the same hook. Since I’m not working on any other knitting or crochet projects, I really don’t think my tension was that different. I mean, I hooked them both up maybe just a couple days apart. Hopefully it will all work out in the end. I suppose if all else fails I can just work up a different square. We’ll see how the next one shapes up in terms of size.
Here’s a close-up of each of the patterns:
Square 1: Checkerboard
Square 2: Shells
I loved working up the Shells square and I think it would make a great scarf! Hopefully I can stay on track for February.
Since it’s a new year I thought I’d start a new crochet project that I can work on a little bit every month (and not feel guilty when I set it aside!). It’s been a long time since I made an afghan (in fact my first real crochet project was a ripple afghan). The time has come to make another, but I didn’t want to go the ripple route again. I wanted something a little more challenging, so I browsed the patterns over at Ravelry. My jaw dropped when I saw this:
KTVSamplerC Crochet Sampler Afghan by Marianne Forresta
This was what I had to make: the KTVSamplerC Crochet Sampler Afghan! Conveniently, there are 12 squares — one to make each month. If I’m motivated and/or have the time, of course I plan to do more, but even if I can only manage one per month, I can be snuggled with this next New Year’s Eve.
I don’t enjoy working with the recommended Red Heart yarn, so I’m using Impeccable, which is a store brand at Michael’s Arts & Crafts. It feels just like Vanna’s Choice, but you get a little more yardage for the money. My intention is that this afghan is for Laura’s room, so I chose colors that work well with the lavender walls.
Last night while watching NCIS I started the first square. As you can tell it’s a checkerboard pattern and it is so easy and goes quite fast. Other squares are more complicated, and I’m looking forward to that, too. It’s always nice to expand upon your skills. Are you starting any new crafting projects this year?
