Crochet - I

Crochet Memory Afghan

Pattern : Floral Fiesta Afghan by Maggie Weldon

Winters mean shifting to wool !

True to form, I have picked up my wool stash to make my 4^th afghan. Except that this time it is a crochet one, not knit.

The free pattern can be found here

It is a 3-round motif pattern, joining as you go. The 2nd round in each motif is white in the original pattern, but I decided to let my fancy choose a different colour for the 2nd round instead of only white.

A great stash-buster project !

I have used all kinds of wool yarn , all plys, (I am not too knowledgeable about yarns)

Wool yarn ranges from pure to worsted to chenille to a tiny bit of mohair ;

Yarn thickness ranges from 2 to 6-8 ply or more ;

Brands include both baby wool & normal wool from Vardhman, Wendy's, Jaypee's, and some odds & ends that I have forgotten.

With this range of yarn, it is turning out to be quite a Memory Quilt ! I have been able to use up bits of wool left over from projects completed down the years ... including some that have long since been discarded or gifted .

Pretty nostalgic.

I have used Crochet hook # 9 (3.50 mm)  because this could tackle all wool sizes. 

Each motif works out to 2.5" x 2.5" (sides) or approx. 3.25" x 3.25" ( diagonals )

I didn’t quite estimate how very useful my earlier post on winding threads, will come in handy :

• By winding yarn around the spectacle case, I was easily able to calculate the length of yarn required for each round :

Round 1 - 8 winds x 6.6" = 52.8" (1.34 m)

Round 2 - 6 winds x 6.6" = 39.6" (1 m)

Round 3 - 25 wraps x 6.6" = 165" (4.2 m)

• The Quick & Handy Yarn Stash Samplers (below) has done it’s job too! I simply choose & clip the pairs of colours required for the next 2 or 3 motifs … And since I wrote down the quantity of wool on each strip, it helps me decide which colour needs to be used more or used less. In fact, I found some short short lengths of leftover wool that can be used for Round 2 in a few motifs, & which are not included in the stash sampler below. So that probably takes the number of colours close to 35 !!! Still wish I had more colours/shades ;-P

Thoroughly enjoyable though a whole lot of ends need to be hidden ; hence the tapestry needle & scissors are a constant companion. I am hiding the ends after each round – better now than a mountain-load later !

Also, as the blanket gets larger, I might start a separate piece & join it to the first piece later. It is easier to handle smaller pieces, and also keeps the project from getting dirty. 

It is such fun to choose colours & placement. I wish I had even more shades & colours …. Love the warmth & coziness of colours during the grey winter days.

I am planning to crochet a black border in the end …. I think it would bring the whole thing together, especially since so many colours have been randomly used. Need to figure out some pattern/edging … Any ideas ?

Related Posts : How to wind yarn, & yarn stash samplers
Memory Afghan ( part 2 )