Tuesday, December 31, 2013

My All-Time Favorite Crochet Afghan Pattern

Hi, everybody.

As we wrap up another year, I wanted to share with you a favorite crochet pattern over the years. There's such a variety of patterns in the world that it seems almost inconceivable to me that I've used this one over and over. Nevertheless, I've made four afghans with Granny's Garden in a variety of colors. It just comes out so pretty that I can't quite help myself. I highly recommend it.  (NOTE: If you want to print the pattern, I also recommend that you print directly from the web page. If not, you may be asked to load several applications onto your computer. I make no statement as to the wisdom of that.)

So, what do I love about the Granny's Garden pattern?

First, I love the pattern, which you'll find in the link above, in case you haven't already clicked it. I had an original printed copy of the pattern, but now that I have a physical piece to go by, I don't really need the printed pattern any more. (I may find it again one day, but if I don't, that's okay.) 

Second, if you're the type of person who gets bored making granny square after granny square, this pattern offers a lot of variety in that you get to make two different (solid) color squares, and then you work in rounds for a time with a third color.  And just when you're finishing up a set of those long rounds around your squares, you get to make squares again!  Perfect!  :-)

Third, I love the way the squares and rows are joined.  I posted a video earlier about how I crochet squares together, with no sewing! Although I can't remember precisely, this is probably the pattern that taught me to do that.

Fourth, I love the potential for variation in this pattern. The fourth afghan I made used a multitude of colors instead of just three. I consider it my best afghan ever!  Here are a few pictures of the last and best of the four.  

 



To hear more about how I altered this pattern to make it my own, here's a short video.



I hope you've enjoyed this bit of crochet fun. I'll post another video soon on how to work front post double crochet (fpdc) and back post double crochet (bpdc), which makes a really interesting piece.  For paper crafting fans, I'll also be putting up some new card and scrapbook creations soon.

Thanks for stopping by.  Happy New Year 2014!

3 comments:

  1. Karen, you've made some lovely afghans. I think the Granny Square was the one pattern I first learned (never finished anything with it though!). I still have my 1st effort made when DD was a baby. She's nearly 47. Love the colors you have in each one, and when you cozy underneath the spreads, you can feel such satisfaction in knowing you've created this warmth. You're very skilled. Thanks for the pics & the video too. Hugs

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  3. this video on how to crochet squares together as you go , is a real revelation to me , i have been crocheting for over 60 yrs and i am 87, and this makes joining the squares so much easier and stronger than sewing them together. i love the way the corners make that design also..thanks karen so much.

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