Pam's Western Afghan

I finally finished joining the squares from the Play Misty For Me swap. I think this swap was in 2009....oh, my. Glad I finally finished it!

The squares made and sent were all in the Misty group of colors in Vanna's Choice. I chose only 3 colors (not unusual for me) in what I thought would look more western - and asked for that type of square .... Indian-ish. I think I was lucky to get the most beautiful squares "evah"!

I finished the border of the afghan with the stitch I mentioned in the previous post - but did not name - that was used in Edie Eckman's books. It is called the Tower Stitch that some person she knew started using and named it such. I really like the way it compliments the afghan without making it girlie (will be shared by Pam's hubby) like an ordinary granny border as it turn sideways a bit. 

Can you see the resemblance to the Rick Rack Stitch?

I'm very excited to see how they like it! Nice to start the new year with something finished so nicely.

So...................

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU AND YOURS!

May your blessings be many, and your troubles be few - and may only good things happen for you.

Rick Rack Stitch

This is the pattern to the scarf I started (and did not finish yet).  I did not use the different colors of yarn, but instead chose a variegated yarn for that project, and really love it better than what the pattern had. The owner of Knit Wits, a local LYS, gave me the pattern as I was so enthralled with the scarf she had made. The pattern comes from a long ago publication and I searched high and low to see if I could find it on the web. Could not, so here it is for you all to try.

The pattern is quite similar to one that is in both the Around the Corner book by Edie Eckman, and in her Motif book.....similar but different!

Enjoy!

Rick Rack Rainbow Afghan

Sizes:

7 colors of fingering wt. yarn - use E hook

7 colors of sport wt. yarn - use G hook

or

7 colors of worsted wt. yarn - use I or J hook

Chain 298 - Color A....(make two rows of each color)

Row 1: DC in 4th ch from hook. DC in next 2 chains (These 4 DC will be the flat border ends on both sides). *Ch 3, skip 3 foundation chains, DC in next 4 chains. Repeat from * across to last 4 chs. DC in each of the last 4 chs. Ch 3, turn.

Row 2: DC in next 3 DC. *Ch 3, skip next 3 DC. Make 4 fpdc around post of the next DC (this will tilt the stitch to look like Rick Rack). Repeat from * around, ending with 4 DC in last 4 DC. Change to next color. Ch 3, turn.

Repeat Row 2 for all colors, two rows each color until desired length.

End with color A, repeating row 2, chain 3, turn. DC in next 3 DC, *sc in next DC, ch 3, 3 DC around post of last DC. Repeat from * around ending ch 1, 4 DC in last 4 DC for edge.

This afghan has a nice stretch to it and bounces back to look like Rick Rack. Good in any weight yarn.

Try making a scarf first to get the feel of it. Use above pattern until you reach the width you need....the increments will be: Repeats x 7 plus 4 plus 2 for beginning stitch. The number of stitches depend on your yarn and on your desired width for the scarf.

i.e. - 3 x 7 = 21 + 4  + 2 (for beginning stitch) = 27

4 x 7 = 28 + 4 + 2 = 34

5 x 7 = 35 + 4 + 2 = 41

My First Puzzle

My BFF in San Diego, Leonora, gave me several puzzles for Christmas.  Previously, I have been putting together the 500 piece puzzles by the Utah artist, Dowdle. This one is 3000 pieces.....Hubby had to cut a piece of plywood that is 55x36" so I am able to fit the puzzle on the table (of course we rarely eat dinner there!). The pieces in the box are the ones I have already gone through, the pieces to the right in the bag are the ones I am still sorting - looking for side pieces to put together.

I started this process Sunday morning. As you can see, this will take quite awhile....at least it will keep me off the streets at night, and out of trouble!

Since the photo was taken, I have completed the side except for five or six pieces that must now be in the sorted pile! Ugh.....but am not going back through them again.  I also have a few pieces of the Zebra and the lily pads together, and a few other hooked onto the side pieces.

I don't know that I am going to like this one.....SO much harder than the Dowdles!

Bordered AND Mailed!

The border is a pattern from Edie Eckman's book, "Around the Corner; Crochet Borders" which I LOVE!  It is a must have for anyone who does afghans.  I believe this pattern is #93.  It is the second time I have used one from the book, and believe me she makes doing borders a true delight!

Hopefully it will arrive on Friday, but if not it just prolong's the Christmas celebration, so that's just fine. 

 

 

Not exactly my front yard.......

.....but close!

This is the neighbor's alfalfa field - sans alfalfa, of course! Yesterday we saw over 80 head of deer out there, but my photos were rotten as it was snowing. They like to paw the snow off the ground and eat what is underneath. Today I saw about 1/3 as many in the field, but there are more in our field to the right, and our other neighbor's apple orchard to the right of that.

I watched as two trucks were stopped in the middle of our road and wondered why ... they were letting a couple of mule deer go across the road, and were watching the others in the apple orchard. We often have people park on the side of the road, sometimes five or six at once, lined up to watch the deer close up.

I like photo with the view of the hills in Oregon, across the Snake River. The Snake River is located along the dark line of trees you see near the middle of the photo which was taken from our front yard. It winds around behind the hills you can see all decorated in white farther in the background, and then travels north to the Columbia River, which then goes west to the Pacific Ocean. So - some day all this snow will end up on some beach in California! ;o)

We are suppose to get more snow later today, and then "clear-ish" skies for the rest of the week. I was really ready for Winter and snow, but am thinking I'm already ready for Spring - even thoughWinter hasn't really arrived "legally"!!!

Tomorrow is the first day of Winter and a Lunar eclipse. Depending on where you live, late night December 20 or early morning December 21, the full moon will be darkened by the shadow of the earth as it passes between the moon and the sun. I think this is suppose to not only be the longest night of the season, but also the darkest ever! From what I understand, this is the first lunar eclipse falling on the winter solstice since 1638! And the next one won't be until 2094.

If you are like me, and are living where there are rain clouds and snow clouds (or just clouds) you should be like me and have an iPad! It has Stargazer which is an app that shows the sky as it actually is, and you can turn it toward the sky, or horizon, or even the floor! It will show you what stars are in "that" place at "that" time, so I can "watch" the eclipse even though I can't watch it. Yay!

I hope you all can see it!

Juliet Afghan for my Grandniece

My grandniece will be 13, or just turned 13. So hard to keep up these days.  I asked my SIL, her grandmother, what sparked her interest in decor for her bedroom and she told me about the Bed, Bath, and Beyond bed ensemble that she loved called Juliet.

I started a swap in the colors so that I would have something to put together for her.  Here is the project in all it's brilliant glory, sans the border.  I plan on putting a fab border on it similar to the one I did for my older niece here in Idaho that received the Provencal afghan

Anyway, thought I'd share what I have so far!

New Book ....

I purchased this book on Amazon.  It is called "Interlocking Crochet" and has quite the dazzling collection of geometric patterns.  So many, that I was wondering why she put all of them in one book when she could have made two, and twice the money!  That makes me like her, and her patterns, all the more.

I made one pattern in Vanna's Choice and got "off kilter" on my counts. I learned just how important it is to check EACH row and make sure the pattern is right.  I am going to finish the square just because - and use it in my afghan. I don't mind.  I would not, however, use it for an afghan that I'm giving away. This will be my own donation to my "Uptown/Downtown" swap on Ravelry.

The second square I started and finished is made with kitchen cotton.  It did not turn out as thick as I would have liked, but it will be okay to use. Plus it will shrink and "fatten up" a bit. For my own potholders I have found I'm not hanging them so am not putting on the loop. Might as well make them easier!

What I learned on this second square is that I have a lot to learn. Hmmmmm.  Mainly, I did not finish it off or border it well.  The pattern got lost on the top and bottom edges on the mainly brown side - so I must have missed something in the instructions.  I think I have it in my head now, so will make another attempt, doing another potholder.

I am already considering how to make a large afghan using this book - perhaps  bordering in one of the patterns and using something else for the middle.  Any suggestions?

I think this is a book I can highly recommend to anyone who wants to learn a new crochet method, and anyone who wants to make something spectacular and different! Come on - you know you want to try this!