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With snow in the
forecast, I am pulling out my winter crochet projects-you know, the ones
that cover your lap and keep you toasty warm when the temperatures
drop. My favorite fall and winter patterns are crochet afghans. I love
to crochet them and then cuddle under them while I crochet my latest
project on a chilly evening.
Currently I am
working on a Moorish Mosaic Afghan for my living room. Crocheting this
afghan is an exciting adventure. The motifs are easy and worked
individually, making them perfect for traveling or visiting. My favorite
part is that each motif is worked in a different combination of colors
so that, even though each is worked in the same pattern, it is exciting
to watch each motif develop.
I have two rows of motifs finished and, in order to keep them in their
proper order, I have started seaming them together. When you are sewing
afghan motifs together, there are several seaming options.
A
single crochet or slip stitch crochet seam is very sturdy but will be
very visible. The Painted Turtle Afghan uses the visibility of this seam
to its advantage, working it in orange and using it as a design
element. Whipstitch, another very visible seam, is another great sewing
technique to use not only to seam together motifs but also as a design
component.
I
wanted a seam that would be almost invisible. I decided to use the
mattress stitch seam. This seam can be hidden, even when using a
contrasting seaming yarn color.
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To work the mattress stitch, insert the needle under the back loop of the edge stitch of the motif closest to the needle.
Because
my stitches were loose, I also inserted the needle under the horizontal
loop just below the back loop. This, along with the nature of the
cotton yarn used, made my seam slightly more visible on the wrong side
of the afghan, but created a tighter, more stable seam.
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