Looking for afghan suggestions

PaulineL wrote

on Nov 11, 2007 2:41 PM

I'm searching for a pattern that will accommodate three autumnal colors of 5 skeins each, 6-colors if I hold 2 strands together, that has a non-holey fabric. No lace, this is for a guy. I've found some in stitch books that I'm about to swatch, but do any of you have some ideas?

I'm discovering why ripple afghans are so common, but I want something different. Moan.

The back story - I wanted to make a super easy afghan for my son, his house is cold, and spotted a pattern on the Lion Brand site where you hold three strands of yarn together and make V-stitches with an enormous S hook. One of those 5 1/2 hour afghans (yeah, right). Problem - the S hook is very awkward to work with, at least for me, but I'd soldier on anyway if I liked the results. The stitches are too open. They also seem very likely to snag.

Joyceshookery wrote

on Nov 13, 2007 1:06 AM

How about a simple double crochet or even triple? It'll be more solid and go quickly.

PaulineL wrote

on Nov 13, 2007 10:03 AM

Thanks, Joyzzie. I have started a ripple of double strand single crochet, some rows in back loop only to get a ridge. It looks good in the pattern photo, but I have a horrible time 'reading' the work and checking that the increases and decreases fall in the right spot. Aha, I'll place markers. Yikes, I can't figure out where to place the markers!

That was sleepy time last night. Today it might all be more obvious.

Pauline

WhiteBear08 wrote

on Nov 15, 2007 1:16 PM

I'm going to suggest a basketweave pattern. I made a basketweave afghan for my sister last year and it went really well. The textured stitch looked great and the resulting fabric was thick and warm.

PaulineL wrote

on Nov 15, 2007 3:52 PM

Thanks, WhiteBear.

I ended up with something basket-weavy using a single strand of worsted. It's a *3 dc, 3 ch* repeat with color A. Next row with color B, it's *ch 3, 3 dc over the ch sts and into the sts 2 rows before, like a dc spike st* repeat. Repeat a row with color C. Then A, then B, etc. Not clear, I know.

It produces a 3-color check and a fairly thick fabric because of the chain-3 bits buried in the double crochet stitch. BUT it takes me 15 minutes to do a row. This won't be any 5 1/2 hour afghan. I'm all of 6 rows into it. Groan. Maybe I should give up and buy some super-bulky yarn.

It's called Interlocking Block Stitch, under Spikes, in "The Harmony Guide to Crochet Stitches, Volume One". I even found a PDF of the pattern, http://www.craftleftovers.com/patterns/theperfectdishcloth.pdf , but it doesn't look the same because it's done with two colors. Versatile stitch. The two-color sample in the Harmony book had vertical stripes.

Pauline