Navajo pattern afghan - finally

Pictures last posted, September 2008, with all of three or four rows completed ... yesterday I finished all the little tag ends on the back side of a completed 45" x 64" afghan, and today I washed the afghan and let it dry in the sunshine.

It took me a year and a lot of patience, but has taught me a lot, and I am so tickled to have it done. It was done from a public website with a vintage pattern (with help for interpretation from Crochet Me members) and was subject to many modifications, starting with the variation from traditional colours -- I had no white, so decided to use pink!  However, as the pink colour was a stash-buster of mill-end yarn, which was a couple of years old and broke constantly; I found a pretty close match in wool for the last few pink rows, but had to use two strands throughout to match the other yarn weights (sort of). The grey also ran out and though I found a good colour match, it was Chunky weight ... the black border on starting edge is different from the black yarn used in border on ending edge.  But hey, the red worked out to 3/4 of a 454 g ball of Red Heart Comfort red yarn.  Has anyone else tried this pattern?  I know at least one person had plans... I can come up with the link for the pattern, if anyone is interested (raised diamond pattern of double crochet stitches over rows of single crochet).

mad for crochet!

This blanket is absolutely gorgeous!! You have reason to be very proud. Looks like your little helper is very pleased with it as well.

The colours in this are lovely. I want to go snuggle up in it now. Haha.

That came out absolutely fantastic! I love it!!

ww.craftydeb.com Not Always Cute and Cuddly

Beautiful Job!

Would love to have the link for the pattern, if you don't mind.

I found several websites with this pattern when first Googling it, but these two seemed the best -- with several provisos (I used the first link).

http://www.knitting-crochet.com/crochet/navindmulcol.html

http://www.craftingranny.com/content/print.asp?ArticleSource=40

First, being a vintage pattern, it seems written for experienced crocheters, not rank amateurs like me: second, I had trouble beginning rows (tying off at other end, not so difficult); third, in Link 1, the beginning stitches in each row are spelled out, and then the repeating pattern -- but not the ending stitches of each row (Link 2 suggests ending stitches). However, fixated on Link 1, I realized that, after the final repeat of the pattern called for in that row, the opening stitches should be repeated but in reverse. I know this will not make sense till you print out the pattern yourself, but here's what I came up with:

Row 7: 3 sc, 1 dc, [17 sc, 1 dc, 1 sc, 1 dc], 17 sc, 1 dc, 3 sc

Row 8: 4 sc, 1 dc, [15 sc, 1 dc, 3 sc, 1 dc], 15 sc, 1 dc, 4 sc

Row 9: 5 sc, 1 dc, [13 sc, 1 dc, 5 sc, 1 dc], 13 sc, 1 dc, 5 sc

etc. etc. For more help, see Forum "I Need Cxochet Help" where several folk were very helpful when I had questions

http://crochetme.com/forum/starting-row-navajo-afghan

I think it is one pattern that is etched in my brain now.

Thanks for lovely comments!

-- yarnhabit

When I'm riding I'm right...

Beautiful work!

Oh my goodness, that is amazing!!!

I think I'll copy that pattern and maybe give it a whirl when I'm feeling brave. :)

Beautiful. My grandmother made this afghan for me a few years before she passed away. It is very special to me. I really enjoyed seeing the pattern here. Thanks for the links to the pattern, too. I may give it a go.

Great blanket. Job well done.

really beautiful (the afghan and the cat!)

Beautiful afghan! You will get a lot of enjoyment out of it. (If your friend is willing to share. Ha-ha!)

Beautiful!! looks great with pink :)

I have made this twice, once in black, white, grey, and red, and once again in green, purple, beige, and lavender. Looks good even in non-traditional colors!

I found this pattern in with my gram's huge drawer of old crochet patterns, though it was a copied page, so i have no idea where it actually came from. I hope you loved making this afghan as much as I did!!

 

 

P.S. if anyone wants to try it, it's super-easy! (especially if you want a simple pattern to work on while watching TV, etc) This pattern was my first attempt at an afghan, no problems at all  :)

Wow...what a small world. I have a yellowed, crumpled up copy of this pattern or something like it; my grandmother made this afghan many times and there are lots of them floating around in my family. I've never tried it, but I really like what you've done with the color and enjoyed the details about how you had to "fight" with the yarn.