Spinning Wheel / Tumbling Blocks / Illusion Afghan - a Finished Afghan

We have a picture of a finished afghan made from the Spinning Wheel / Tumbling Blocks / Illusion afghan pattern.

Nicole Bush sent us pics of her son's new afghan:

From Nicole:

It took me just under 3 months to make (between work and meetings). I had to read the pattern a couple of times to get the diamond just right (my first two diamonds were wonky!) and in the end I drew a hand diagram of the stitches to make sure it was even, then it was smooth sailing....

My tips:

• Read the pattern carefully as it can be tricky,
• If you follow diagrams better, sketch the diamond while you read it, and
• Be patient.

The pattern charted out.

(Due to camera and lighting weirdness, the colors are different on some of the pics.)

Motifs joined.

My son picked the colors, the walls of his room are orange and chocolate brown, and the inside of his closet and furniture is the beige. His floor is chocolate brown wood and the same color chocolate shag carpet beside his bed. The search was on for the right colors. I used almost 2 of the large balls for each color and it fits a twin size bed.

I did NOT block the blanket or any of the motifs.

Row complete.

Our thanks to Nicole for sending us her pics. Her afghan is a work of art. 

It can sometimes be difficult to picture what a vintage pattern will look like when made with modern yarn. Generally, the vintage patterns uses teeny tiny yarns because that was what was available. We have heavier yarns that work up faster. The difference in color choices also makes a difference in how the patterns look. The colors of Nicole's afghan give a retro look to a vintage pattern. 

We love seeing what people are making with our patterns. So send us your pics of completed projects.

Happy crocheting!

A Little Cowl/Big Swatch - Using the Black Evening Blouse Stitch Patterns

I will be the first to admit that this little cowl is far from my finest knitting. But I was impatient to start the sweater....

I made this cowl using the stitch patterns from the Black Evening Blouse pattern. I cast on about 147 stitches. I used the gauge measurement of 7 stitches per inch to determine the number of stitches needed to pull the cowl over my head or about 21 inches. I didn't want to mess up my hair when I put on the cowl. Vain, I know.

The pattern calls for a 2 inch section of stockinette stitches before starting the Hive pattern. You can see from the pics that I wasn't completely successful in maintaining the pattern throughout the Hive stitch section. I thought about ripping it out, but then I decided that the cowl wouldn't show the stitch problems because it will probably be scrunched down around my neck or under a jacket. It most likely will not be visible all at one time unless it's laying on a table and I'm showing it to someone.

The middle section is the Lace pattern, which is used for the ruffles around the sleeves and neck. I wanted to see what that section would look like as well. I didn't worry too much about the holes in the lace work. The cowl will be scrunched down when I wear it.

I knitted in eyelets to weave I-cord through. I thought it would be nice to be able to pull the cowl close to my neck and keep the wind from blowing down my coat. And, if necessary, I can cinch up the I-cord and wear the cowl as a hat.  A lesson learned after I had finished the hat and was threading the I-cord through the eyelets was how to determine the correct number of eyelets. I had an odd number of eyelets so I have one eyelet that isn't threaded. An even number of eyelets would have allowed both ends of the I-cord  to pop out the front of the cowl. 

The cowl is finished. I learned that the acrylic/nylon yarn was a little too soft, stretchy, and fuzzy for the sweater. While I still love the feel of the yarn, it just wasn't going to work for this blouse. That meant I had to buy some new wool yarn. I had to buy a pair of size 1(US) circular metal needles, too. The new yarn is a beautiful juciy wine color, but the color is too dark for me to easily see the individual stitches on dark wood needles. My eyesight is not great right now, working on the sweater would blind me. The metal needles will provide a nice contrast to the yarn color and allow the wool to glide freely across the needles.

I will be posting updates on my progress for the Black Evening Blouse as I go along. Stay tuned.

Happy knitting!