Trying to come up with an idea for a wedding gift for two good friends of mine proved to be harder than I thought. I realized about two weeks before the wedding, hey, I could make something. But what? Matching scarves/hats seemed too cheesy, and I'm not good at other articles of clothing. Oh, I know, I could make an afghan. So I decided on colors that I knew would match their living interior, and figured out what kinds of yarn I would need to go buy. And of course, this all happened right before Hurricane Sandy, and there was no way I wanted to go out and battle the crazy crowds at Wal-Mart just to get yarn. So I sat there and calculated how fast I could crochet and if it would be possible to make this in less than two weeks. And on Halloween, I got my yarn and started it that night. For the next few days, that's all I did (a small perk to being "in between" jobs..).. with the exception of not even looking at it on the weekend because my old job called me in to work. Lo and behold, five (crocheting) days later, I had this:
I was quite happy with the result, actually. While at the store I decided to change my original pattern plan because I didn't think I could complete the original in time (it was a lot of FPdc's so it would take twice as long). So I basically just guessed and it came out okay. Although I wish I had gotten one more skein of red so the stripe pattern ended more symmetrical, but I ran out of yarn and I was running out of time, so I figured this would have to do.
So, if anyone would like to see how I completed my masterpiece (only
called so because it's the biggest thing I've ever made, haha).. Check
below and I'll tell you:
Yarn used: Red Heart Super Saver (364 yds.)
3 skeins Merlot (A)
2 skeins Black (B)
2 skeins Cafe (C)
I think I used my J-hook
Foundation: with color A, ch 150
Rows 1-6: dc every stitch across, with a turning ch-3 at the ends
Rows 7-8: switch to color B, dc every st
Rows 9-10: switch to color C, dc every st
Rows 11-12: switch to color B, dc every st
Rows 13-18: switch to color A, dc every st
Rows 19-20: switch to color C, dc every st
Rows 21-22: switch to color B, dc every st
Rows 23-24: switch to color C, dc every st
You get the pattern by now. Keep repeating until it is the size you desire or you run out of yarn. If you want your stripes to end symmetrically, I suggest you buy one more skein of color A, then you will have enough for another 6 rows.
At this point, it's a good idea to tie off the ends. I didn't weave them in yet, but when I make the border I crocheted around them to save me some time. But it's your choice if you want to do that part now or later.
For the border:
Starting in a corner, with color C, sc all the way around. I tried 1 sc in each small st space and 2 sc in each dc st space, and it was too much. On my next try I only did the 2 sc in each dc space and it turned out fine. And remember to do 3 sc in each corner.
With the same color, make a second round, sc in each st. On the corners, where you have 3 sc from the previous round, make 2 sc in each st in between the 3 sc stitches. Does that make sense?
Switch to color B for the final border. I did a picot stitch. You can space them farther apart or closer together, and you can make them smaller or larger than I did. My method was 3 sc then a picot. To make a picot, sc in the next stitch, ch 3 (or more if you want larger), then sc into the bast ch of that stitch. Then sc in the next 3 stitches, and on the 4th make another picot.
I hope my directions aren't too confusing.
To finish off, tie off your ends and make sure all loose ends are woven in.
There you go! As you can see from the first picture, the afghan I made ended up being the size of a full bed, although I don't know the exact measurements.
If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to let me know!
Happy Crocheting! :)
Oh, and one more thing. I got a text from the newlyweds last night and they loved it!! It made me so happy to hear that. :)
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