Vast Right Wing Knitting and Needleworkers Circle: Afghan-imania and other things to throw around

11/16/05 | Knitting a Conundrum

[Knitting A Conundrum]

The Vast Right Wing Knitting and Needleworker's Circle




afghans
counterpanes,
coverlets
quilts
throws
bedspreads
laprobes
baby blankets
whatever. If you can cover yourself in a sizable way, use it for a bedspread or throw, or blanket, someone is going to have tried to make it in multiple techniques, out of different materials, ornamented in just about every way imaginable. So, what do you make?

[Knitting A Conundrum]

I am working on what may be a baby blanket, after having finished my scarf. It's made on a diagonal until it's halfway there. I started by casting on three. Then, k and p into the first stitch (one of the several ways to increase), then k1,p1 across. Each row is the same. Each row ends in a k stitch, even if I have to k 2 in a row. When it is big enough, I will start decreasing each row by k2tog the first stitch.

There are zillions of ways to knit and crochet and weave and braid throws, blankets, coverlets, bedspreads.

The throws I have made, tell me a story. There's the one I was crocheting when my oldest niece was being born. I cut the thread while waiting, covered up, and took a nap before seeing her come into the world.

There's the one I made of varying sizes of granny squares, a big one in the center, medium ones surrounding it, and little ones for the border, that I made after visiting one of my aunts, who had made something similar.

There's the quilt on my bed - a giant 9 patch, in shades of white, pink and green. It's sort of in honor of my great aunt Lily, who loved to make quilts in those colors.

I'm sure we all have stories of the afghans, throws and covers we've played with, made, or want to make someday.

Your turn to talk!

[Knitting A Conundrum]

VRWKN ping!

While I'm at it, here's a current copy of the ping list in case you find something we need to know (like a killer sale at Webs maybe?) or want to share:

Mercat, alwaysconservative, wildehunt, IN Farm Girl, proudofthesouth, HarleyLady27, EHC Southern Pride, xsmommy, Blue Eyes, pinz-n-needlez, kingu, Ladypixel, secret garden, FOG724, caryatid, A knight without armor, baker_girl, pbrown, cyborg, jellybean, utah girl, abner, KC Burke, LongElegantLegs, Mama25, mrs. a, Grammy, Jemian, Alia, alwaysconservative, hocndoc, moneypenny, AbsoluteGrace, Annie5622, austinaero, retrokitten, RandallFlagg

[Knitting A Conundrum]

I left me off the ping list...here it is with me!

Mercat, alwaysconservative, wildehunt, IN Farm Girl, proudofthesouth, HarleyLady27, EHC Southern Pride, xsmommy, Blue Eyes, pinz-n-needlez, kingu, Ladypixel, secret garden, FOG724, caryatid, A knight without armor, baker_girl, pbrown, cyborg, jellybean, utah girl, abner, KC Burke, LongElegantLegs, Mama25, mrs. a, Grammy, Jemian, Alia, alwaysconservative, hocndoc, moneypenny, AbsoluteGrace, Annie5622, austinaero, retrokitten, RandallFlagg, Knitting A Conundrum

[secret garden]

I'm working on a afghan now that hindsight is telling me would've been better in a solid color rather than the variegated yarn I am using.
I did not follow the basic rule.
Intricate pattern, plain yarn and vice versa.

[knittnmom]

I've made an afghan a year for about 10 years now, but I'm working on a shawl this year. Made a baby afghan in a pattern that used popcorn stitch and created an effect similar to the border of a fancy cake. I get a magazine called Creative Knitting (which used to be Knitters Digest) and it always has at least two patterns per issue for afghans.

The most complicated one I made for a brother's wedding. IT was 16 squares, 12" each, in different patterns for each square. I made the corners the same (a heart pattern) and the center square was a candelabra, that looked more like a family tree. (Every row of the pattern for that square was different.) I tried to make another a few years later for myself, but couldn't get enthused about the work involved in sewing them together! I like to knit, hate to sew.

[alwaysconservative]

Thanks for the ping!

[Knitting A Conundrum]

I found a book in a batch of patterns my stepmom sent me (which she got from someone else, but thought they were too good to throw away -yay!) that is patterns for doing Amish style quilts made out of crocheted blocks, patterns like Trip Around the World.

I think in the book, they are made separate and sewn together.

I bet it would be possible to do at least some of it with color changes.

A new project for later!

[Knitting A Conundrum]

I've made that mistake, too. Which is why I always remember it any more!

[alwaysconservative]

I don't personally work on them, but my grandma used to make crazy quilts (when she was alive), and my mom still does on occasion. I have to admit that they're my favorites because of the warmth and the memories. I haven't YET gotten to the point of considering a knitted or crocheted afghan.

If I did a bunch of squares (really short, fat scarves, LOL!!), what would be the best (okay, easiest) way to stitch them together into an afghan? Or does everybody here use circular needles and just knit it (or crochet it) to size?

[knittnmom]

I bet it would be possible to do at least some of it with color changes.

Worth a try, to avoid any sewing! The pattern I had wouldn't have worked that way, as each square had a different number of stitches and rows. they all ended up at 12"x12"

[Knitting A Conundrum]

It's almost always easier to avoid sewing, and there are tricks you can do with crocheting that help, and some tricks with knitting, but sometimes you just have to sew.

There's several sewing techniques illustrated here:
http://www.wonderful-things.com/newknit10.htm

There is grafting, a type of technique that imitates knitting, so you can't see the seam, which is done while the work is still on the needles.

http://www.wonderful-things.com/newknit10a.htm

[Knitting A Conundrum]

I hate sewing up knitting. I will look at this pattern and see what i can do. But for now, it's k1p1. And slowly, my diagonal grows. If I quit before I start the decreases, then I would have a triangular piece. I could call it a shawl!

[alwaysconservative]

Thanks for those links!

[Grammy]

I knit my last big (rather than baby) afghan while I was doing chemo. I knew I was going to have tired days, and on my chemo days I was there for 6 hours, so knitting helped pass the time. My husband had been asking for an afghan, so I made a "shadow knit" afghan in sea colors... gray, blue, green etc, all quite muted.
Shadow knitting is done from the outside of the square to the inside. Knits and purls create a pattern that "pops up" when you weave a yarn through the last inside stitches and pull it tight to close. Each square was about 12', and I don't remember how many I made.... 20 or 24, so that we have a nice BIG afghan to snuggle up in.
I also hate to sew blocks together, so I just crochet them together. Works like a charm.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

I've pulled the crochet things together trick myself!

That sounds like an interesting technique. I will have to investigate it someday.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Speaking of afghans, if you make them for charity, you might like to check out this site:

Afghans for Afghans. They make things for the people of Afghanistan, a nation that has had too deal with many years of a lot of trouble. The site is a good one.

http://www.afghansforafghans.org/

[Mercat]

I just finished the Christmas stocking for my new daughter in law. It's an applique and stuff felt stocking (next year I take the class on knitting one) with a foresty type Santa walking along with a tree over his shoulder. It's very busy but lovely colors and no sequins, just a few red beads. While I was working on it my son told me that his wife was thinking about converting (from what I'm not sure) to Buddhism. Happy that she has a higher power in any form, I googled for the words Catholic and Buddha and came up with an Indonesian saint who is the Buddha. It had a lovely and simple image so I cut out some felt and appliqued him to the back of the stocking.

I'm now working on the stocking for my new son in law. It's a big happy santa (Buddha?) - mostly beard and hat with lots of sequins.

After that, I'm going to start making teddy bears. I have a wonderful pattern in a quilting magazine.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Some knitted afghan patterns for free
http://www.woolworks.org/afghan.html

[Knitting A Conundrum]

I understand...I tried to get one of my kids who is way too goth and into dark stuff interested in Bushido at least from the martial arts/honor code/discipline side. Didn't work. But I think at this point he's being too lazy and too busy trying to stay afloat doing the absolute minimum of work that at least he's not getting into deeper trouble (I hope. He doesn't even call home much, and his phone's been disconnected cause he didn't pay the bill...)

There is a Zen Buddhist guy, who used to carry around a big bag of treats to hand out to kids, much in a similar mode to Santa Claus. Not a bad figure to use if the idea comes up again.

[retrokitten]

I made a little blanket about the size of a placemat for my kitties. They avoid it like it is made of metal spikes. Yet, they will lay clear across any pile of junk on the kitchen table. Silly animals.

My husband's grandmother was an avid knitter and I'm sorry I never had the chance to meet her or learn from her expertise. She knitted several afghans and put them away. When she passed on she left instructions that those afghans were to go to her grandkids for each of their birthdays the following year. It was a very touching surprise. My husband treasures his.