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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!

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

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.