Afghan Fever

I am always on the lookout for crochet or knit patterns that are simple enough for a novice to figure out but are interesting enough that I don't get bored.  Sometimes it takes me a couple of false starts to get a project going, but with some of the recent patterns I've used, progress is fast and that keeps me motivated.

I love yarn stores.  I remember years ago that there used to be a place called Yarn Mart and they had a wide variety of inexpensive yarns.  When I moved here to north Orange County, there was a great craft store called Tall Mouse that had a wonderful yarn selection and tons of patterns for free but they both have long since disappeared.  I visited a "real" yarn store when we drove up the coast to Santa Barbara and I think I spent an hour walking the aisles.  I splurged on two skeins of this great yarn, but have not yet found a pattern that works with it.  Someday!  Meanwhile, I frequent the aisles of Michael's with my 40% off coupon hoping to find the right combination of yarn and pattern.  I did find that their little instruction booklets have a lot to offer and, if you're so inclined, they're worth checking out!

Below is an afghan I knitted for my daughter and her husband last year.  The pattern was in a booklet called Loops & Threads, Country Loom:  Every Home and the name of the afghan is "Big Cable Blanket".  It was the first time I had done a knitted cable stitch, but because it was on a large scale, it was a great first project.  I love the look and it was a well-received Christmas gift.

If you have any patterns that you'd like to share, please feel free to post a link or instructions.  It's so much fun when there's more than one!!

Happy Tuesday!

The big, fun cable!

The finished product