Diagonal Granny Stripe Afghan

I received an email from a reader who asked if I would write a tutorial for a Diagonal Granny Stripe afghan.  (Note:   I couldn't email you back because you are set as a no-reply blogger.)  I had never tried that pattern before, so I pulled out some scrap yarn and gave it a try.  Here are two samples that I tried.  The one on the left follows the pattern.  The one on the right leaves out the chain 1 that goes in between the crochet clusters.  I think the one on the left is the one I will follow.  

Here is a close up of the square.  The chains that are along the edges are pretty loopy looking, so this will probably require a border of some sort.  I think I will try another sample reducing the number on those outside rows to see how it looks.  I don't have the tutorial written yet, but I'll get busy on that in the next few days or so.  I can see this in a 3 color stripe or even just a random stripe using scrap yarn.  I'll have to check my stash and decide on what colors to use.  

Here is my progress so far on my crocheted Christmas Granny Stripe afghan.  You can find my tutorial for this afghan here.  

I hope you are finding some time to take a few stitches today.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit.  

Crocheted Christmas Granny Stripe Afghan

Welcome to all of my subscribers and to those who have come here looking for an easy crochet pattern.  I know it's been ages since I've posted anything on this blog.  After we moved here a year ago, I mostly left my yarn packed in boxes or Rubbermaid containers.  The other day I saw this yarn and decided to start a crocheted Christmas afghan.  I love the granny stripe afghan pattern.  My full tutorial is on my blog post here  There are a lot more detailed photos and explanations there.

Here is my afghan so far.  I chained 145 to start this afghan.  You can see that it is the length of the love seat on my porch.

I'm using a worsted weight called Caron Simply Soft Party and an I hook.   



I have had a couple of questions recently from readers that are having problems with their work curling when they get to row 3 or 4.  I don't know why that is happening, and without seeing a photo it's hard to help.  I am not sure I did a good job explaining the starting rows to them so I've taken some photos as I started this afghan.

First chain 145 (there are different sizes listed in a chart in my other tutorial).  Turn and single crochet in the second chain from hook and each chain until you are back at the beginning.  Then chain 3 and turn your work.  Do another double crochet in that same stitch.  Skip 2 stitches and do 3 DC in the next stitch.

So your first row will be 3 DC in one stitch, skip 2 single crochets.  Repeat this until the end.  End with 2 DC (because you started with 2 DC).

Chain 3 and turn your work. (That counts as 1 double crochet.)   Do 3 DC in the space from the row below.  Continue across the afghan.  End the row with 1 DC the same as you started.

When I am ready to change colors, I cut the yarn and pull the tail through the loop on my hook.  

I know this isn't the way most people teach you how to end one color and add the next.  But, I have several afghans that my Mom made years ago, and where she had joined the yarn the afghan is coming apart.  So I tie my yarn off at the end of a color and tie the next one on as you can see in the photo below.
Pull the white yarn through the space.  That creates a loop on your hook, and you're ready to go again.

Then chain 3 (this makes your first double crochet). 

 Turn your work.   

Do another double crochet in that space.   There are two in the photo.  It's just hard to see with the white yarn


The same thing - still not a great photo.

 End that first row of white with 2 DC because you started with 2 DC.



When you get to the end of the first white row, chain 3, turn, and then do 3 DC in the space as seen below.  There are no chains between the DC clusters.  I just don't like the way it looks when you chain in between because the holes are so large in the afghan.

Here is where I am so far.  Again, there is a better tutorial here in one of my earlier blog posts.

 I hope you will give this afghan a try.  I really love this pattern.  Once you get the first couple of rows finished, it is just the same thing over and over.  I think it's pretty relaxing to crochet this one.

The other afghan I finished in this pattern was wider than it was long.  So I've opted to start with less stitches to make it narrower.  I can always make the afghan larger by adding some kind of a border.

If you have any questions, email me.  I'll do my best to help you.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

I hope you are finding some time to stitch today. 

New Scarves

I've been doing more knitting.  This scarf is made using sock weight yarn and is from The Knit Experience - The Knit Stitch by Sally Melville.  The scarf is the Shape It Scarf.  This scarf is all knitting - no purls.

This is an easy knitting pattern and is also all knitting.  This pattern is a free one.  It's called the Misti Chunky Ribs and Ruffles scarf and can be downloaded for free here.  I'm almost finished with it.

This is a cowl pattern that I started.......

Here it is finished - sort of.  I ran out of the peach colored yarn.  After looking at it, I decided I really didn't like it and would probably never wear it.




There was a decrease toward the end of the scarf, and since I ran out of yarn I couldn't do it.  So the inside of the scarf ended up showing as seen in the photo below.  I think I might just rip it out and use the yarn to make one of the Misti Alpaca scarves instead.

This is a Super Daniel cape that I knit for my grandson.  I just made this up so there isn't really a pattern.  I used chunky yarn so this was really a fast project.  The letter D is made from self adhesive felt that I picked up at the craft store.  There are a number of web sites that have a free printable alphabet.  

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I hope you are finding some time to do a little crochet or knitting today.

Thanks for visiting!  

Scarves

I do a lot of quilting and blog about it over at http://luannsloosethreads.blogspot.com.  I attended a quilt retreat the week before Thanksgiving, and since I came back all I've wanted to do is knit or crochet.  I can't quite figure that one out either!

I know this blog is called Easy Crochet, but I also post easy knitting projects here,  I have crocheted for 40 years or more, but I've only been knitting for 15 years or maybe a bit more.  Most everything I knit is pretty easy and enjoyable so I go ahead and post the knit things, too, because most crocheters have tried some knitting at one time or other.  

Here are the scarves, cowls and ponchos that I've made (except for the blue ruffle) since Thanksgiving.  

The first one is an easy knit Drop Stitch Scarf.  I just made this one up.  I will write a tutorial if anyone is interested.  This one is knit with chunky yarn, and I was able to finish it in just a few hours.  

It was cold when I marched in the Veteran's Day Parade with the Caroline Scott Harrison Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and I wanted to be sure I had a Patriotic scarf to wear in next year's parade.

That's me second from the right with no scarf.......

The pattern for this one is in The Knit Experience-The Knit Stitch book by Sally Melville.  It's called:
Shape It! Scarf.  This is easy knitting...no purl stitches.  

This is a free Koigu Ruffle Scarf pattern that takes 2 skeins of Koigu yarn.  It can also be made from any sock weight yarn that totals about 350 yards.  

This Cowl was a mystery knit along that I just finished.  It is supposed to be a poncho.  The pattern is by Laura Aylor called Outlier and can be found on Ravelry.  She emailed us a clue each night for the eight nights before Christmas Eve as a present and for us to take some time for ourselves during the busy holiday season.  It was just a pleasant hour's worth of knitting to relax at the end of the day.  

The cowl can also be worn with the point in front, at the side or in the back. Her pattern calls for a chunky yarn and size 13 needles.   I opted for a yarn that used size 10 1/2 needles and ended up with a cowl that was smaller instead of a poncho.

Here is my second try with chunky yarn and size 13 needles.  This is the full sized poncho.

I am a sock knitter wannabe.  You can see by the photo that the only thing about these two socks that match is the yarn.  I did one sock a few years ago and just finished the second one.  There was no pattern included in the bag with the sock and yarn, so I made a guess as to which one I'd used.  Right now I don't enjoy knitting socks, but I love wearing them.



Also.......I've had a few questions on different tutorials that I've posted in the past.  Many of the emails I receive are from people that have their settings as "no reply bloggers" or "anonymous".  That means that whenever I hit the reply button, my email won't get to you.  I'm going to go back through some of the last few emails I've received and answer those on the blog post in the comment section where the question was asked.  My daughter thinks that would not only be helpful to the person that asked the questions but would help the people that find my tutorials from a Google search.  After thinking about it, if I'm searching for a technique I will read the comments a lot of times.  So I'll get busy working on that.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit.

I hope you are finding some time to stitch today.