If you follow me on Instagram (I'm anastaciaknits) then you'll have noticed a lot of photos of this afghan. This has been a long pending design of mine - it's a crochet version of my Around the Twist afghan.
This version doesn't look much like the original knit, I'll grant you that, but it's still based on the original, Around the Twist quilt design.
I had long planned a crochet version of the afghan, but just never got around to it. I didn't know how I wanted to tackle it - I have a stack of swatches of versions of the square - some all single crochet, or single crochet through the back loops only, some seed stitch or linen stitch or, well, you get the idea.
The more I messed with it, the more unhappy I was.
So I left the idea alone for a while, worked on a bunch of other ideas, did some magazine designs, but would lay awake at night, thinking about this quilt pattern that I started obsessing over years ago.
I finally decided not to copy the knit version I designed, but to just copy the quilt idea - once I got to that point, then I felt more comfortable with running with the stitch pattern, and I quickly decided upon using a granny square for the center, and using the "granny stripe" pattern to do the corners.
So I made a stack of squares - after messing with the proportions for a bit - (with more swatches everywhere to drive my husband nuts) - and it sat... for months - through the busy working in the garden every single waking minute when I'm not at work summer, through the crazy canning every section I get because my garden exploded fall, til the even more insane it's CHRISTMAS time & I work in retail STILL winter.... because I didn't know how I wanted to join the squares. I picked up the squares, tried every variation of joining under the sun, I swear, and wasn't happy with any of them.
I really wanted to do the continuous join as you go method, but it's not a joining method for beginners...
I don't know if all designers worry about things like this, but most of my designs are geared towards beginner crocheters - they are also designed for people who just want to make something easy, without a lot of fussing. I love crazy complicated designs - but honestly, I rarely actually want to make something like that, I just want to knit or crochet and enjoy every second of it.... so I try to think of things like joining methods and how to word something.
I finally just decided on the continuous join method, decided to join with chain two spaces and not chain one spaces (as with a traditional granny square), and ran with it.
So here's my finished afghan in all its glory.
What do you think?
Drink the Harvest: Making and Preserving Juices, Wines, Meads, Teas, and Ciders by Nan K. Chase
