The stitch pattern is called Ocean Swells and the book it is found in is: Crochet: The Complete Guide by Jane Davis. ISBN: 9780896896970. This is a book of stitch patterns (not patterns of finished objects), so figuring out how to get the stitch pattern into a full size afghan took some thinking and some calculating, then finally crocheting, and ripping out, and crocheting again. At last, I got it down. It was exciting to watch it grow.
Well...as it turns out, December is a terrible time to begin a large crochet project of a new pattern. Especially if the pattern is the least bit challenging. Especially if you want to give it as a Christmas gift. But I gave it all I had. For weeks, I crocheted. And ripped out mistakes. And crocheted some more. It was, I think, less than a week before Christmas when I finally realized that I could crochet every free hour I had and I was not going to be able to complete this blanket in time. So I quit.
Well...I didn't exactly quit, but I freed myself of the expectation that I would finish in time for Christmas. I took it slower and enjoyed the process instead of frantically crocheting my fingers off. And I enjoyed that last week before Christmas - promising never again to put off starting such a large project until December.
I finished it after the New Year and decided that it would instead, make a great birthday gift for my mother-in-law. Good thing I had let go of the idea of it being a Christmas gift, because much to my dismay it needed blocking when it was finished. I've never before had to block an afghan so I don't know whether it was the Brava yarn or the pattern that make this afghan not lay smoothly. While I've blocked small objects, blocking a blanket was new to me. And of course, I procrastinated. Once I bit the bullet, though, it wasn't so hard. It was just big. And blocking did the trick. YAY!
Yes, I know it's not laid out smooth in the picture, and the pretty top and bottom edges don't show, but blocking really opened up this, almost, lacy pattern. Someday, maybe, I think I'll try this pattern in another yarn to see if it behaves differently.
Finally, it was ready to go and I'm happy to say it was a hit!
Happy Birthday, Mom B!
Beautiful work,loved the pattern so much I ordered Jane Davies book thank you so much for posting info
ReplyDeleteI am getting ready to make this pattern as a straight shawl. Do you remember what size hook you used for your afghan?
ReplyDeleteLooking back at my project notes, I see I used a size H hook, but my yarn was a thin worsted yarn (Knit Picks Brava). Normally, with a worsted weight yarn, I use a size I or J even. It just depends on the thickness of the yarn. Sometimes it's trial and error picking the right size hook, but your yarn label will help you know where to start.
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