"Home is where you are"

This is the pattern that first led me to Urban Threads, now one of my favorite sources for embroidery patterns. I just loved the swooping, retro-cool type, and of the course the message went straight to my secretly-sappy heart. I stitched it up in my new favorite color combo of teal, purple, and gray, and only realized after I finished that it goes perfectly with my granny square afghan.

I made this last January, and it was my first really ambitious embroidery project, or at least my biggest, with the most colors. I'm generally pleased with the way it turned out, although I'm sure I could do it better now. Still, I'm happy to hang it in our dining room, across from a display of family wedding photos (soon to include one of our wedding photos!).

And, of course, it was a nice little ego boost when Urban Threads described my rendition of the pattern as "heartmelty" on their Facebook page. :)

Afghans on the brain

1 down, 27 to go...

I don't know why, but I've been on an afghan kick lately. Maybe it's the season (winter demands an afghan on every chair and at the end of every bed), maybe it's because I haven't made one in a year and boy, are there some good patterns out there. Unfortunately, because afghans take so long, being on an afghan "kick" really just means I'm daydreaming about a dozen and praying that I have the stamina to finish just one.

I'm making this rose throw from the March/April 2010 Crochet Today. It's my first "pieced" afghan, made up of individual blocks that have to be sewn together. This method is a lot more time consuming than an afghan worked in one piece, but also easier to work on in the interim (more portable), and with way more design possibilities. Right now I have all of the center rosettes done, and 9 of the 28 blocks fully stitched. I imagine it'll be another month or so, at least, before the whole thing is complete and festooning the back of my couch.

In the meantime, I'm dreaming of other afghans. I have two weddings coming up for which I'd like to make afghans, so I've been browsing and bookmarking other patterns. For your stitching pleasure, here are a few I've collected, all free:

• Blackberry Salad striped baby blanket from Moogly. I LOVE the bobbles and the bright colors. I've never been a huge fan of pastels, even for babies, and the colors she chose are just so pretty and fun. And of course the color and striping possibilities are endless.
• The Lazy Hobbyhopper combines two of my favorite things by demonstrating how to crochet a granny ripple. I don't think I've ever seen that done before, but I love the effect. I can't wait to try it out on a project of my own.
• This isn't quite an afghan tutorial on its own, but Eggbird's springtime hexagon pattern would make a stunning pieced afghan.
• Lion Brand's website has a ton of free patterns, including dozens (hundreds?) of afghans and throws. I've had this sampler throw bookmarked for quite awhile. In the bright colors they use, it's cheerful and modern; in a more subdued palette (perhaps all one color), it becomes an elegant heirloom piece (like this sampler throw). My parents actually have a similar afghan crocheted by one of my grandmothers. It's a nicely worked sampler piece; unfortunately, it was made entirely in shades of orange. Ahh, the seventies...
• Speaking of heirloom pieces, what about this stunning Magnolia afghan? That center panel is just beautiful. Normally I'm not a big fan of variegated yarn, but I think it works nicely here.

I haven't even began to browse Ravelry's afghan patterns; I'm afraid if I do that, I'll spend the rest of my life stitching blankets and nothing else.

What have you been making lately? Anybody else out there with afghan fever?