Finally, pictures

~NOTE~ PLEASE click on the individual pictures to see the whole thing.
I shared a picture of my first finished "Nanny 'ghan" with my friends on Granola Chicks, but I don't remember if I shared that here as well. It took me longer to make that one with all it's panels and several different stitches to jump back and forth between. It's heavy and thick and slightly smaller. The fringe was real work, let me tell you! Instead of using the pictures I already took, I snapped a couple this morning.... ok, so they are on the same couch in front of the same window. But they really are new pics. Cross my heart! Both of these throws/afghans/blankets are actually big enough to cover most of a twin bed, from the foot to the pillow. I can actually wrap one around myself and be covered from shoulder to toe and front to back... and I'm not petite.
Here's the finished Aran Cables afghan, from two different angles as well as a little closer in for some detail of the stitches and fringe.




Though the Aran turned out beautiful, it was also an intense afghan and my sore fingers and the boredom of the same panels over and over made me want something very different. My options were limited since a) it needed to be approximately the same dimensions as the Aran and b)I only had one color to work with.
That leaves texture as the arena for creativity. It took a few abortive attempts before I found something that felt right, a center rectangle of flowers in filet crochet. I then edged it with single crochet and a panel of V-and-Cross stitch on both long sides.of course, it looked lopsided so I had to add something to the short edges, but it needed to be visibly different... hmm... ah HA! Offset shells. PERFECT.


Once that was accomplished, I liked the dimensions and thought a good solid border of double crochet all around would define it nicely. It still needed to be more square than rectangle, what now? Too many different textures would be busy and jangled my nerves to look at, so I re-used the offset shell pattern to make panels again on the long edges, balancing out the look of the whole afghan. To bring it all together and give it a finished look, I edged it in a row of single crochet, then in a row of picot.

I love how the work graduates from very open in the center to thicker on the edges and I am pleased with how well the flowers in the filet stand out, I wasn't sure they would be easily identified when I made the center piece.



I know she'll like it, but I am hoping she'll love it. Those poor throws she's had on her couches for so many years have been well loved and often used and are in need of retirement.