There are four colors in the afghan book, all of the same yarn and needles so there is some possibility that the squares will be approximately equal in size. For my afghan I am using a size 6 needle (Brittany wood needles, actually, which feel so lovely as I knit along...) and Bartlettyarn wool in natural, light blue, dark blue, and deep red. I don't actually know what names Bartlettyarns uses for these colors, but they are the ones I chose and each year when I go back to Hilda Yates' Farm yarn sale in October, I purchase more of those colors. 2013 is the year when I WILL FINISH this afghan!
So far I have finished about a dozen squares.
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| Garter Stitch Strips, vertical |
Square one has you cast on 39 stitches and work a striped garter stitch block. This is the foundational block by which size all other squares have to measure up. We shall see on this one!!!
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| Stockinette (stocking) Stitch vertical |
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Square two is a striped stockinette stitch with a cast on of 41
stitches. This teaches that stocking stitch ROLLS and must be blocked,
or bordered by a non-roll strip of some nature.
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| Basketweave | | | | | |
Square three is basketweave and 43 stitches cast on. This is a fun one and very useful.
Square four is lattice with seed stitch, and so far my favorite looking one! Cat on 40 stitches.
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| Diagonal ribbing |
Square five is diagonal ribbing. You will notice at least one big
error. I have a high tolerance for error and left it just the way it
was. It is an afghan square. There will be 62 other afghan squares.
The afghan will be stored in a folded position. No one is likely to be
bothered by the error, so, I left it as is. Cast on 49 stitches.
You will notice that NONE of the squares have yet been blocked. Pretty soon I will start blocking as I go, but I have yet to find my blocking board...How unusual is that?!
I have the book but can't find the gauge instructions. How big should each square be?
ReplyDeleteThanks for writing, Monica ! Gauge with this blanket is not the big issue it is in garments. You need to use the same yarn all the way through the blanket and the same size needles. This is a project that teaches you about differences in stitch patterns. The cables usually pull in the yarn as do some of the others. You can learn to compensate for that by adjusting the number of stitches. You can also block the tar out of those blocks! That is what I did because I did not measure when I was three or four inches into the design and was pretty set on getting the blanket done fast. As it happens, it was not fast at all. If you are able to focus on learning, and make notes in a notebook about what you observed with each square you really will have learned a ton by the end of the completed blanket. If I can be of help in some way, please just ask.
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