Younger Son's Afghan

I stayed up to 3:00AM for most of last week working on this in order to have it finished by the time we left to see him Friday morning. It was  a chore. I misread the gauge and therefore adjusted my hook size to what I thought the gauge said. After making the number of squares the pattern called for I realized it wasn't going to be the overall size stated in the pattern. Nope, I didn't start over. I just adapted and made more squares. It took less time I and I also thought that I liked the look the smaller squares had.

Another change I made to the pattern was using hexagons instead of circles. It was the mood I was in when I started the afghan maybe. Or that I normally don't crochet in the round with that effect because hats and such I want to be circles. I felt this gave me a chance to try something different. Caleb likes the look. In fact, he was more than pleased with the finished product.

I remembered that Mamaw would often embroider her name and the date on her quilts that she gave us. So, I also included a "crochet by" tag on the afghan. I'll add one the David's and each one I make for my family.

I don't have very good lighting to take pictures of this inside my house but since it's generally dark outside when I complete something, and I have to immediately take the picture so I won't forget, I post what I have.

Oldest Son's Afghan

My Mamaw was a quilter. She made each of is girls quilts. I always loved them but I feel I may have took them for granted even while treasuring them. After she passed away I realized that I was afraid to use them. I wouldn't get another from her and I wanted to preserve what I had. I got over that and my boys certainly didn't feel the same. I would find them using them all the time for whatever they wanted to.

Thinking of how much they meant to me and that I would like my children to have a small idea of how it felt to receive them, I briefly considered taking up quilting. It didn't take me long to realize that I didn't have the time to take up something new. And I followed that up with realizing I would find the time if I really had the inclination to learn.

That was not long before I told myself that I have a skill. I crochet. And that is a treasurable thing as well. So, I told each child, sister and mother that they should pick out a pattern they liked for an afghan and I'd make it for them. I had a reason for letting them pick the pattern.

It wasn't often Mamaw asked you to pick which pattern you wanted. That didn't matter to me. Part of the whole allure of those quilts we girls received was the material in them. You can look at one quilt and see so many memories. Each of had clothes made out of something in them. I could give that with my afghans so I wanted to make it a least somewhat speciall by letting them choose which they wanted.

I told them whoever picked theirs out first got it first. I lied. It wasn't intentional. But my oldest and his wife are living with us for a while. I thought it might add to the specialness for him to see me working on it and to see the progress. I feel the sister that got back with me first will understand.

I also feel she'll understand that I am now working on my other son's because I hope to have it finished when we go visit him next weekend and I'd like to take it to him. Mary you WILL be the next one.

So, here's the one for the oldest. The colors are off and I don't feel it looks as well as it does in person but I'm recording it for my family to see so it's the best I have now.