Latest Crochet Project - Full Sized Afghan

I'm making an afghan for my niece, whose spare bedroom will be done in Native American decor.  She wanted some neutral colors, but with a splash of maroon, and possibly blue or green worked in.  I picked what I thought were pretty colors that would work, and she agreed, and I then had to settle on a pattern.

I worked up a few swatches first and she loved the color choices in the one below but wanted wider stripes.  I do really like this one, so I'm shelving it for another project down the road.

©Marie Anne St. Jean

The above photo is made from the stitch that I used in my Waves of Color, but I alternated the color every row, with Aran between.


I then decided to try Leaping Stripes, a pattern I found on Ravelry, and because I think it resembles a woven blanket, thought it a good fit for a Native American theme.  I tried it a couple of different ways, varying the width of the stripes, and one swatch I did was with both the Aran and Cafe (beige and brown) between the other colors.  That seemed too neutral, so I tried two rows of Aran between every four rows of the other colors, and I think we have a winner.  I've only got the first rounds of Windsor Blue, Cafe, and Burgundy done so far, but I think it will really pop after I add the Sage and Carrot.

©Marie Anne St. Jean

I think both of the above swatches would also be a great way to use up all those scraps of yarn in your stash.  I love stashbusters!  I should get on the stick and write an article with my favorite stashbuster patterns.

~ Marie Anne