63 Squares Crochet Along

[JulieKay]

Dear Donna L

I think this would be a great project to learn a lot of new stitches, especially sine you have so many people out here working on the same thing that you could ask for help if you get stuck. Just think how experienced you'll be after finishing this !

I have to keep prodding myself to get back into this. I signed up ages ago and keep on putting it away for something else. I now have every other project done, so can devote all my spare time to it .

Keep those posts coming, you guys, it motivates me to see others out there working so hard on this .

Julie k

[SoCalDonna]

Thank you, everyone, for your

encouragement!

 

Okay, please sign me up for this crochet-along. I hope it stays open for a very long time--I'm a slow crocheter, and also have several quilts in the works. I'm looking forward to learning more stitches!

 

Donna L.

[ZingyZoid]

lol It'll be open for a long time. I was thinking today (as I made chapstick holders and bought new yarn and started a baby blanket) that if I didn't get my butt in gear I'd be the last person to get this afghan finished. I've only got a few squares done.

[JulieKay]

Donna L -

I'm sure glad you decided to sign up. I think you'll have a lot of fun learning all the new stitches ! What colors are you using, have you decided yet ?

 

and Stacy -

I think me and you will be in a contest to see who can finish last ! LOL

Maybe we can prod each other along , huh ?

:th :rotfl

Julie k

[faithpa76]

LOL I think I may just finish last ... I haven't even done my first square yet!! I want to but keep having other projects crop up.

 

I want to get it done for Christmas, as a gift for my dad, but we'll see, lol.

[JulieKay]

Hi Faith

It sounds like we may be in good company then, there seem to be quite a few of us who are all getting a slow start .

I had to finish up all my other projects first so I could put this at the top of the importance list .

I think I can get a real good start on it now since everything else is done .

Hope you get your first square started soon !

How are you guys doing yours, in order in the book, or in the order that they are put together in the afghan ?

I am starting at number 1, then working my way through that way .

Julie k

[SoCalDonna]

Hi, Julie:

 

I'm thinking I'll go with country colors, like a muted green, tan and ecru. Being in So. Cal., I think I'll stay away from wool. I have so many WIPs and UFOs that I'm probably booked up for the rest of my life! For some reason, my husband does not understand this--Men!

 

Donna L.

[JulieKay]

Hi Donna L

I knowwhat you mean about having lots of projects you have started or want to start . I am trying to limit myself to working on one thing at a time now til I get it done.

Hopefully, this will work out and I can make some progress on this afghan.

Your colors sound really pretty. I love green , it's my favorite color ! Julie k

[ZingyZoid]

OK catching up on all these posts last night motivated me to finish a square. ! I have 1-7 and 9 done. I'm working them in order so far but I can't get 8 right so I'm going to have to find a substitute for it. I am going to complete another square today. That's my goal anyway lol. The other things I'm working on right now are little so I can work on it all and still feel like I'm making progress on everything.

 

I find it funny that the one thing I'm working on for me is the one thing that I always set aside...

 

Edited for spelling mistakes, lol.

[TxCrochetGranny]

Stacy, I totally relate to not getting a square right! :th

 

For me, it is the 7th square, the Chevron stitch. I get the first half right, but the second half, where the Chevron turns the other way just won't come out. :sherlock has tried multiple times! Also, my blue color just isn't showing the stitch to its best advantage.

 

I'm thinking that I'll work it up in my ecru. If that comes out better and can be seen, I'll look at working one of the ecru squares in the blue, then just change them around in the finished pattern (does that make sense?) Input from more advanced crochet partners is greatly appreciated.

 

MDS

[JulieKay]

Stacy -

Good job, on finishing so many squares !

I found a real nice website that has several sampler squares that come out the same size as what we need for the afghan . I think it's ok if I post a link for it here :

www.denisecrochets.com/

Click on the SQUARES link at the top --- scroll down towards the bottom to all the ones that say NEW .

Maybe you could just fill in some of them in place of ones you might have trouble with .

 

And MDS

I don't think it'd matter if you replace certain squares with different colors or move the colors around a little -- it'll still look beautiful when it's all put together .

 

Julie k

[t1nk]

Hi MDS,

I had similar problem with you with the crochet pattern,

then I realized that the FPDC is supposed to loop through the stitch in the 2nd rows below, not the row right after.

For example, when u're working on row 4, the FPDC is supposed to loop through stich in row2 and not row3.

This way, the FPDC will come out as straight line, instead of tilting to the left. They need to be in straight line, in order to come out right when we work on the second part.

 

Hope this helps :computer

[SoCalDonna]

Julie K:

 

I checked out the website you mentioned,

http://www.denisecrochets.com/

She does have a lot of really lovely squares that could probably be substituted.

 

Then, I checked out her Misc. Patterns. She has a pattern there for a "Tampon Tote!" :rotfl It is just gorgeous, and also gave me a good laugh for the day! Crocheters are amazingly creative people!

 

Donna L.

[JulieKay]

Donna L

I think the funniest pattern I ever saw was a Willie Warmer .

Hope you know what THAT is ,so I don't have to explain it !

LOL

 

Juliek:

[NancyCA]

I know Denise personally and she is SUCH a creative person. When I saw that she had done the tampon holder I giggled too! But, it is pretty! ROFL!

[Donna]

Sorry for being AWOL for a couple of days here, crochet alongers! My apologies! :not

 

 

Hi, gabbygirl, Nancy, and Donna L.! I'm glad you're joining us! :woohoo I've added all of you to the list. )

 

 

 

Luvtocraft, I totally understand your needing to drop out. It's okay!

 

 

 

MDS, your'e welcome! I wouldn't say it's the Patons Decor yarn specifically, but most any acrylic/wool blend is going to stand up to frogging without fuzzing up better than 100% acrylic yarn. Yay for finishing #7 (alternate puff stitch)! :cheer2 I know a lot of people dislike puff stitches, but I love them!

 

 

 

Donna L., for a new crocheter, this afghan could be frustrating but at the same time you could learn a lot. Inexperienced crocheteres will need to give the afghan more time and patience, but it would be a very good exercise. A lot of new crocheters have joined this crochet-along and are doing just fine! :cloud9 And like Juliekay said, you've got all of us here to help you! You can always give it a try, and if it drives you crazy, there's no shame in quitting and coming back to it later after you've gained more experience. ) I see you've decided to join so I've added you to the list! :woohoo Don't worry, I plan to keep this open for a looong time! :)h

 

 

 

Stacy, #8 (chevron square) is a tough one, the most difficult one I've done yet. I frogged it many, many times! My biggest problem with that one was following the instructions! I kept doing what I thought I should do instead of what the instructions said to do! To everybody who's having trouble with the chevron square, I recommend reading and following the instructions VERY carefully, doing exactly what they say and not what you think they say.

 

 

 

Psst... MDS #8 is the chevron stitch, #7 is the alternate puff stitch. Oh, and I, too, think it's fine to move squares around to do them in a different color if you think they'd look better.

 

 

Thanks everybody for keeping this CAL active and vibrant! Love you guys! :)h :grouphug

[Donna]

And if I missed anybody's questions, please let me know! Just give me a little I tried to make sure I answered them all.

[TxCrochetGranny]

Hey Donna, thanks for the update re blends not fraying--I'll put that in my memory chip & Yeh, I realized my numbering mistake right after I hit "Add Reply"--me and numbers don't always get along (that's why I learned to always follow up with descriptions!).

 

Here's a link to my 63 squares photo album :computer . I hope it works (I've never done this before :fc )

 

pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/gr...CBs3q9PgBQ

 

MDS

[SoCalDonna]

Julie K:

 

Yikes!! No need to explain! That's over-the-top creative!!!

 

I'll be looking for the book today to see what I've gotten myself into! Looking forward to getting started--

 

Donna L.

[AgnesB]

MDS, very nice! The puffs in square 7 are looking good.

I am really happy to see more and more people joining this crochet-along.<img border=0 src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v84/crochetville/rowofhearts.gif" />

I am about to resume my work soon. <img border=0 src="http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/smile.gif" />

[Donna]

You're welcome, MDS! Your squares look great! I've added a link to your gallery on the 63 Squares CAL page. :camera

[JulieKay]

MDS

I love your number 9 Arch stitch ! How pretty !

You sure do nice neat work .

Julie k :thumbsup

[NancyCA]

MDS, your squares look great! I'm hoping to start mine this weekend...if not Monday is the day!!

[TxCrochetGranny]

Mea Culpa

 

T1nk—I’m so sorry! I forgot to thank you for your invaluable help with 8. Chevron Relief Stitch. I tried and tried to get it right, but kept thinking that I was counting wrong—should I use turning chain for 1st hdc, etc., etc. I happened to check the BB after a couple of frustrating hours and found your advice. (cue the music—dun-dun-DUN!) Wallah! The Secrets of the Universe were mine, mine, mine! Well, I understood the pattern instructions and successfully completed the square, anyway (sometimes you just have to thank the Universe for small favors.) Anyway, Ms. Or Mr. Universe, thanks for your timely (got it before I :th ), wonderful (your instructions were very clear), invaluable (I would never have gotten it without you) help.

 

Other Thanks To: My Fellow-63ers who gave me such positive feedback on my squares :)h . It seems that I don’t really master the stitch until the last few rows of each square. On every square, I dither about whether to redo it or not :ideanot . In fact, I’ve been seriously considering buying thread that doesn’t fray when frogged many times, use it to learn the stitch, then crochet the square using the Simply Soft (which doesn’t hold up to ripping out so well). Then I would have 2 afghans at the end of the project—one for me & one to share. The only downside is that it would take so much more time, and I’m already seeing other projects I want to start. Suffice it say that your feedback stopped me from spending money (and time) on more yarn. Thanks!

 

MDS

[TxCrochetGranny]

Hubris Goes Before A Fall

 

After reading complimentary remarks from fellow-63ers , my head became quite swollen , and I began to take less care with 10. Offset Cluster. Instead of stopping to count at the end of every row, I just whipped up to the next row and crocheted away just like I knew what I was doing! You can imagine my surprise when the clusters failed to line up . Well, after ripping out a few rows 2 and 3 times each, I (finally) went back to counting at the end of each row—this improved habit enabled me to crochet several rows at a time before having to frog—what progress!

 

To make matters worse: Even though I had checked my gauge very carefully for the 1st several rows, my square came out a little bit too big, but I decided to edge it anyway, hoping that it would “block down.†Again, Gentle Reader, imagine my astonishment when it came out to 8†x 8†before adding the ecru edging. Hmmn, what did I do wrong now? To start, I had continued with that great dc rhythm established in the square itself, even though the edging is supposed to be in sc. RIIIIIIIIIIIPPPPPPPPPPP and Start Again. Okay, I’m about ½ way through with edging1 when I realize that I am working on the Wrong Side instead of following the directions to work in the Right Side—sigh. What to do, what to do? Hmmmn. I think I’ll just correct it when I crochet the ecru edging. One more check before finishing off. ! WHAT! The square is 8†x 7 ½� Can I slip stitch the ecru on? What other way can I cheat? Hmmn, Hmmn, Hmmn. Momma always said that cheaters never prosper—I’d better just start over--not even going to rip it out again, just start with fresh yarn.

 

Gentle Reader, I’m sure that you will not fault me for deciding that a more productive way to spend this day is with a good book—better start over tomorrow.

 

MDS