Thursday, March 6, 2014

Not All Problems Are Bad

One of the “problems” with crocheting as much as I do is that I end up with lots of partial skeins and bits and pieces of yarn: 
A solution to this problem is to crochet what is called a Scrap Afghan.  I had a couple of bags full of yarn bits and pieces that were unknown brands, colors and amounts.  So, I decided it was time to get a Scrap Afghan started. 

My first scrap afghan, which is still a “work in progress” (WIP) is using the Apache Tears pattern.   Each row is a different color yarn.   I, without looking, pull a ball of yarn out of the scrap bag and start crocheting with it.  So, the color pattern is not planned out, it is random.  This afghan does not use very much yarn in a row and is very slow to complete.

Here is my WIP Apache Tears afghan:
 Close-up view:
After working on this afghan off and on for several weeks it didn’t seem like my scrap bag was getting any less full.  Since the RV is sort of busting at the seams with yarn (don’t tell Mark!), I needed to find a pattern that used more yarn and worked up quickly.  My thought was that the more of these partial skeins of yarn I used up, the more new yarn I could buy (oops, I mean the more room we would have in the RV).

This is my second scrap afghan.  There isn’t a name for this pattern it is pretty much just using 4 different crochet stitches.  The colors are also random with the “avocado” green yarn used more often in the pattern and all around the boarder to pull it all together.  To show you how old this yarn is, “avocado” is now called “guacamole”.  It even sounds more modern!


I haven’t had much to blog about lately.  On our days off, if the weather is decent, we are out playing disc golf (Mark plays, I walk around enjoying being outside) or Mark flys his RC plane (radio controled) at the club field that he joined.  When the weather is unpleasant (which has been a lot of days this winter), I spend a lot of time crocheting and reading and Mark spends his time reading and flying his RC plane computer simulator.

Our time here is flying by and we are planning our route to our summer volunteer destination.

Stay tuned!
Teri

11 comments:

  1. So Colorful! I know you give a lot of your work away... I can just imagine someone in a retirement center... their eyes would light up when they saw those bright colors!

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    1. I like working with the bright colors too!

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  2. I like the Apache tears one best. Where are you off to this summer?

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  3. The patterns that the colors and stitches make are beautiful. One of the volunteers at Santa Ana makes simple dresses out of pillow cases, used or new, and donates them to a group that sends them to some place in Africa where the little girls are really poor. That seems like a good way to deal with a hobby. I told her about your donations. She also crochets. -Rick

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    1. That is a great way to use your hobby for a good cause!

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  4. Beautiful afghans, Teri! You really have a talent!
    --Sharon

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  5. Hello. Love the apache tears. QUestions for you about this pattern. Does it matter how many yarn colours used?

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  6. Hello. Love the apache tears. QUestions for you about this pattern. Does it matter how many yarn colours used?

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