Afghan: Finally Finished! (Filet Hearts pattern)

Granted, I'm not here year-round to work on projects, it still seems too long to take a year to finish an afghan. Really, I've only worked on it a little over 3 weeks.

12 stripes: black, white, red, repeated. 12 rows in each stripe, for 144 rows, plus a 3 row border, white, red, black. (White would really show dirt, so I put it inside.)
Chain 237 stitches.
Row 1 :  Dc in 4th stitch from hook and in next 26 stitches, *work ch 1, skip next stitch, dc in next st over next 26 stitches, work dc in next 27 stitches. Repeat from star across. I have a closed block at each end, so I had to repeat the dc over 27 stitches once more. The open squares have closed hearts, the closed squares have open hearts.
Row 2: closed squares, dc across,
Open squares, 13 open squares.
Row 3: closed square, dc across 13 stitches, ch 1, skip next stitch, dc across next 13 stitches.
Open square, ch 1, skip ch, dc in next dc for 6 spaces, dc in next sp, dc in next dc, ch 1, dc in next dc for 6 spaces. Alternate closed squares and open squares across row.
Row 4: closed square, dc across 11 dc, ch 1, skip next stitch, dc in next dc. Ch 1, dc in next dc. Ch 1, skip next stitch, dc across next 11 stitches.
Open square, ch 1, dc in next dc for 5 squares, dc in each of next 7 stitches (dc and ch). Work open squares across next 5 squares.
Row 5: closed square, 9 dc, 5 open squares, 9 dc.
Open squares, 4 open squares, 11 dc, 4 open squares.
Row 6: closed square, 7 dc, 7 open squares, 7 dc.
Open squares, 3 open squares, 13 dc, 3 open squares.
Row 7: closed square, 5 dc, 9 open squares, 5 dc.
Open squares, 2 open squares, 15 dc, 2 open squares.
Row 8: repeat row 7
Row 9: closed squares, 5 dc, 4 open squares, 3 dc, 4 open squares, 5 dc.
Open squares, 2 open squares, 9 dc, 1 open square, 9 dc, 2 open squares.
Row 10: closed squares, 7 dc, 2 open squares, 7 dc, 2 open squares, 7 dc.
Open squares, 3 open squares, 5 dc, 3 open squares, 5 dc, 3 open squares.
Row 11, closed squares, dc across.
Open squares, 13 open squares.
Row 12: repeat row 11.
For next stripe, work open squares over closed squares and closed squares over open squares.
I used 3 colors so that the pattern wouldn't repeat in the same color every time. I like this enough to use it for my February afghan. Now, I just have to decide on the colors.......

My son, the practical joker

 I came to visit my son for Christmas. While we were opening presents, they brought out a big box. No, a BIG box. My son pushed it across the floor to me as if it were really heavy. All I could think was, "Oh, no, how am I going to get that back on the plane?!" So, I opened it. It was full of plastic bags. My son and his wife, and her parents, had saved their bags for the whole last year. I think that was my best present, at least I was glad to get all those bags. For two weeks, I've spent hours a day, cutting bags, tying strips together and rolling them into balls. I'm not finished yet! At last count, there are over 200 of just tan bags. Maybe that'll be enough to finish a beach bag and a rug for them.

I'm not just working with plarn. This afghan wasn't finished when I left last year. I thought it needed 3 more stripes and a border. I haven't been including these projects in my wip count. That's OK, it gives me a variety to work on for the rest of my visit while my son and his wife are at their jobs.

Rug started

Using an H hook and plarn, ch 106.
Turn. In 4th ch from hook, work dc. Dc across. 103 dc.
This makes the 2 foot side.
Turn, ch 3. Work dc across.
Repeat until rug is desired width. (3 feet is usually well proportioned.)
It twisted and rippled for several rows. By the 8th row, it was lying flat.
5 rows make 2 inches. This will take about 200 bags. Changing colors will make stripes. Make the stripes as wide or as narrow as you wish - this is your creative art! Make it uniquely yours!
I'm making this one for my son's back door, inside his garage. He doesn't care about color, just that it stops some of the sand and dirt from being tracked into his house. It will do that, but it will take some time to make. It will probably take over 30 hours just to cut the bags!

Rectangle Rug

My mom likes to make round and oval rugs.

Very nice. Machine wash when they get dirty. They will last for years.
To get them to lie flat, she has to increase evenly, every round, all around for round rugs and on the ends for oval rugs.
Easier to make is a rectangle rug.
Chain as long as you want the rug to be wide. Much as I start a bag.

For shoulder bags, I start with 11 ch. For a rug, I'm going to start with a 2 foot long chain. I will work rows until it is about 3 feet long, so the rug will measure 2 feet by 3 feet. I think I'll use dc instead of sc. I think it goes a little faster. I'm not going to use all the same color bags. I want stripes. I don't know how many bags it will take to make adequately wide stripes. This is another experiment. It's also going to take some time. Progress reports to follow...

Carrying Strap

This will be an experiment. I remember as a child, seeing pictures in older books of children carrying books with a strap wrapped around the books. This was before backpacks became so common on campuses.
I find myself carrying my flute and so much else all too often. It came to me today how much easier this would be to carry if I had straps to throw over my shoulder!
Using plarn and an H hook, chain 11, turn, sk first ch st, sc in next 10 ch sts.
Following rows: ch 1, turn, 1 sc in each st. 10 sc in each row.
Repeat until the strap is your desired length.
I think 55 inches would be good for me.
Being careful to not twist the strap, join the ends using sl st.
Update to follow on how well it works.....

Durable Crochet

This time last year, I was crocheting frantically to finish projects for my decorating or for gifts.

 Each project I finished gave me great satisfaction. When I give an item, the recipient always seems happy to have one of my creations. A friend told me just a few days ago that she's still happily using an angel as part of her Christmas decorations that I had made over 15 years ago for her. Additional proof, if needed, that carefully made items can be enjoyed for years to come.

 So, I have plenty of decorations, no need to make more.

 I'll just get out the items I've made over the last 30 years and enjoy them again.

 I might need a few more angels, since I tie them on presents, hopefully to decorate someone else's tree.

All those hours spent are now paying dividends.

 I can enjoy decorating using items made over the years. In fact, I've almost reached the point of wondering WHERE to display everything.

 Notice all the pineapples?

 A few items aren't pineapple patterned.

This doily is one I had made for my mother in law. When she passed away, it came back to me. She had put it out every year. Now I will do the same. At some point, it will go to one of my children to be enjoyed for many more years.

Patterns are Suggestions

 Have I said how much I like pineapples? I'm sure it's because my grandma who taught me to crochet had crocheted items in the pineapple pattern all over her house. It was just how she decorated. I thought it was elegant. Grandma's house is always special. I've made 3 of this afghan pattern, for my brother, my daughter and myself. Pineapple is also the traditional symbol of welcome. Afghans and doilies of the pineapple pattern say "welcome" to your guests.

A close-up of the pineapples.
Lovely. That's enough practice with the pattern. Time to change it!

So, a shawl. That was an easy change. Start with 1 bottom point instead of 8 and increase on both sides. I'm still getting compliments on this.

 Modesty panel.

This is nearly the same as the shawl, just smaller and in thread instead of yarn.

 The cape. This took lots of thread.

It was worth all the time. I felt elegant at my son's wedding. Yes, I have a crazy family.

Here's a wrap from a yarn wrapper I want to make. It's called: wrap with slits. I'm using off white yarn so I can wear it with anything. I started with 4 bottom points from my afghan pattern. That's a few inches wider than this pattern calls for. It's still half the width of the afghan. This calls for more rows than the afghan, but it also calls for hdc instead of dc, so we'll just have to see. Progress reports/updates to come.....