Bernat MACAL – Clue #5

Clue #5 is another colorful one and is a mitered square.  This one will keep me busy because you have to make 16 squares.  This is the most we have had to make so far of one square.  I think I may have to do some blocking with this one because of the nature of the pattern… it tends to bunch up as you get closer to the other corner.  Maybe I need to loosen up my stitches a bit…  There are a few tips I want to share that I learned from the previous block, but forgot to post about.  Since they apply to this square too, I will post them here.

First of all, I have been joining the colors at the end instead of just fastening off and joining the next color with a slip stitch.  It makes this easier.  Second, I have been making sure to crochet in the ends of the yarn as I go, that way there are not a whole bunch of loose ends to weave in when the square is finished.  This saves quite a lot of time.

Once again, I have misgivings about the colors… But I must press on with what I have.  However, I think I will try the pattern again some other time with more coordinated colors.

Oh, a note about the pattern, if you grabbed it and printed it early this morning (like I did), there will be a misprint: Row 16 should read: “Do not break E. Join A. Turn.” instead of “Join C” and Row 18 should read “Break A. Pick up E. Turn.”.  They have since fixed it, but since this is my blog, I’m going to brag that I figured it out before they fixed it. lol

In other news, I have organized a crafts for charity group with some ladies from my church and we are meeting next Friday.  I’m kind of excited about getting this started even though I have to be the one in charge (not too fond of being in the spotlight :p).  I’m hoping we will be able to get together regularly.

I will post a picture of Clue #5 as soon as I can take a picture.

Free Crochet Pattern of the Day: Biffer Duster Wig

On the hook: Clue #5

Days til Christmas: 66

“Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”- Psalm 51:12

 

Bernat MACAL – Clue #4

Clue #4 is a pretty colorful one and it gives a really great preview of how almost all the colors are going to look together.  And I’m a little disappointed.  The colors that I picked out do not quite go together.  They don’t look horrible together, but they don’t mesh as well as I would have liked.  That will teach me to order exclusively from a website.  Next time, if I have to color coordinate, I’ll check out the colors in a store first, then I can go for the cheaper price online.  That way, I can be sure of what I am getting.  Other than that, this square is pretty straight forward.  Anxious for the next one…

Free Crochet Pattern of the Day: Boo Bookmark

On the hook: Winter hat and CAL

Days til Christmas: 73

 

Bernat MACAL – Clue #3

So clue #3 has come up and it is done in a V-stitch.  The color Emerald was used for this clue.  I followed the pattern for my 8 squares, however, if I were to do it again, I would do it differently.  The following version of the stitch leaves the edges more straight and less bumpy, which would be more suited for an afghan square in my opinion:

Ch: Multiple of 3

Row 1: Dc in 4th ch from hook, ch 1, 1 dc in next ch, *skip 1 ch, 1 dc in next ch, ch 1, 1 dc in next ch, repeat from * to last ch, 1 dc in last ch, turn.

Row 2: Ch 3 (counts as dc), skip first 2 dc, *(1 dc, ch 1, 1 dc) in ch-1 space, skip 2 dc, repeat from * to last dc, skip last dc, 2 dc in 3rd ch of turning ch, turn.

Repeat Row 2.

Here is what my square turned out like:

A note about this square, I had to go up a size in hook in order to keep the right gauge.

Free Crochet Pattern of the Day: “I Want My Mummy” Treat Bag

On the hook: Winter hat

Days til Christmas: 72

 

Bernat MACAL – Clue #2 (Oct. 5)

Well, clue #2 was released last Wednesday and it turned out to be: bum…bum…BUM! A Granny square! Whooo! LOL Well, I guess you can’t really call yourself a crocheter without making or at least knowing how to make a granny square.  Since they are so popular, I don’t see any harm in posting my finished square in the body of this post.  I’m not really spoiling anything by doing so.  The color I used for this square was Grass.:

It was really simple to whip up two of the squares.  Tomorrow we get another clue and I am anxious to see what it is.

In other news, I did finish my project for my niece and I have one more to go, then an additional project and I will have all the Christmas projects finished and I can carry on with other things.

 

Bernat MACAL – Clue #1 (Sept. 22)

Ok, so I started the mystery afghan. Following the directions, I started out with my Contrast A color which happens to be Fern. First things first, we start out checking our gauge. I fiddled around with a couple different hooks and tensions and wound up staying with the J size hook called for in the pattern, but with a lot looser grip on the yarn than I am used to. The gauge states that 11sc and 12 rows are 4″. Here is my swatch:

After the getting the swatch right I started right on the squares. The pattern is one row of sc followed by a row of dc. It is important to remember that when you count the turning chain as a dc on the dc row, you must skip the first sc of the previous row. If you do not, you will end up with an extra stitch every time. I’m not going to post my finished square directly into my blog so I don’t spoil the surprise, but if you want to see the finished square, you can click here.

I’ve finished my 2 squares and eagerly await next Wednesday for the next clue. Good luck everyone else on their squares.

 

Bernat Mystery Afghan CAL

I’m going to re-post the posts on the Bernat CAL from my other blog into this one for easy reference:

I received yarn today for my entry in the Bernat Mystery Afghan Crochet-Along. The colors I chose are:

Contrast A – Fern
Contrast B – Aqua
Contrast C – Teal
Contrast D – Grass
Contrast E – Emerald

The Emerald is a lot more blue than I imagined it would be from the website. I hope it looks ok with my other color selections when the afghan is put together… Aside from any misgivings I have about the colors, I am excited to get the first clue so I can start making the afghan.

 

Welcome!

This is my new blog. I think I like the customization here better than Blogger. We’ll see how it goes. I’m going to post on the progress of the Bernat Mystery Afghan CAL soon. I’ve been trying to get this blog suited to my tastes.

Free Crochet Pattern of the Day: Lunch Bag

On the hook: Winter hat & CAL

Days til Christmas: 73