Don’t Let Your WIPs Languish
This Galaxy afghan is one project that I’m glad is finally done! I just looked at my pattern notes, and I can’t believe I started it on June 8, 2010, over a year ago! But I let it languish for a good six months before finally biting the bullet and finishing it.
I spoke a bit about crocheting this afghan in a previous post, explaining the problems I’d had with it because I’d let it sit for so long. I typically print my patterns out so that I can take notes on them while I’m working. And even though I jotted down the start date and hook size, I think at some point before actually getting into the project, I changed the hook size but forgot to make the change in my notes. So I had to frog a good third of one of the side panels and rework it in a smaller hook size.
The other thing about letting a project languish, at least for me, is that my tension invariably changes when I start working on it again. Does that happen to anybody else? I really need to take the time to examine the earlier stitches and compare my current tension with them to make sure the tension is relatively even throughout. But I was SO anxious to get this thing done, that I didn’t do it and paid the price as a result. I’ve got mostly tight stitches, but in a couple of places, the tension is a little looser.
As you can see from the photo, this thing is HUGE. Sorry about the photo quality. I may try to take a better picture on a sunnier day and substitute it for this one. I had just gotten the afghan laid out on the ground when it started to rain and was only able to snap one photo – typical of weather in windward Oahu during the rainy season.
Reverse Single Crochet Border Pulls Everything Together
This is probably one of the main reasons why I crochet a border around my afghans. This pattern doesn’t call for a border, but I added one anyway – a row of single crochet, followed by a row of reverse single crochet, my favorite border stitch. A border can sometimes hide uneven sides, and this one creates a nice “frame” for the afghan.
One more OCD nit-pick – I usually split a crochet stitch when I’m crocheting on the side of the rows instead of around the last stitch in the row as I did with the first single crochet row of this border. Crocheting INTO the last stitch, with at least two strands of yarn on the hook, makes a much neater row of stitches on the side, but, as I said earlier, I wanted to get this thing done and it was faster to work around the stitch. It looks kind of tacky (at least to me), but there’s always the next afghan project to get it right.
Problems with Red Heart Yarn
This is one of the few times that I’m not pleased with the “feel” of the Red Heart Super Saver and Classic yarns I used to crochet this afghan. Typically, after machine washing and drying a Red Heart project, the yarn loosens up and is a lot softer than it is in its pre-washed state. But the single crochet stitches in this afghan are very tight, and the resulting fabric feels a little “card-board-y.” If I ever crochet an afghan this large again (not anytime soon, that’s for sure!), I’ll look for a softer acrylic yarn.
On the other hand, the color combinations turned out better than I thought they would. And I think the navy blue border helps to bring them all together in a pleasing whole.
What’s Next?
I’ve got some ideas bubbling around in my head for smaller, lapghan projects, so I haven’t totally given up on afghans, but unless it’s something that’s so fabulous that I just HAVE to crochet it, I’m sticking with the smaller lapghan projects for the foreseeable future.
13 comments On Galaxy Afghan – Finished At Last!
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Wow! This is so beautiful! I wish I had it in me to create something big.
Thanks so much, Moira. The original afghan pattern calls for black, white, and brown yarn, but I thought it would look nice in six colors instead of three. Don’t know if I’ll ever take on a project this big again.
It is very beautiful and the colour choices are wonderful. Well done and I think you should reconsider doing another large project, stick to it and if it turns out half as nice as this one then it will be worth it.
Hi sylgrant! Thanks so much for your positive feedback. I’m sure I’ll be captivated by some large crochet project or another in the future and decide to do it. You know how it goes :-).
Hi Patrice, I have no idea if you will see this or not, its been over a year since you posted this, but I just had to write. You say Finished At Last and started it a year earlier. Last weekend I was unpacking some very old boxes and found this afghan in pieces which I started in high school… BACK IN THE 70’s. All the circle parts are completed but only one side panel is about a quarter done. On a whim I decided to Google ‘crochet afghan circle 70’s’ and lo and behold, here I am. I have all the extra yarn, but no pattern. I was wondering if you recall if these side panels are one row dc and one row sc? I can figure out the increase/decreases for the inside edge but not sure of the stitch. If you see this and can tell me it just might be the incentive I need to get ‘er done. Then I will be able to really say… Finished At Last. 🙂
Thanks.
Hey Wendy, no matter how old a post is, I always get an email notification when someone comments. I would be happy to help you with the afghan. I have your email address so I will contact you via email.
Got it! Thank you so much. I’ll let you know when I get’er done. 🙂
Great, Wendy! Looking forward to seeing your finished afghan. If you take photos of it, post links here so we can see it.
Wendy and Patrice,
This is SOO funny! I have such a similar story to Wendy’s’ I can’t believe it. I found this site 2 days after her post due to my search to clarify my very old pattern. I just found the 1977 Woman’s Day directions (that are quite worn) that I had used to originally begin this project and scanned them in for safe keeping as I embark on trying to complete this afghan after 36 YEARS! Talk about letting a project languish!! I’ve about 3/4 of a side panel to complete, but haven’t crocheted for about 30 years; even so, I am determined to see it through to the final end! I could use some help with the 4th row of the side panel as it has been folded for so long I cannot read the words in my pattern. If you could email that row’s directions, I be so grateful. Thanks so much!!
Yes, that is funny, Kathryn. It just goes to show how timeless that pattern is if you want to complete it so many years later. It looks like you are squared away with the 4th row instructions. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Hi, I wanted to say that this afghan is amazing! Do you know where I can find the pattern? I’ve been looking everywhere and can’t find anything even close to it and would love to make this for my niece.
Hey Charlene, thanks! The pattern is in an out of print book called Woman’s Day Crochet Showcase published in 1980. I found it on Amazon. Here’s a link -http://www.amazon.com/Womans-Crochet-Showcase-EDITOR-SCHRAFFENBERGER/dp/B000HSGTC8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368749379&sr=8-1&keywords=woman%27s+day+crochet+showcase+1980. If you have problems getting the book, use the contact form to let me know.
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