Homemade Crocheted Tartan Plaid Afghans
As many people who crochet know, at the end of every project there are left over bits and pieces of yarn. Some large, some small. If you are fortunate enough to have a fair amount left over, you can make lap robes and the like to use them up. For instance, I use the extras to make lap robes for those in adult care centers and the Vet's home. This is one of the homemade crocheted tartan plaid afghans I made with Christmas colors.
Experiementing with different color combinations, and different designs, is fun. The mix and matches are endless. And while I have used my odds and ends to make small lap robes that used them up, in general if you are making a shawl like the ones on this page, it's probably best to use fresh full skeins of yarn. This way you will be able to complete a full project in mind if you have your heart set on a certain color sheme and design.
I had used Christmas colors in the one you see on this page becase I had quite a bit of red left from a jacket I had crocheted and green is my favorite color. if I say so myself, it turned out great!
Recently I started on a blue, purple and white plaid. I wasn't sure how I wanted the pattern to work so I just played with it a bit. I have
nt added the fringe yet, but still made my mom model it. And I think mom makes a perfect model! (what can I say….? I"m proud of my mom.)
It was a bit difficult to get the colors close as I wanted. No matter where I took the photo, the color seemed to change in my camera view depending on the lighting from the window or the overhead lights. The shawl afghan you see my mom wearing is closer to the true color than the one sitting on the chair back.
I made this shawl afghan a bit different than the ones you normally see because I took a shortcut which actually used less yarn. It sill turned out quite nice. In fact, I used an entire pound and a bit more of a Red Heart navy 4 ply yarn to make this one, another croceht shawl I am working on AND enough to weave and make fringe.
Best Yarn to Use for a Crrocheted Afghan Shawl
Red Heart doesn't have the softeness I like for sweaters and other garments but it works great for afghans, blankets, throws, shawls and the like.
For the amount you get out of it, you can't beat the price. Where I live, there is little to no choice, but I have ample colors to choose from online. Yay!! And as I mentioned, just a bit over one pound got me almost two shawls. I needed only a small amount (so I bought a smaller skein of the same color) to finish the weaving on both. The remainder is going to the fringes.
The colors I used in this second afghan were the navy blue, periwinkle blue, a medium purple and a white. The choice of color combinations are endless. Use your imagination!
The pattern is simple and I will post it as soon as I can. I forgot to write down instructions as I was crocheting so I will need to do a small sample and try to repeat the process I went through before I get it written.
Any suggestions, ideas or questions? Feel free to comment below.
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