JulieAnny’s Stained Glass Afghan Square Coupon Code

Sale!

Today I’m offering  $2.00 off the price of one of my most popular designs, JulieAnny’s Stained Glass Afghan Square, exclusively for readers of this blog.  Click this direct link to  reduce the price from $3.99 to $1.99 (slightly more if VAT applies.)  Offer expires March 1, 2016.  If you need tutorial photos, send me a message.

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I love seeing finished afghans using this block.  Here are lovely versions by crochetqueen98, candygram5000, lisje, and KarenRedBaron.There are over 500 project photos on Ravelry for inspiration.  Thanks to all who support my work by purchasing patterns, posting photos, and recommending Julie Yeager Designs!

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KarenRedBaron

Finishing our Afghan Block CAL

Afghan Square CAL

There are many options when it comes to joining our afghan blocks.  I am lagging behind but I plan to put the border from “Fantastic” Block on all the blocks and then just slip stitch the blocks together.  I love to slip stitch through the front loops on the front side of the work and almost always use this join, especially when I do not want to distract from the design of the block.

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When I first started joining blocks in afghan swaps I would add rounds of dc and sc in pretty color combinations to tie everything together.  Simple but effective, and I think fringe is underrated.  🙂

xmas swap ghan

A favorite and classic join is Priscilla Hewitt’s “Flat Braid Join.”  Be careful at the corners; that part always trips me up!  There are video tutorials out there for this method.

My designer friend Margaret MacInnis has done several tutorials on joining methods.  Her “No Hook Out” method is a favorite, but check out her other tutorials.

Sandra at Crochet Cabana has a great description of a “Join As You Go.”  Love this.

So there are many great resources out there for joining your blocks, and each time you finish an afghan you will improve your skills.

What are you crocheting/knitting?

Uncategorized

What are we crocheting/knitting now in January?  I’m waiting for the yarn packs for our next Crochet-A-Long to be ready. It is going to be a re-working of my Garden State Afghan and will be a free pattern given out over a period of 8 weeks. Here is a sneak peek:

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Planning future projects – I have a unique (paid) design coming up to rival Modern Blanket of Flowers in the beauty/style/ease of execution/fun department. Can’t wait to finish. Then our Summer 2016 free Mystery-A-Long is in the thinking stage and it will be awesome.

If you are interested in another afghan Block Crochet A Long, my good friend designer Margaret MacInnis is running a CAL on her Ravelry board and will be featuring a new block from “moi” in March. Get in on the fun with her group on Ravelry.  Her new Facebook page is  up now and she’s working on a blog.  Give her a “like” and tell her I sent you.  ;p

 

Week 9 – Heart to Heart, Circle Star, and JulieAnny’s Stained Glass Afghan Square

Afghan Square CAL

We are at the last week of our Afghan Square CAL.  Many of you have already completed gorgeous afghans!   This week our free square was planned to be Circle Star, part of the Chain Reaction Afghan Project that I designed for an Interweave crochet contest and which appears in a free online e-book but some of you were having a hard time downloading it so I added another free block, Heart to Heart, which debuts here free on the blog.  Heart to Heart is only a 9″ block but you can add a few rounds to bring it up to size. 🙂

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Our featured paid pattern is the ever-popular JulieAnny’s Stained Glass Afghan Square, with over 560 project pages on Ravelry.

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When I had this as a free download one day, it was downloaded 10,000 times! This block has been around for a while and was my first best-seller.  Still fun to do and makes a striking result.  Here is a recent project that Beth Stanton and her sister completed for their aunt:  Beth Stanton

As you finish your squares, you may be looking for ideas on how to join the blocks.  My designer friend Margaret MacInnis has a few great tutorials for joining blocks; here is her No-Hook Out method.

Hope you enjoyed Crocheting Along and stay tuned for our next project!

Week 8 Afghan Block CAL – Viva La Vida and Mum in Treble

Afghan Square CAL

This week’s free block is Viva La Vida – a fun design that incorporates yo-yos right into the fabric of the piece.  Block makes its free debut right here on the blog.

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Paid pattern is Mum In Treble, $3.99 on Ravelry or available as part of the 18-pattern e-book.  I designed this block as a companion to In Treble, with its many treble clusters.  I find a loose hand with the petals gives the best look.

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Viva La Vida Afghan Square Free!

Afghan Square CAL, Free Pattern

Viva La Vida Afghan Square

by Julie Yeager Designs

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Materials:   Color A: Duckie                 Color B:  White                    Color C: Eggplant                  Color D:  Pink Poodle                Color E: Kelly Green                       Color F:  Magenta                     Color G:  Black

Suggested hook: Size I (5.5 mm)

Special Stitches:

Corner (over two stitches): (2dc,tr) in first st,(tr, 2dc) in second st

Beg. Corner (over two stitches): ( Ch 3, dc, tr) in first st, (tr, 2 dc) in second st

Yo-Yo: 14 dc in next st. After 14 th dc, with right side facing, rotate work clockwise and join with sl st to first of the 14 dc.

Notes: Ch 3 at the beginning of a round counts as a dc. The first round of the three yo-yo flowers are worked into the block, then at the end we go back and add the additional rounds.

Instructions:

Round 1: With A, ch 4, join with sl st to form ring. Ch 3, 11 dc in ring, sl st to top of beg ch-3. (12 dc)

Round 2: Ch 3, (corner over next 2 st, dc in next st) three times, corner, sl st to top of beg ch-3. Fasten off A. (20 dc, 8 tr)

Round 3: Join B with sl to first tr of any corner, Beg. Corner, (dc in next 5 st, corner) three times, dc in next 5 st, sl st to top of beg ch-3. Fasten off B. (36 dc, 8 tr)

Round 4: Join C with sl to next tr. Beg. Corner, dc in next 9 st, (corner, dc in next 9 st) twice, corner, yo-yo in next st, dc in next 8 st, sl st to top of beg ch-3. Fasten off C. (51 dc, 8 tr, 1 yo-yo)

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Round 5: Join D with sl to next tr. Beg. Corner, dc in next 8 st, yo-yo in next st, dc in next 4 st, corner, dc in next 13 st, corner, yo-yo in next st, dc in next 12 st, corner, dc in next 13 st, sl st to top of beg ch-3. (66 dc, 8 tr, 2 yo-yo)

Round 6: Ch 3, dc in next st, (corner, dc in next 17 st) three times, corner, dc in next 15 st. Sl st to top of beg ch-3, fasten off D. (84 dc, 8 tr)

Round 7: Join E with sc in first tr of any corner, sc in same st. 2 Sc in next st. (Sc in next 21 st, 2 sc in each of next 2 st.) three times, sc in next 21 st. Sl st to first sc. Fasten off E. (100 sc)

Round 8: (All st worked in BLO.) Join B with sl in BLO of 2 nd sc of any corner. Beg. corner, (dc in next 23 st, corner) three times, dc in next 23 st, sl to top of beg ch- 3. Fasten off B. (108 dc, 8 tr)

Round 9: Join E with sc in first tr of any corner, sc in same st. 2 sc in next st. [Sc in next 2 st, *sk 3 front loops in Rnd 7 and tr in next FL in Rnd 7. Sk 1 st in Rnd 8 and sc in next 3 st in Rnd 8.* Repeat * to * 5 times for a total of 6 tr. Sc in next st on Rnd 8, 2 sc in each of next 2 st] four times, omitting last corner. Fasten off E. (When turning the corner you are skipping 4 loops.) (100 sc, 24 tr)

Round 10: (All st worked in BLO.) Join F with sl in BLO of 2 nd of 4 corner sc, Beg. corner over this and next st. (Dc in next 29 st, corner) three times, dc in next 29 st, sl st to top of beg ch-3. Fasten off F. (132 st)

Round 11: Join G with sc in first tr of any corner, sc in same st. 2 Sc in next st. (Sc in next 33 st, 2 sc in each of next 2 st.) three times, sc in next 33 st. Sl st to first sc. Fasten off G. (148 sc)

Adding to the yo-yos

“Round 4” yo-yo  

Join F with sc in any st, hdc, ch 2, hdc, sc in same st. [Sk 1 st, (sc, hdc, ch 2, hdc, sc in next st)] 6 times, sk 1 st, sl st to beg st. Fasten off F.

“Round 5” – first yo-yo

1: Join G with sc in any st, sc in same st, 2 sc in each st around, sl st to beg st. Fasten off G. 2: Join B with sc in any st, sc in same st, (sc in next st, 2 sc in next st) around, sc in last st, sl st to beg sc. Fasten off B.

“Round 5” – second yo-yo

You will work one round through back loops of yo-yo, and one round through front loops.

Using Back Loops –  Join E with sc in back loop of any st, (ch 5, sc in next st) 13 times, ch 5, sl st to beg sc, fasten off.

Using Front Loops –  Join A with sc in front loop of any st, ch 2, sc in same st,*( sc, ch 2, sc) in next st,* 13 times, sl st to beg st, fasten off.

 

Copyright 2013 – Julie Yeager Designs. Please do not reproduce or distribute this pattern, even if it was obtained as a “free” pattern. See all my designs at http://www.ravelry.com/stores/julie-yeager-designs. Contact me at julieyeagerdesigns@gmail.com.

Week 7 Afghan Block CAL: Spiral Circle to Square and Firenze

Afghan Square CAL

This week features Spiral Circle to Square, free now for a limited time with coupon code SPIRAL on Ravelry.  (Coupon good until February 29, 2016.) It is an easy four-color spiral, and you may be familiar with the concept, but I thought the way I squared it up added something new.  This is my original and then a lovely version by Marywalkerartist.

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Here is what your pieces should look like after a few rounds, thanks to MadStitcher1 for pic:

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The paid pattern this week is Firenze Afghan Square.  Dedri Uys did a tutorial for this block on her blog last year.  Here is my original, a bright version by lieslein, and a blanket version by mariaknits1508.

Firenze_medium (1)liesleinmarias firenze

Please share photos and progress on my Ravelry board and/or our Facebook CAL page.

 

Week 6 – Margaret & Margaret; In Treble

Afghan Square CAL

Week 6 of our 12″ Afghan Block CAL features Margaret , free here on the blog, a 12″ solid block done in the tapestry crochet technique.  I designed this block a while back for a comfortghan for a designer friend, Margaret MacInnis; here is one by SueW28.

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Now Margaret is offering one of her new original designs free to the followers of this CAL – here is her block, Mystery Puffed Wheat,  now available free on Ravelry with coupon code Saskwheat.  Thanks, Margaret!image

Our paid pattern this week is the very popular In Treble.  Worked almost entirely in treble crochet clusters, this block always makes a statement.  Available on Ravelry for $3.99 or as part of the E-book. Here is the original plus a four-square by Vivilion:

in treble photo2 vivilion

Get all the blocks for the CAL in this E-book, and please share your progress on my Rav group and Facebook CAL group.