Saturday 28 February 2009

Spring Is Just Around The Corner III - 70's Crochet Afghans


bedspread

When I was growing up, there were certain things that were restricted to old ladies. Boiled sweets, antimacassars and crochet afghan blankets were high on the list of geriatric must-haves. If you owned any of these things, you might as well put your hair up into a bun and settle down to end your days with a pile of Mills and Boon romances and a tin of Fox's Speciality Assorted Biscuits.

Maybe I'm getting older, or maybe it's the current ascension of the etsy aesthetic, but recently I've come to see that afghans are glorious homemade works of art. I've always loved traditional patchwork - and these are obviously their simpler, hand-crafted siblings. Because they're usually made up out of remnants of wool, some of the random colour combinations that can be found in them can be very inspiring. This particularly nice one is from Jet Rag in Los Angeles - I love the way that it marries the 70's hippie look with a clean modern graphic pattern.

Even if most of the afghans are made out of 'granny squares' - you no longer need to be a granny (or a square) to appreciate them.

26 comments:

  1. Do you have a pattern for this afghan - it is really beautiful? I heartily agree - afghans are not just for grandmothers! They are so much fun to make!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I agree.. do you have the pattern to this

    ReplyDelete
  3. I do love this pattern...Can you tell us where you found your pattern?

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love this pattern too and have never been able to find one quite like it - would love to know the source.

    ReplyDelete
  5. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Sorry Guys - As I found this in a vintage store in LA, I have no idea where the pattern comes from.

    Glad you all like it so much!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I have seen this pattern somewhere. It is the crochet version of the "My Grandmother's Flower Garden" quilt pattern. I saw it somewhere actually described that way, so maybe that will help with the search.

    OK, this is funny and I had to share it. In order to post this comment, I got that message that says "prove you're not a robot." The word I had to type was "quato." Any fifties science fiction fans out there?

    ReplyDelete
  8. And Voila! Here you have the pattern: http://www.patchworkcrochet.com/garden.htm

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. i TRIED TOP OPEN THIS AND IT HAD A TROJAN HORSE ATTACHED TO IT. GOOD THING I HAVE AVAST!!

      Delete
  9. I love this so much, I want to crochet it someday, of course different colors.
    Terry Devine aka sunnywolfgar

    ReplyDelete
  10. i am writing a pattern for an afghan to match this. contact me if you want it when i test it out. i am here on blogger too. melissa.fulwider@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love the way this looks and is put together.

      Delete
    2. Hi Melissa,
      I am interested.

      Delete
    3. Hi Melissa,
      I am interested too!

      Delete
    4. Melissa I would love to help out :)

      Delete
    5. This is the pattern I have come up with if anyone wants to try it out. Happy hookin everyone!

      https://docs.google.com/document/d/1X-kcL9CCSJRx2PhaX-Vh7YHndvX55f1TNkIvqcLRs9s/edit

      Delete
    6. very beautiful can you send me a pattern my e-mail...maleepan2501@gmail.com

      Delete
    7. I would love to test this out as well! I've been looking for one to start and this one looks like the ticket!! ;)

      Delete
    8. Good morning l m interrsting inthis beautiful afgha pls can u send m the pattern

      Delete
  11. http://www.patchworkcrochet.com/garden.htm


    That isn't the exact pattern but it's very similar. I imagine you'd only need to add hexagons to create that third ring of color between the white background.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I've been looking for this pattern for ages. It looks identical to one I got out of a Quick & Easy Crochet magazine sometime in the 90s. I believe it was called "Coins." I made this afghan but unfortunately I lost it as well as all the magazines I had saved, when I moved. I would have contacted the publishing company but I can't remember which issue it was in!

    ReplyDelete
  13. http://www.patchworkcrochet.com/garden.htm --- Sure enough that link does go to a "hacked" page.

    But... if you put that url into the Way Back Machine's magic hopper, you can select a non-contaminated date digital snapshot from which to view the site and find the pattern. (Trust me, if I could figure out how to do it, anyone can.)

    ReplyDelete
  14. did someone get or develop this patterN?

    ReplyDelete
  15. here's the original pattern for purchase: https://www.etsy.com/listing/197238186/instant-download-pdf-vintage-crochet?ref=market

    ReplyDelete