Afghan for Jeanne: A Work In Progress

The 8 colors in the afghan

The very first square, about 16" x 16". You can see the vestige of the original log cabin plan, although to be consistent, the lavender and olive green would be switched.

The current and 2nd sqare, a variation on the first. Thus far I really like this one as the greens really complement the lavender. But, you never know how the whole will look until it's all put together.

Jeanne knows only too well that I don' t happily take to process, preferring definite decisions or, ideally, solutions. This afghan will be an opportunity to engage in process as I make this afghan for my dear friend. Jeanne is always so supportive of my knitting and most appreciative of anything I make.

Again, I'm being inspired by the techniques in Mason Dixon Knitting (see earlier blog entries for further details). First I began to make a classic log cabin, with the large lavender center as the center of the entire afghan. I chose the llog cabin design as a metaphor for Jeanne's newly-built house in the wild, wild West (brave soul that she is!). That's why the center much bigger than the usual center of a log cabin block. I now think of the llarge centers as evoking the wide open space and large sky of her new home. And, her large heart.

As I knit the first block, I had three thoughts about my original plan. Cotton yarn is quite heavy, doesn't hold its shape well and would benefit greatly from the structure provided by smaller blocks. Secondly, the variation in the size and color of strips around the center of each block would add great visual interest. And, finally, the large centers could be a unifying element depending on how I arrange them.

Planned: 16 blocks. The center four will be blocks with purple and lavender centers. Because Jeanne's feng shui calls for purples and greens, these colors will predominate. I'll see what happens and if I have enough to make four each of the dark purple and lavender center blocks. I have a lot of this yarn and part of the challenge (and fun) is working within the constraints of what there is in the stash.

Next installment: Yarn brand and colors, needle size and progress.