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CHARTED PICTURE AFGHANS

by

Charted Picture Afghans by Bendy Carter

Are you a fan of charted crochet designs?  If so, Bendy Carter has created a book that is perfect for you!

This is Bendy’s latest crochet book.  She has authored quite a few before, titles which will likely be familiar to you.  How about, “Knit One, Purl Two”, “Learn To Do Surface Crochet”, “Single Crochet From A To Z”, or the novel, “Dying to Crochet”?  These are among Bendy’s more recent offerings.

With this book, Bendy uses single and double crochets to create picture afghans using easy to follow graphs.  This book contains every letter of the alphabet in the Monogram afghan, the whimsical Lost Mittens & Shoes, Quick and Easy Cables that are reminiscent of a traditional Navajo pattern, and the wonderful full-sized (afghan-sized, that is) elephant in the African Safari, plus the sweet My Prayer afghan.  There’s a charted design for almost every afghan occasion!

To finish things off, Bendy shows us FIVE ways to add fringe to each afghan!  I’m not a huge fan of fringe, but I am certainly going to give the Braided Fringe a try.

This 48 page, slickly photographed book has a brief introduction that clearly explains the technique Bendy uses to create the relief stitches.  In addition, there is a stitch guide and a Metric Conversion Chart at the back of the book.

BOOK SPECS:

Charted Picture Afghans, 5 Charted Afghans by Bendy Carter

Annie’s Attic Book #871107 (DRG Publishing), 2011

ISBN9781596353701

List Price $8.95 USD

Check out these Crochet Mittens Book on Amazon

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Comments

  2. Ordered this book as soon as I saw Annie’s Attic offering. Started the elephant picture on the cover this ecening. Such a simple concept – why didn’t someone do this sooner? Will be looking at filet patterns and Xstitch charts for some other ways to use this technique.

Have you read?

Christmas Tree Crochet Scarf – A Fun and Festive Pattern Worth Revisiting

Some crochet patterns are practical, some are pretty, and some are just pure holiday fun. This Christmas Tree Crochet Scarf from CraftBits falls firmly into that last category, and honestly, that is exactly why it caught my eye again. It is quirky, cheerful, and the kind of novelty scarf that makes people smile before you have even had a chance to explain that yes, you really did make it yourself. The pattern comes from CraftBits and creates a scarf made up of Christmas tree motifs joined together into one gloriously festive wearable.

If this scarf looks a little familiar, you might already have spotted it in our roundup of 18 Free Christmas Crochet Scarf Patterns To Make As Gifts or in our collection of 15 Fun And Silly Crochet Scarf Patterns. It has definitely popped up on Crochet.CraftGossip before, and for good reason. It is one of those patterns that manages to be both wearable and wonderfully ridiculous, which is a very fine line in the world of festive crochet.

What I like most about this design is that it does not try to be subtle. It fully embraces the novelty Christmas vibe, and sometimes that is exactly what a seasonal project needs. The scarf is made using repeated tree shapes, so it has that satisfying motif-based construction that many crocheters enjoy. It also gives you the chance to play with embellishments like pom poms and stars, which adds even more personality to the finished piece. According to the CraftBits pattern, the scarf uses Red Heart Super Saver yarn, a size I hook, and simple decorative extras including felt and pom poms.

This would be such a fun project for a holiday party outfit, an ugly sweater event, a handmade gag gift, or just for someone who genuinely loves festive accessories. We all know at least one person who would wear this proudly while serving Christmas lunch or turning up to school pickup in December like the absolute queen of holiday spirit.

It is also the sort of pattern that feels a little nostalgic in the best possible way. CraftBits has had this project around for years, and it still holds up because novelty crochet never really goes away. It just waits patiently for the rest of us to catch up again. And let’s be honest, there is something refreshing about a project that does not take itself too seriously. Not every scarf needs to be neutral, elegant, or sensible. Some scarves are allowed to be actual Christmas trees.

So yes, you may have seen this one before in our scarf roundups, but I think it deserves its own little spotlight too. If you are in the mood to make something playful, memorable, and completely unapologetic for the holiday season, this one is worth another look.