Photos of BEAUTIFUL Great American Afghans

Sally D

Sally D
Sally chose to make her Great American Afghan in all white squares. It turned out beautifully, as you can see in the photo.

Mary T

Mary T
Mary had a lot of fun with color, as you can see in the photo above. The class looked forward to seeing Mary's designs each month.

Kathy R

Kathy R
Kathy made this afghan for her son. The red, burgundy, and persimmon colorway she chose is great. Instead of the cat, Kathy designed a bear.

Great American ARAN Afghan - March 2009

We held our classes for the first two squares of the Great American ARAN Afghan in March. This year about 50 participants are taking these fun and educational classes.

During the class we covered:

Format of the Classes

• Generally, we will not begin work on actual square. Instead, we will practice stitches on SWATCHES.
• Teachers are Carole, Pam, Shelly, Maryann and, sometimes, Pat and Janet. Different teachers will teach each square and that person is the “expert” on that particular square.
• Many weeks will begin class with “Show and Tell”, which is voluntary.
• Each square uses different techniques. Remember, there are many ways to do each stitch, but square designers designate their favorite (usually for a reason).

Format of the Pattern

• Overview
• Picture of square
• “in other words”
• Chart(s)
• Legend – standardized for book
• Knitting school – Mark these pages

Tips and Tricks

• Copy (and enlarge) pattern
• Highlight different stitches in colored marker
• Use stitch markers liberally
• Edge stitches usually are not shown on charts
• Attach dental floss to marker
• Use LIFELINES
• Take “Baby Steps”
• Don’t be afraid to FROG (ripit, ripit)
• RIGHT means REAR
• Use “Sticky Notes” liberally to keep track of stitches, rows or use sticky note as a “ruler”
• Use a magnetic board

Chart Reading Tips

• The chart shows the “public” side (right side-RS) of the work. Since the squares are worked back and forth, every other row will be on the “wrong” side (WS) of your work.
• Note row numbers in the margin.
  If the number is on the right side of the chart, the row is worked from right-to-left across chart.
  If the number is on the left side of the chart, the row is worked from left-to-right across chart.

Square designed by Judy Sumner - Page 2

We worked on a swatch that included the X's and O's cable pattern (chart A), the SPIDER with bobbles (chart C), and the leaves (chart B). This stitches in this "challenging" square will take a bit of time to master.

Square designed by Julie H. Levy on Page 4
We worked on a swatch that included the "Aran Diamond and Bobble". The featured stitches included the unusual 2/1/2 RPC and the bobble, as well as three stitch cables going left and right. The other cables had been covered in the "Square 2 - (square on page 2 of book)" class.

HELP for Michigan National Guard-Project Linus

As some of you may know, Nautical Yarn is the "clearing house" for the Ludington Chapter of Project Linus. We typically collect te 100-200 blankets each year and deliver them to our local hospital for children who have been ill or injured.

This week we received a request from the Michigan National Guard.

Camp Grayling, Engineering Company, Unit 1434 is requesting the help of Blanketeers from the Ludington Chapter of Project Linus.

Two-hundred fifty (250) Michigan soldiers are being deployed this spring. Blankets must be delivered to Nautical Yarn by May 1 so they can be delivered to the soldiers prior to their deployment.

These soldiers would like to give Project Linus blankets to their children for safety, security, and remembrance while Mom or Dad is gone for one or more years.

A total of 500 blankets are needed. We would like to assist with blankets for the more vulnerable age group, children between the ages of 4 and 10.

Please help with this endeavor to help provide security for the children of our Michigan volunteer soldiers.

Nautical Yarn and several yarn companies, especially Plymouth and Berroco, have generously provided FREE kits to help with this blanket drive. Stop by Nautical Yarn to pick up your free kit (while supplies last).

If you are able to make a blanket for this endeavor to help provide security for the children of our Michigan volunteer soldiers, it would be greatly appreciated.

If you have any questions, please email linus@nauticalyarn.com or call Nautical Yarn at 231-845-9868.

Saturday, February 23rd, we had our second GAAKALONY in-store class. What fun was had!

Show and Tell
First was "Show and Tell". Most people had both squares from the January class finished. Remember, we worked on the Lily Chin Square 9 and Kathy Zimmerman Square 8 during the first month. Everyone showed off their fine work and went on to give hints to the rest of us. Our in-store group consists of about 20 novice to experienced knitters. Everyone is working hard to learn and improve upon their already brilliant skills. Some felt the diagonal square designed by Lily Chin was the more difficult, but more believed the Kathy Zimmerman cable stitch design with moss stitch was more challenging.

The work completed by the class was amazing. Almost everyone had at least one square completed and many had both squares done. Some pictures will be posted as soon as I figure out how. (Oh, I just found an "add image" button. I'll try that.)

This is Juanita's Square 8

This is Juanita's Square 9

This is Mary's Square 9 with multicolored Bobbles

Hints and Tips
Since pattern reading and chart reading skills are new to some, many hints focused on easy ways to comfortably read the chart and written pattern words. Some people seem to prefer follow a chart and others prefer to read the "In other words" pattern. One goal of the GAAKALONY is for us all to become comfortable with both methods.
Some hints:

• Make Copies
  Make an enlarged copy of the chart or written instructions. By doing this, you have something you can read from a greater distance. You can also write on this copy to keep track of rows, etc.
• 3 by 5 cards
  Copy one line of a pattern repeat on to a 3 x 5 card. This way you can go through the "deck" one card at a time and focus on that row only, without the possibility of your eyes "wandering" up or down to a different row.
• Color coding
  Highlight the chart and legend (and written instructions) with a different color for each special stitch. For example, high-light 3/3 RC cables in yellow and high-light 3/3 LC cables in green. By doing this, the chart can be read from a greater distance and followed more easily.
• Tilt-Top table
  A tilt-top table is available from discount stores for about $19.95. If I get the link to a Web site that sells these tables, I will post it. This table slides under your chair and can hold your chart, written pattern, and accessories within easy reach. The tilt-top allow you to read the pattern "hands-free".
• Sticky and "Super" Sticky Notes
  Most of the knitters are using some configuration of sticky notes to help keep track of the row they are knitting. All said sticky notes are very helpful.
• Yarn
  Most of the knitters are using Cascade 220 for their projects. A few have chosen Encore for its washability and most of them are happy with their decision. But, on Saturday a few knitters switched to Cascade 220 wool because they want a finished product of heirloom quality. They said that they prefer the "feel" (hand) of the wool and like the look (stitch definition) of the Cascade. One knitter had knit the Lily Chin Square 9 out of some Lamb's Pride worsted while she waited for our shipment of Cascade 220 to arrive. The square was beautiful, but the Cascade 220 square was noticably softer while the Lamb's Pride square was firmer. This led to an interesting side-bar discussion of which yarn the knitters prefer for felting.
• Colors
  Oh, the colors! Some of the beautiful color combinations are:
  White (all white)
  Shades of White (White, cream, winter white, etc.)
  Beiges and Blues
  Rusty browns with burgundy, navy and forest green
  Burgundy, Navy, and White
  Browns and Aquas
  Greens and Beiges
  
  

Saturday, January 26, 2008
We had our first GAAKALONY in the Nautical Yarn shop Saturday, January 26th. In the morning we had a class about Lily Chin's square 9. We first discussed some generalities regarding the afghan and squares.



Topics included:

• Stitch gauge and needle size.
  We remarked that the finished squares should be 12 inches square. In the Great American Afghan book, the common needle sizes of 7 and 8 might be sizes 6 and 7 for a "loose" knitter or sizes 8 and 9 for a "tight" knitter.


• Color:
  We discussed color palettes, mixed vs monochromatic color palettes, hues, and oohed and aahed over everyone's choices.


• Yarn:
  We discussed the benefits of washable vs. dry-cleanable yarn, wool vs. blends, yarn factors, and cost factors. Most of the knitters chose Cascade 220 for its softness, affordability, and durability. Some chose Encore for its softness and washability. Others chose Cascade220 Superwash for its washability and yet others chose Berroco's Comfort yarn for its softness, affordability and washability.

We chose Lily Chin's square for our first GAAKALONY class in honor of Lily Chin who so graciously visited us in Ludington last summer and conducted some excellent classes. Many of the students in the GAAKALONY class had attended Lily's classes last summer and remember her fondly.

Lily Chin's Square 9
Many of the members of the class had never followed a chart (in fact, most stated that they had always been intimidated by charts.) We first knit a rectangular swatch that incorporated all of Lily's pattern stitches, but did not include the diagonal design and make 1 increases.
Soon everyone was comfortable with the slip-stitch pattern, the eyelet pattern and the bobble. Although class time was almost over, we did find time to knit a few rows of a diagonal knit swatch that incorporated the Make 1 increases.
We gave a rousing cheer for all who had learned the slip-stitch pattern. We also gave a cheer for all who learned the eyelet pattern. For the bobble knitters, the cheer was loudest of all!
In the morning class we had 18 students including 4 couch potatoes and 14 gathered in a large circle.

Kathy Zimmerman Square 8
Due to wedding showers and family obligations, our afternoon class was only 15 people (still a great number for a snowy Saturday in January.)
During the Afternoon class we tackled Kathy Zimmerman's cable square number 8. We learned that most of the 15 students had never knit a cable design before, so we were at square one on Square 8.
We first discussed reading the pattern ("In Other Words") versus reading the chart. For our class exercises, we emphasized reading the chart. Our first swatch was over motif A. The students learned some very helpful tips. Juanita reminded everyone that "Right means rear", meaning that when the cable stitches lean to the right the cable needle is held in the back (rear) of the work. Alternately, for a left-leaning cable the cable needle is held in the front of the work.
Another hint was to look at the chart and see which side of the chart the row numbers are located. If the row numbers are on the right side you are knitting a right-side row from right to left across the chart. If the row numbers are on the left side you are knitting a wrong-side row from left to right across the chart.
We practiced the first motif for 12 rows and thereby incorporated all the stitches and left and right cables needed for that section of the square.
Next we practiced the Moss Stitch for several rows. The cables in the center motif are "complicated" by incorporating the Moss Stitch into the center of the design. We wanted to make sure the knitters could "read" their stitches and know when to knit versus when to purl in the Moss Stitch pattern.
Finally we knit the center 18 stitches of the center motif. By doing this we knit 2/2 cables (both left and right) and 2/1 cables (both left and right). We also incorporated the Moss Stitch into the pattern. The afternoon went quickly and the students did a super job with their swatches. Many were excited to go home and begin the actual Square 8.

GAAKALONY
Online KAL Community
If you are reading this message, you are at the Nautical Yarn blog. If you would like to become a member of GAAKALONY, please send me an email message at carole@nauticalyarn.com and I will add you to the GAAKALONY membership roles.

Below are descriptions of the GAAKALONY classes offered in the shop. However, we will be posting pictures, hints, tips, frustrations, joy, and commentary about each square throughout the year during approximately the same time frames as the in-store classes. The square numbers are representative of the colorway was have chosen for the Nautical Yarn rendition of the GAA. Because beautiful, Ludington, Michigan is located on the shores of Lake Michigan, we have chosen grass and trees, sand, water, and sky, with a little bit of sunset as our color inspiration for the GAA.

GAAKALONY
Nautical Yarn is offering a new class experience during 2008. We are hosting our first KAL! What’s a KAL, you ask. A KAL is a “knit along” and we picked a doozy for our first one. The Great American Afghan consists of 25, 12 x 12 squares, each designed by a well-known designer and published in a booklet by Knitter’s Universe.

We will be providing the following components for our GAAKALONY (Great American Afghan Knit Along of Nautical Yarn—sounds like a gasoline additive doesn’t it? Or maybe a new kind of lunch meat?)

Component 1—FREE Classes
The fourth Saturday of each month in 2008, we will offer FREE classes on two squares at the shop, located at 108 South Rath Avenue, Ludington, MI. You may attend some, all, or none of the classes and still be part of the GAAKALONY. The classes will be taught by the staff of Nautical Yarn. The schedule of classes for Winter 2008 with descriptions of each square and techniques learned is listed on the Nautical Yarn web site at http://www.nauticalyarn.com/. Come in to Nautical Yarn when you are in the Ludington, MI area to see completed squares. We have about 8 finished as of this writing. (January 11, 2008)

Component 2—Online KAL Community
The second component of GAAKALONY is an online KAL community where we will post pictures and comments from all KAL members, as well as tricks and hints for each square. The address of the GAAKALONY is nauticalyarn.blogspot.com. So, if you are enjoying the sun and warmth of a winter vacation or awaiting your annual summer visit to Ludington, you can still be part of this community of knitters. Send me an email message at carole@nauticalyarn.com and I will add you as a member of the KAL.

Component 3—Donated Afghan
The third component is the finished Great American Afghan. The staff of Nautical Yarn will contribute their squares to a finished afghan, which will be auctioned off in 2009 to benefit a worthwhile charitable organization. If you would like to donate your finished square(s), Nautical Yarn will happily accept completed squares for a second afghan to donate.

The most important components of GAAKALONY are numbers 4 and 5—Knowledge and Fun.
Component 4—Knowledge
If you complete all 25 squares, you will be an expert knitter. You will have worked with hundreds of stitch patterns and excel at reading patterns and charts.

Component 5—Fun
While completing the squares with a real physical or virtual KAL community, you will have a ton of fun!

So remember, classes are FREE. You do not need to make every square to participate. Individual squares would make great handbags, pillow covers, or motifs to include in a different project.

During the classes we will discuss the pattern stitches pitfalls and hints of each design. Then, we will practice the parts of each square on a swatch. For most squares the necessary supplies are size 7 straight or circular needles, worsted weight yarn, cable needle, and stitch markers.

Online KAL Community
If you are reading this message, you are at the Nautical Yarn blog. If you would like to become a member of GAAKALONY, please send me an email message at carole@nauticalyarn.com and I will add you to the GAAKALONY.

Below are descriptions of the GAAKALONY classes offered in the shop. However, we will be posting pictures, hints, tips, frustrations, joy, and commentary about each square throughout the year during approximately the same time frames as the in-store classes.

GAAKALONY
(Great American Afghan Knit Along of Nautical Yarn)
In-store and Blog Schedule
January 26, 2008 (both classes taught by Carole)
Square 9 designed by Lily Chin 10:00 - 12:00 PM
We will begin our GAAKALONY with Lily’s fantastic, diagonal square. If you have ever knit a dishcloth, you have probably knit a square of this general shape and size. But, that’s where the resemblance to a dishcloth ends. Square 9 has bobbles, lace, and slip stitch designs.
Size 7 needles***

Square 8 designed by Kathy Zimmerman 1:00 - 3:00 PM
Kathy’s square will take us into the land of cables. Kathy designed this square using “composite cables”. This beautiful square is a lot of fun to knit. Square 8 incorporates 3 and 4 stitch cables into a beautiful design.
Size 7 needles, cable needle, and stitch markers (optional)***

February 23, 2008 (classes taught by Pat and Maryann)
Square 3 designed by Traci Bunkers 10:00 - 12:00 PM
During the morning class we will learn how to knit this square designed by Traci Bunkers. It contains many textures; cables, bobbles, and knit/purl combinations.
Size 7 needles, cable needle***

Square 11 designed by Melissa Leapman 1:00 - 3:00 PM
In the afternoon class, we will work on the “cat” design. You will see a cat develop on this square by just using a few simple cable stitches. Your chart reading skills will improve with this one.
Size 8 needles, cable needle, and stitch markers***

March 22, 2008 (classes taught by Pam and Shelly)
Square 19 designed by Barbara Venishnick 10:00 - 12:00 PM
Entrelac! If you have always wanted to learn the ins and outs and ups and downs of Entrelac, this is the class for you. You will learn the basics of Entrelac and work on this interesting, two-color square. Cables add extra interest.
Size 6 needles, cable needle, and stitch markers***

Square 20 designed by Diane Zangl 1:00 - 3:00 PM
Pretty Flower Buds and Leaves will be knit in the afternoon class. We will all get Spring Fever as we knit this simple yet elegant square.
Size 8 needles, cable needle, and stitch markers***

***
Note: The needle sizes suggested for the individual squares vary, depending on the stitch patterns. As always, the sizes listed are merely a starting point, choose the needle size that gives you the correct gauge. That is why we suggest you bring sizes 6, 7, and 8 needles.