AMERICANA

One thing on my bucket list was to do a patriotic afghan.  I love the USA and I love red, white and blue but everybody does flags don’t they ??  America is so much more than that.  This is my expression of freedom.  

For this project I used the basic Round Ripple Afghan Pattern
http://idealdelusions.blogspot.com/p/basic-round-ripple-afghan-pattern.html




Red Heart Super Saver
This pattern has two endings…so you may wish to read it over before you purchase your yarn. 
Size as is displayed measures about 58 inches point to point.
Please read notes after round 30 before you buy your yarn
3943 Americana 3 or 4 (5oz.)  (check dye lot)
387 Soft navy 1 or 2 (7 oz.) skeins
??? WW unidentified 1 (7 oz.) Gold color from my stash, your choice.

Everyone who crochets has their own personal tension level and due to the fluctuation of the variegated yarn I cannot promise you that projects made from these same materials and the same pattern will be identical in appearance.

Note:
Maintain the increase/even rounds basic pattern format throughout except for exceptions noted.
Join all rounds

Rounds 1- 15: Following the Basic Round Ripple Pattern, on this blog, the first 15 full rounds will use up almost all of the first skein of Americana.  

Round 16: Change to gold, work in Single Crochet stitches, following the increase/even rounds format. NOTE: If this happens to be a round where you DO NOT increase, work (1 sc, ch3, 1 sc) in all) points so it will not be too tight. 

Round 17: Change to Soft navy, Work in double crochet maintaining pattern increase/even rounds format

Round 18: Your option, you can work a solid round or a skipped stitch round.  I did a skipped stitch round and to do a skipped stitch round you must first determine your starting stitch.  This requires starting from the point and counting to the bottom, because you don’t want your skipped stitch to fall in the point  You can place your skips where you like them.  I worked a Repeat *(1 dc, 1 dc, ch1, sk 1 st, ) across to the point.  In the point work (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) the second side of the point should mirror image the first side so you end in the correct stitch.


Round 19: Work in double crochet, maintain pattern increase/even rounds format, work 1 double crochet in each stitch and also in each chain one space if you chose to skip stitches on your last round.

Round 20:  Repeat round 16  Gold

Rounds 21 - 25: Change to Americana work pattern format in double crochet.  This will use most of the second skein of Americana

Round 26: Repeat round 16  Gold

Round 27:  Repeat round 17  Navy

Round 28:  Repeat round 18 (your option) Navy

Round 29:  Repeat round 19  Navy

Round 30: Repeat round 16  Gold
NOTE:  At this point some of you may wish to stop here as your project is now approximately 40 to 42 inches point to point.  You can leave it as it is, skip down to work the border I created or use any border you like. 
If you are ending here and decide to do the crab stitch edge I would suggest you work it with the Gold as round 30.
For those who wish to venture further follow me
Rounds 31-32–33:  Change to Americana, work in double crochet increase/even rounds pattern sequence. These three rounds will use most of your third skein of Americana

************

Round 34: Repeat round 16 Gold

Round 35-36-37 Repeat Rounds 16-17-18

OR

Round 35  Attach Navy.  If you followed the pattern exactly as I made mine, this round is where your first skein of Navy will run out.     

Count from the point down to determine which will be your stating stitch. Alternating stitch pattern your option.  Because Popcorn stitches are labor intensive, I worked 2 dc between them..*(1 dc, 1 dc, 1 popcorn st) making sure to start so I will have popcorn stitches in the points. You may chose to alternate one for one or even put 3 dc between popcorn…your choice.

Points are worked (1 popcorn st. ch 2, 1 popcorn stitch) For this round, you may have to disregard the pattern sequence, to keep the points crisp, work the popcorn stitches in the points and be sure to always mirror image the second side to match the first.

NOTE:  I always use 4 double crochet not 5 when I create my popcorn stitches for blankets but they did not have a symbol for 4 stitch popcorns.  Your choice.  Popcorn stitches are labor intensive.

Round 36- 37-38: This is your last skein of Americana.  The rounds are worked in double crochet following the basic pattern sequence.  I hate knots in my work so you may notice I did not carry part of any of the variegated skeins to the next round.  I don’t like the way it looks with a variegated yarn as it breaks up the color run and is to hard to blend. 

So I just completed as many full rounds as I could, in this case it was 3. but if I were almost to the end of a round and I did not have my Crochet obsessions I would probably  tie on the remainder of another skein instead of frogging a whole round.  A bit of tweaking and you could surely match it up.  But knowing my habits, I don’t play yarn chicken and I quit when I am ahead.    

Border: chose any you like, or create your own.

I wanted a braid look to the border and worked all 3 rounds in Single crochet

Round 39: Repeat round 16  Gold

Round 40:  Using Navy, repeat round 16 OR Second option: follow pattern sequence. but work double crochet instead of single

Round 41: Using Gold, repeat round 16 in Single Crochet

And if you find you have too much yarn left over you can always make a matching pillow

http://idealdelusions.blogspot.com/p/retro-round-ripple-pillow.html

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