I've been working on a knit blanket for about a year and a half now. It has had dormant stages to take breaks for christmas gifts, various other projects, etc. through the time. I am very close to finishing, I just have to keep it up for the next few months. I also have just, in the past 4 months, moved into a new place and I'm waiting on the blanket to really start the bedroom deco process. It's the piece de resistance, so I feel I can't start until it's finished.

Most crocheted blankets give me the heebie jeebies (long story). But kudos to those who can make and/or enjoy them!

Just a random point of information: that third blanket, the victory garden, appears to be a knitted log cabin pattern, and thus not a crocheted blanket. Just an FYI. We knitters and crocheters can be picky about our terminology :) Beautiful selection!

One of my grandmothers (the one who was decidedly less crafty than the other) for some reason decided she wanted to crochet me an afghan several (many) years ago. Bless her, the result is so uneven and lopsided that I can't even fold it into any kind of manageable shape to drape it over something. My other grandmother left me with a treasure trove of beautiful hand-made quilts, and I know the one who made me this afghan wanted to leave me with something hand-made from her too. So, of course, I could never part with it. But -oh - what to do with it???

More power to you for giving this craft a try.

Oh, oh my, that's MY log cabin blanket! Golly, thanks for including me!

To further clarify the point made earlier: yes, my blanket is knit, but it can very easily be crocheted as well. ;)

Now that bedbugs are on the march, this might seem scary, but I have seen nice afghans (some in great colors, some beyond ugly) at the flea market every year. Cheap! I figure they could be sterilized somehow if you were worried. (I haven't heard of infestations locally, but maybe it's riskier elsewhere.)

Mountains less work! (And Recycled!!)

I'd wrap the afghan in a plastic garbage bag tied tightly shut to seal in any critters, and figure out how to kill them. Just putting a black garbage bag out in the sun on a hot sunny day might bring the temperature up enough to do the job, I'm not sure. Then having it dry cleaned maybe would be wise. (Most afghans are either wool or acrylic yarns, which have different cleaning requirements.)

One observation, as blankets, hand knit and crochet can (depending on stitch and yarn) be super stretchy, so if you want them to look nice, treat them gently and choose (if you have the option) the less obviously stretchy versions.

We have one that my husband's grandmother made. We call it the Afghan Chicken Kabob, after a restaurant that used to be in our neighborhood!

My Mother in Law crocheted the world's greatest afghan for us Christmas before last!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/blastmilk/4257443289/

It is all white with multi-colored dimensional flowers at regular intervals. I love it! Must have taken her ages!

Without exception, this is the BEST post I've ever seen on Apartment Therapy EVER!

Anything crocheted or knitted is wonderful. If an afghan is made with acrylic yarn it will be nearly indestructible. Seriously, with minimal care it will outlive your great-grandchildren. Totally worth the time it takes to stitch.

Granny squares, in particular, are pure awesomeness. I crochet them during TV time so it doesn't feel (as much) like wasted time.

I crochet like a madwoman. Trust me, as you keep up the stitching you get a lot faster. ^_^

There are tons of crocheted and knitted items scattered around my house. It costs more to go handmade but it's worth every penny and moment of aching carpal tunnel.

I've been working on an afghan like this one:http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_FSFC2Q2oop4/S1V2C2xh9ZI/AAAAAAAAB3w/Zdf7yLtQwVQ/s1600-h/hexagonblanket.jpg

It's taken about a year, but it's almost done!

I look at these pictures and instantly smell dust and mildew. Having grown up with these, hated them then, hate them now, hate them always.

I learned to crochet just to make blankets. My mom and grandmothers made them too. I love them and I think it's incredably lovely to have something to work on then something you have at the end! I love the old ones and the ones I'm making. Thanks for this post!

I'm with you, jlw0001. I could like an afghan if it was crocheted with cotton yarn, but I've never come across one. My friends' parents always had scratchy, stinky afghans lying around. I hate the feel of them (and the smell).

This is by far my favorite knit blanket. One day I will make one of my own. I hope that I can create a similarly striking palette.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30412618@N06/2848083108

I made a crocheted afghan over the summer, using this pattern (free pattern, link leads to blogspot).

It's very easy and fast to crochet--though I would caution again beginners trying it. If you're not used to the motions of crocheting, crocheting this much will give you nasty hand cramps.

I made most of mine out of scraps of acrylic yarn, it's a good way to eat up a stockpile of cheap acrylic yarn (a pound of yarn works well for the background colour).

I forgot to mention, the yarn I'm using is a cotton/bamboo blend. It's awesome, silky, and washer/dryer friendly. Highly recommended.

I can't imagine buying anything at the flea market and not having it dry cleaned - especially something to put on the bed. Dry cleaning will kill moth larvae, which is something to be very concerned about with wool - if the blanket comes back in shreds, it had moth damage that cleaning revealed. (The same think could happen if the blanket was stored in a wooden drawer for a long time - acid in wood damages textiles and shows up when cleaned. This type of damage is most familiar on white textiles with brown "tea" stains.

I don't know whether cleaning kills bed bugs or not - I don't think it does. However, putting something in a dryer at 130 degrees for a cycle or two will kill them. Obviously, do this only with dry textiles and things that heat won't ruin.

I'd clean the flea market find and then "dry" it to have a clean, vermin free blanket to enjoy.

Sorry if I'm making you reconsider flea market finds but...

I don't know how to crochet but I do love knitting! Check it out mine! http://theruncible.wordpress.com/2011/01/18/the-unemployment-blanket/

i bought this one on etsy, and it is the best granny square, well, hexagon, blanket, ever!

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3156836&l=58961c614d&id=536973037

most crocheted items can be washed/cleaned easily. so if yours stinks....then, well, it's your fault.

that said, there are tons of updated patterns and yarns nowadays. you can replicate many of the throws that are available today, or come up with something new. some are very simple and only take a few hours. i love that people are coming around.

for fun patterns for blankets, and way humorous reading look up Mason Dixon Knitting. They love their Log Cabin themed knits.

Wow! What a surprise to see our crocheted blanket headlining your post.

Great selection (wheter they knitted or crocheted!) if I say so myself! ;o)

Thanks for the feature!

I regret the early knitting projects I did with acrylic yarn...even the better ones they make now.

For the amount of work that goes into something---and a blanket/afghan is a big project--spend the extra $$ and get a washable wool or cotton/bamboo. Go to a yarn shop, not a craft store, for advice.

Your hands will thank you, too. Even the better acrylics can be hard on your skin.

I LOVE a good afghan. I have a few that are depressing, however, and no one will use them but me. One is about the size of a placemat because my great-grandma started it and then passed away, and another (ironically the most beautiful one) I found at a neighbors estate sale, only later to find out the woman who died actually died with it on her bed with her under it! Eeeeep. I am the only one brave enough to use it, but now we lovingly refer to it as the "dead old lady" blanket.

Also a question- are the stretchy type afghans the acrylic ones?

Digging the granny squares one. Reminds me of my grandmother (of course)!

Oh my goodness. As the ten-thumbed daughter, granddaughter, and niece of remarkable needlewomen, I had to finally make my first comment. These blankets are just awesome, awesome, awesome!

Victory Garden Yarn, that blanket is such a beautiful piece of work, just gorgeous.

babyfishmouth, I realize you said you wouldn't want to part with the funny-shaped afghan your grandmother left you, but a thought came to my mind that may change yours. The animal shelters in my area are happy to accept teeny-tiny blankies or cushions for their teeny-tiny rescues, which they can snuggle up with for coziness in the unfamiliar environment and which go with them when they are adopted out to their forever homes.

I am really super-clumsy compared to the legacy of skilled women in my family, but I learned that the critters don't really care about perfection, and are happy with any old scrap as long as it's a bit fuzzy and they can 'nest' in it. Whenever I'm near a Joann's store, I go to the clearance bin and pick up scraps of fabric for pennies and make them up into little cushioned pads. It's an ongoing need because these little blankies are sent home with the animals. I know you say you don't want to part with the piece but making it into a few cushions might be a nice way to honor your grandmother and have her work be really appreciated, albeit in a somewhat different way than you may have pictured :). IIRC, the shelters' websites or Animal Control's website gives the dimensions they need, on the page where they have information for volunteering.

radioriot: Acrylic is referring to the manufactured fibers that make up the yarn. Wool, cotton, and bamboo are natural fibers, therefore are more comfortable against your skin and also wick moisture away unlike fibers made from polymers (like polyester).

Because of the nature of looped construction of knit or crochet blankets (or afghans if you will), they are all a bit stretchy. But it is due to the structure of the knit or crochet, not to the yarn being stretchy.

Hope that helps!

I don't call the bedcovers or tablecloths my husband's grandmother made "trendy". They are all very intricate and made from Irish wools and cotton. I call them "heirlooms".

That said, there can be a difference between "homemade" and "handmade".

Ok, I came of age in the 70s and this just creeps me out. If it works for y'all, great, but in my home...never.

Everything old IS new again...for better or for worse.

I love making them...for babies. I just have yet to find somewhere where they actually look good, and not..."tacky".