Afghan Ahoy!

So, I have said for a long time that I would never crochet another afghan (the time! the cost! the boredom!), but when I heard about Moogly's Afghan Crochet-a-Long, I was intrigued.  To make a long story short, my favorite crochet blogger organized a fun project where she would post a free pattern for a 12" square (also called a block) every two weeks, and 24 blocks later, voila-- you have an afghan!  Well, you need to sew or stitch them all together, but still, the hardest work will all be done.  Plus, a whole community of crocheters (hookers is my preferred term, of course) will be doing it all together, communicating via Facebook and Ravelry.

I was still a bit skeptical that this would be as fun as it sounded until my awesome playgroup and crochet buddy, Joann, said she was going to give it a try.  All right, I thought.  Let's go!  8 weeks later, here's how I'm doing so far:

Bam!  I am having a blast.  It is so fun to post pictures of the completed blocks on Moogly's Facebook page and on the Moogly CAL 2014 forum on Ravelry.  We're all using the exact same patterns, but each hooker chooses his/her own yarn brand and colors, so everyone's blocks are turning out very different.  It is so amazing to see everyone's afghans coming together.

Oh, sorry-- Sonia wants me to post this picture of her posing with the blocks:

Because of all my doily crocheting experience (good grief, those patterns are complicated), I'm not having much trouble with the afghan block patterns.  But, on the Ravelry forums, anyone who is having trouble can post their questions and even upload pictures of their partially-finished blocks; then, other hookers can respond and give help where needed.  I am so in love with Ravelry (click here to check out my projects).... Once again, I have Joann to thank for encouraging me to get in involved with that website.  It's a great place to keep track of all my projects, see other projects that people have made with the exact same pattern that I am using, and find new and fun patterns to try.

Anyway, back to the Moogly Crochet-a-Long....  I am using 4 different colors of worsted-weight Caron One-Pound yarns.  The "claret" red isn't as bright in person as it is in these pictures.  I'm edging each block in the same dusty navy color to give a more homogenous look to this patchwork quilt.  Here are closer pictures of my afghan blocks (which have not yet been "blocked", which means soaked in water and pinned into a perfect square shape):

Anticipation Mystery (by Margaret MacInnis)

Catalina (by Julie Yeager)

Hugs N Kisses (by Aurora Suominen)

Veronica's Rose (by Melissa Green)

I can't wait to see what other blocks Moogly chooses for us to crochet!  And I'm dying to see how the afghan will turn out.  This is going to be one heavy blanket....  I'm definitely not letting Sonia use this one in her fort-building activities with Daddy.  I'll have to find a good place in our new house in Texas to display this labor of love.