Update: Moogly Afghan Crochet-a-Long

I have been having such a great time crocheting these afghan blocks for the Moogly Afghan Crochet-A-Long 2014 (see my first blog post about it here)!  In fact, I was enjoying myself so much that I have crocheted 4 extra blocks in addition to the patterns that Moogly has chosen.  Here's what I have done so far:

I swear I don't remember the colors looking so patriotic in the yarn aisle of Jo-Ann Fabrics....  Oh well.  I am using Caron One Pound acrylic worsted weight yarn in the following colors: Claret, Cream, Azure, and Cape Cod Blue.

Each block is roughly 12"x12" and will be joined once I get all the blocks finished.  The red is a very strong color, and I need to strategically place it in the blanket to make it look balanced.  We are exactly halfway through the CAL (12 patterns have been revealed with 12 left to go), so I won't start the joining process until December.

Here are the blocks by themselves (excluding the ones that I talked about in the previous Moogly CAL blog post):

Lion's Mane (by April Moreland):

More V's Please (by Melinda Miller):

Drop in the Bucket (by Janie Herrin):

Princess (by Melinda Miller):

 Op-Art (by Jennifer Christensen):

Flower Tile (by Marta Chrzanowska):

Summer Romance (by April Moreland):

Summer Solstice (by Margaret MacInnis):

This last block (Summer Solstice) is my absolute favorite so far.  Look at the 3-D quality of this awesome design!!

And now for my "extra-curricular" blocks....  I was inspired by a blog post that Moogly did, encouraging us to swap out any block patterns that she chose which might not suit our fancy with some other alternate patterns.  I have liked most of the Moogly-chosen patterns so far, so I might just make a larger afghan and include everything.  We'll see!

Eight Pointed Flower (by Julie Yeager):

Patriotic Star Square (by Rik Gillette):

I used very strategic color changes on this Patriotic Star Square....  In honor of our family's move to Texas, I wanted to make it look reminiscent of the Texas state flag.

Magic Spike Mandela Square (by Tamara Kelly, Moogly herself!):

The Crocodile Flower (by Joyce Lewis):

I am so proud of this last one.....  It was tough but so satisfying.  I think I need to make more crocodile stitch patterns because I am in love!

This last afghan block is so special to me.  Moving from Illinois to Texas has been rough because I had to leave behind a wonderful group of friends, and I miss them all a lot.  One friend, Joann, is a fellow crocheter, and as a going away present, she figured out what yarn I was using for this Moogly CAL and crocheted me a block to add to my afghan!  To make it even more meaningful, she chose a pattern called "Circle of Friends Square" (by Priscilla Hewitt). Joann gave me the afghan block two months ago and I still can't look at it without getting a little weepy.  I love it so much.  Joann, you are such a thoughtful lady.  Thank you so much.

I love getting to exercise my doily-crocheting skills through these doily-esque patterns....  I have missed doing more complicated stitch patterns with amigurumi crocheting, in which you basically use one or two stitches for the entire pattern.

But the best part of the CAL is really getting to see what everyone else is doing.  A lot of the participants post pictures to the Moogly CAL 2014 group on Ravelry, and it is amazing to see how different each pattern looks when hooked with different yarn colors, different yarn types, and different color changes.  I can't wait to see what the other 12 patterns are, and I am looking forward to hooking a few more extra-curricular blocks.  So many cool patterns, so little time....

More afghan updates to come in the future!