Ten Colors Crocheted Afghan

2025.032

Ten Colors Crocheted Afghan

Anna Mae Seigle Barr (19 December 1921 - 8 September 2014)

circa 1970

48½ inches by 51 inches/ 123cm by 130cm
slightly shorter horizontally than vertically

This afghan was made by my paternal grandmother. She was a talented seamstress. She made much of her own wardrobe throughout her life as well as clothes for her grandchildren. She crocheted less often than she sewed. She is the person who taught me how to crochet when I was about ten years old.

The crocheted afghan is worked in 10 different neutral colors, mostly shaded in order. Were ends woven in as she worked? This would be a lot of ends to weave in! There is a subtle diagonal line in the pattern. A search of my pattern dictionaries did not turn up this stitch. The fabric seems to be based on single crochet worked only through the back of the loop. The diagonal stitches travel across the surface of the fabric. With a little experimentation, I got a similar effect by crocheting normally into the back loop of a stitch, then working into the front loop of the same stitch by inserting the hook top to bottom. I do not know if my paternal grandmother was following a pattern or if she was improvising.

A burn test confirmed the afghan is made of acrylic yarn. There is quite a bit of damage, which I initially thought were moth holes. Am wondering if a pet tore this afghan?

Jolie A. Elder