Sunday's Trials (and Errors) part II

The Quest continues...

I'm really feeling stuck on what motif to use for my sister's afghan. I don't want to use a traditional granny square, but I can't seem to find the right design.
Originally, I planned to make a larger version of the Sonoma Baby Blanket, but I changed my mind after reading the pattern again. It's a very simple pattern, but I realized that I would get bored making all those squares, and then I would have to join them all...
So, I started looking for something else.
I recently purchased "Beyond the Square Crochet Motifs" by Edie Eckman. I was very excited when this book arrived, and I am still excited when I try the motifs out.

I'm just looking for the "right" one.
And I haven't found it yet.

Motif #49 looked promising. I even made a couple more to see how it might work, using join-as-you-go. Here's what it looked like with 2 motifs:

And with three:

This may be what I go back to, but finding the "right" motif is a bit like finding a wedding dress: you have to try on 50 to make sure you get the right one.

So, my next attempt from the same book was motif #7:

This thing is huge. I put my hand next to it for scale.











I actually liked this pattern a lot, and unlike the other circle I tried, this one has 8 spokes, making it rather octagon-like. Octagons can be joined together quite well, and I'm sure I can come up with something to fit in the gaps.

One thing I'm not too thrilled with is, of course, all those picots. So I made another trial piece, without them. It looks pretty nice, actually. I think I'm going to have to make a third, though, and see how the joining might go...or perhaps I could crochet them all together afterward...hmm. Something to think about.




There was also an ill-fated attempt to make motif #121. It's a square, with long chains on each corner that tuck into the next. The example in the book is awesome. Mine looked...maybe not-so-awesome...especially after one of the cats snagged it out of my hands and killed it. The resultant yarn tangle is not fit to be shared with anyone (except maybe the other cat-they seem to love it.)

In conclusion: I have two solid ideas, but the search continues. I'm going to try crocheting a square a day, and see where that gets me.

Oh yeah-the day wasn't over with these. See part III for my mis-adventures in fabric craft.