GREAT AMERICAN ARAN AFGHAN - 24 SQUARES

THE GREAT AMERICAN ARAN AFGHAN

 SQUARE # 19

Designed by JAY CAMPBELL  from Elizabeth, Colorado,

Both grandparents, mother and others were all knitters in Jay's family so, with such examples, he had no choice but to knit!

But, with too much energy to spare and his new bride wanting him to 'sit still' while watching movies, he took his own advice to his elementary school students and decided to try new things to grow and learn. So...he entered the GAAA contest.  

Boy are we happy he did because, as you can see, this winning entry represents children - symbolically - from the North, South, East and West.  Entitled 'Play Yard', we can imagine the children running and playing in all 4 directions.  What a great conceptual rendering and such a wonderful way to honor our kids.  What a Dad!  What a knitter!  Yea for the men!

THANK YOU JAY!

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Class Title:

                       SQUARE 19 (Pg.18) of the GREAT AMERICAN ARAN AFGHAN.

Designer:

                       JAY CAMPBELL

Instructor:

                       Linda L. Lucente

Materials:

                       Yarn:

                               May we suggest NAVAJO WOOL (Thunderbird Lodge) or machine washable COMFORT (Berroco)..

                               If choosing a single color for all 20-24 squares, we may be required to special order the yarn 

                               to ensure dye lot.  (please contact me in advance.)

                       Yards:    

                               Approximately 200 yards.

Needles:

                       US6 Circular-16", 5 US6 Double Points and a CABLE needle.

Skill Level:

                       Intermediate to Advanced

Homework:

                With circular needle, cast on 224 sts.  

                Join (being careful not to twist sts) and work as foll: Rnd 1 (see pg. 18)

Comments:

                       It is more than likely that your knitting skills will advance by the time you

                       have completed about 7 or 8 squares: this is the nature of the project

                       due to the variability of each square that presents their own challenges.

Dates/Times:  

                        JULY 18, 2009 @ 1:30PM

Fee:              

                       Still only ==> $20.00

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Note: 20 squares have been designed for the Afghan and 4 squares

have been designed for individual pillows to complement the afghan.

Your selection (one or all 24 squares) is totally up to you.  You can

mix and match any square for your GAAA. Many have already decided 

to knit all 24 squares whereas, others have chosen to knit 10 or less designs.

The choice is entirely yours!

A SMALL BIT OF HISTORY ABOUT THE GAAA!

This Great American Aran Afghan project is the 4th afghan designed and

published in the past issues of KNITTER'S MAGAZINE.  Beginning in the

spring of 1996, prior projects included 1) The Great American Afghan,

2) The Great North American Afghan, 3) The Great American Kid's Afghan

and now, 4) The Great American Aran Afghan (GAAA).  The GAAA was the

result of a Design Contest open to it's readers.  Knitters were challenged

to design a square.  Over 6 issues later and hundreds of submissions, 

the TOP 24 squares were chosen. 

Not all of the squares are equal in terms of knitting skill.  Some are fairly

simple once you've learned how to use a CABLE needle (we can teach you

how to do a simple cable in minutes!)  The others are going to challenge

you a bit more.  All-in-all, this afghan will provide a perfect opportunity to

try new techniques on a small scale.

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