Barb Asselin - My First Afghan: A Visual, Step-by-Step Guide to Crocheting a Beautiful Afghan

Thank you for downloading this book and supporting an independent author. I really appreciate it. Crochet is something I have enjoyed doing since I was about 6 or 7 when my Nanny Short taught me how to make a granny square.

Knitting and crocheting are very popular in my extended family. Every year for Christmas, my Aunt Ruth used to knit my brother and me lopi sweaters, or at least that is what we called them. They were beautiful handmade sweaters with intricate designs at the top. We also celebrated Christmas each year with handmade crocheted stockings that had Rudolph and our names on them. We still have those stockings to this day.

My Nanny Short used to make me an afghan every year, but not for Christmas. Whenever I went home (usually during the summer months), she would show up with a big garbage bag full of something and I knew that inside was another one of her beautiful creations. As I got older, the afghans got bigger. She made me single-sized afghans when I was young. When I got my first apartment, the afghans grew to double-sized. When I got married, they were queen-sized, and after I had children, they were king-sized. Plus, she made me many lap-sized afghans over the years.

Growing up in such a crafty family, you can probably guess that my spare bedroom is called the Craft Room and there is a closet filled to the brim with fabrics and yarn. My daughters and I love to go into the Craft Room and choose some materials and just create something new.

I hope you enjoy crocheting your first afghan from this book. I specifically chose projects that would be easy to crochet and would give you confidence to try different patterns or bigger projects or more complicated stitches.

This book starts with an overview of the basic crochet stitches as well as yarn information and tools often used in crocheting, as do my other crochet books. Then, you will find a detailed, step-by-step instruction (including pictures) of each stitch you will need to complete your first afghan. Then, you will find two versions of the pattern needed to complete the afghan on the cover of this book. The first version is the complete pattern and is the text-only version. The second version includes many photographs and a step-by-step instruction for completing a granny square. Finally, you will find a bonus pattern so that you can create even more beautiful afghans!

Before we start, dont forget to check out the free video tutorials that are included in this book. You can learn to crochet each stitch along with me at your own speed. Enjoy!