Hi there,

I'm hoping one of you might be able to help.  I need to crochet an afghan in a Native Amerian pattern or theme but after a two month search through books, patterns, websites, I'm having a hard time locating a pattern.  Would any of you happen to have a suggestion on where to look or search under?

I've tried lion brand patterns, ravelry, knittinghelp.com, the local library, and every website I can think of . . I'm out of ideas. This is supposed to be a November birthday gift, but if I don't get it started soon, it looks like it's going to wind up a Christmas gift.

Thanks for any and all suggestions.

Hi Karen,

I'm currently making an afghan (and this is the 5th one I've done of this pattern) called the Indian basket stitch.

It's a simple pattern.  Make your chain as long as you want the afghan to be wide, in increments of 10 stitches. Chain 1, turn.  SC across chain. Ch1, cut off yarn, leaving a 6 inch fringe.  (Personally, I guesstimate the fringe, and then use a rotary cutter on my cutting board when I'm finished, and trim the ends to the same length).  Add your next color of yarn, ch 1, turn.  Make sure you knot your fringes together (and leave a 6 inch tail on each end of the row) so the afghan doesn't unravel when you wash it.  I usually go 5 sc, and then make my next sc in the row BELOW the one on which you are working.  SC 10, and make your next dropped stitch.  Continue across the row, ending as before. On your 3rd row, you get to decide which direction your pattern is going.  Your dropped stitch will either be the stitch before the previous one, or the stitch after the previous one in each row.  I typically start with the stitch after, because on every other row, it'll be on the stitch before, as you turn your work with each new row.

I've seen variations of this pattern where the afghan has a diamond shape created by the dropped stitches, but mine just have diagonal lines going across the afghan.

I typically make this afghan using a combination of leftover scraps of yarn and yarn purchased for the purpose that blends with the colors I have on hand.  It's a great use for all those small amounts of yarn we have from the previous projects we've done.

Good luck with your afghan.

Deb

Thank you both. Pinenut, the site is great.  Deb, I did finally find a patterna and it's almost the same as the one you're making - only it is a diamond pattern.

I knew as soon as I asked for help that something would show up!  Thanks for your help.

I got the afghan done, finally, - in teal, brown, and tan with interspersed bands of black. Repeated diamonds across and up the afghan. It came out beautifully.

Thank you for your suggestions and links.

I thought I'd post a photo of the finished item.

This fits a queen size bed and hangs almost to the floor on each side.

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd194/karski92/My%20projects/HPIM0339.jpg

This is a photo of the individual pattern

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd194/karski92/My%20projects/HPIM0338.jpg