Herrschner's Blue-Ribbon Knit and Crochet Afghans

I snagged this book at my local craft store when I saw the Herrschner's label. Thumbing through it, I saw dozens of beautiful, unique afghans, most of them crochet. Two-thirds of the book is dedicated to adult afghans, which as one reviewer pointed out will take some time to make. I am in the process of making the Afghan-Stitch Aran, which has cable, diagonal, and diamond patterns worked in the stitches. What I liked about this book is the myriad of styles and the easy instructions. There is something for everybody.Included are two Christmas afghans. The first pattern was the deciding factor in buying Blue-Ribbon Afghans. It is a several-paneled piece, done in the Christmas colors, with braided fringe and simple embroidery. In the panels themselves, are Christmas trees, candy canes, and stars. You'll have to get the book (or check it out in your local craft store) to see what I'm talking about. The last third is dedicated to baby afghans, which are cute. But I prefer the Annie's Attic designs because of their uniqueness. At the very end of the book are general instructions for knitting, crochet, and finishing touches. This is an excellent book for the intermidiate to advanced crocheter/knitter.

I've made 7 afghans from this book--each one turned out beautifully. The baby afghan with the hearts is lovely. I enjoyed making it so much that I enlarged the pattern and made a full-size afghan for my niece. I anticipate doing at least 4-5 more from this book. Worth every penny and more!

This book really does have some wonderful afghan patterns in it and I would highly recommend it to anyone. However, I have a word of caution regarding the "Blue Star" afghan pictured on the cover. I made this afghan from a kit from Herrschners and it came out wonderfully. But I have had several people e-mail me saying that the version of the pattern in this book has a couple serious mistakes in it -- not to mention that the instructions are more concise (and less clear) than the kit version. I think that Leisure Arts messed it up in the editing process. I wouldn't let this keep me from buying the book (in fact, I do own it and still recommend it), but I wanted to let people know that this particular pattern has problems. My e-mail address is above if any of you out there have already started it and run into problems -- I'm always happy to help if I can.

These are gorgeous afghans, but keep in mind, they are "Blue Ribbon" afghans. They will take you a little longer than the "Quick" afghans, but the result will be worth it.

Beautiful afghans and great easy to follow intructions. Different levels of crochet for the beginner, intermediate and advanced crocheter. I highly recommend this book !