During high school in the 1970’s I crocheted several granny square style afghans. I recently came across a photo showing the afghan I made for my orange and yellow themed bedroom, with the coordinating curtains my mom had sewed.
You can see the afghan on the bed in the lower left of the photo, and the flower print curtains on the windows. Our house came with sinks in each of the three bedrooms, a very unusual but practical feature. Even though I did not spend hours on my hair or makeup, it was still nice to be able to do teeth brushing and personal care privately in my room without tying up the bathroom. My color coordinated bath towel is hanging on the bar next to the vanity.
I believe I made the macrame plant holder that the spider plant is hanging in. Notice the cassette tape player on the little yellow table under the window. Occasionally I would listen to the radio, and then quickly hit “record” if a good song came on. LOL. I have no memory of the stuffed animal snake on top of the curtain rod.
That house was a lovely traditional story and a half. However it was smaller than the homes nearby, and had only one and a half baths, and a single stall garage. There was not enough room to add a second garage stall on that side of the house. When my parents sold it around 1999 the new owners removed the bedroom sinks. Later the house was bought by a developer and torn down to make room for a larger house with a modern floor plan, placed differently on the lot so it could have a bigger garage.
Following is a photo of my afghan, taken last spring when we were sorting and purging in preparation for moving. I have not had any rooms decorated with orange since those days and it was starting to come apart in several places. Even so, it is hard to part with something you spent a lot of time making.
The afghan was not in good enough condition for donation, and I could not bring myself to throw it in the trash. I had made it, I would be adding to the landfill and wasting yarn that could be repurposed. I decided to rip out the stitches that held the granny squares together and save the sections that were still usable. I was left with a pile of the squares plus small balls of the yarn I had removed.
Some day I will be inspired to make something new with the crocheted rectangles from the afghan. Maybe pillow covers, or bags, or a smaller afghan. Suggestions?
Yarns from the Lake 
The afghan is a Delight! I know you will find a new, creative venue for the pieces to inhabit.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Awesome blast from the past! I have never liked orange though! Except at Halloween! Carol
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haha and remember they had gold appliances back then. I do actually wear a bit of orange now.
LikeLike
My suggestion is to make reusable grocery bags with the colorful pieces or even the little balls (maybe use the balls for the bottom section or handles)
That’s what I plan to do with my leftover little balls. It’s washable and sturdy. Either donate or sell. You could even have a rack of them for sale in your yarn store.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good suggestion.
LikeLike
This is a GOOD one Meg, could totally relate. I love seeing your high school bedroom. I never saw it back then!!
________________________________
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow! You had an amazing bedroom. I don’t think I ever set foot in it although I remember dinners and holidays spent in your house! Baby blankets?
On Wed, Jun 24, 2020 at 6:47 AM Yarns from the Lake wrote:
> Meg Hanson posted: ” During high school in the 1970’s I crocheted several > granny square style afghans. I recently came across a photo showing the > afghan I made for my orange and yellow themed bedroom, with the > coordinating curtains my mom had sewed. My bedroom in the 1970″ >
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good suggestion!
LikeLike
I wish I could crochet but I’ve never been able to get the hang of it. My Nan is 90 and still spends much of her days crocheting.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That is a great way for your Nan to keep her mind alert!
LikeLike
That first photo brought back so many memories!
LikeLiked by 1 person
LikeLike
My grandmother had a “grandmother’s garden” quilt made for us in 1981. It deteriorated over the years and I packed it into a box. A few years later on many roadtrips I ripped it apart (100 hand sewn and hand quilted) and then made us a wall hanging from it. Subsequently made one for both my sister’s.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great idea to make wall hangings from your grandmother’s quilt!
LikeLike
I really love it. Lots of hand stitching which I really like.
LikeLiked by 1 person