Monday 13th august 2012
I wanted something that will keep my interest alive and I like the concept of knitting complex squares.
I received the book last Friday and I bought the wool this morning. Impossible to find a similar wool: 180m per 100g. i had to go for 200m for 100g. I fell in love with a pure new wool and the color was exactely what I had in mind. I bought one 50g skein to try. The Lady was not sure she would be able to find 40 skeins. I hope she will because this wool is a pleasure to work with.

SQUARE 1 : Marian Tabler
I have started with Marian Tabler square. I liked the design of the skew cables. Not easy to jump from one line to the other at the beginning but i am getting the hang of it.
Thursday 16th August 2012
As I am not using the “”reading the chart“ system, I have to follow the row. To make it easier to follow I have made my own spreadsheet (see the added picture).
I am using my own markers : easy to do. I take 20 cm of a colored wool, attached it with multiple knots around a pencil, take the pencil out, cut the excess wool et Voilà! They are light and easy to move around.

Sunday 19 August 2012
I have finished my first square and it blocked perfectly in a 30cm x 30cm square and weighted 71 gr. I had only one big problem whenthe cable change direction in chart A (row23) . I did not notice that the cable was not “twisting” there (passing from 2/2 RC to 2/2 LC). I thought I had made a mistake and undid quite a few rows…for nothing.

SQUARE 2 : Meredith Morioka
I liked the symmetry of that square and the yo effect.
I am a little bit concerned by the number of rows : 100 (the Tabler square had 81 only ) but we shall see.
I have some trouble to follow the lines for the 33 sts of chart B so I scanned the page in pdf, used a OCR and copied in a word document, in a larger font and with 1 line for each row.

Sunday 19 August 2012
This week I have not been able to update this page but I have done a lot of knitting.
As I thought it will be , this square is a little bit bigger than the others but it will do.

SQUARE 3 : Suzanne Atkinson
I wanted a change in scenery and I choose this “non” symmetric square. I decided that I will try to follow the chart instead of the “In other words” text. I must say I found it easier as there is only one chart to follow. I found it very easy and I finished it very quickly. I did not weave the cast-on tail for the sun’s rays. I used it to position each ray around the sun, and used the other end to sew the cords in place.

SQUARE 4 : Hanna Burns
When I knit a square, I like to be, as soon as possible, free of the pattern. It is quicker when you have memorized the pattern. As my memory is not that good I prefer to understand the pattern. If you look at the photo of chart C, you will see that the 1 stitch cable never runs under the other. Once you notice that you know how your CN must be positioned. The oblique lines that separates the purl an the knit tbl-purl sequences of chart B are also easy to follow. The tricky part is in the turning. On one side there is interruption of the oblique line that starts on the opposite side following the knit tbl line, on the other side the new oblique line goes over the old one.
I find that chart D pulls the knitting a lot causing the garter border to frill.

Tuesday 28 August 2012
My Burn square is completed. I had to knit 86 rows of the pattern before the 3 ridges to allow some stretch in the blocking as the center pattern made it very narrow. I have pinned it on my cardboard square last night and it seems ok. I have to think of the next one now. Which one am I going to choose?

Sunday 9 September 2012
I really have neglected to update my project! Meanwhile I knitted 3 squares and I am in the process of finishing a fifth one! Busy bee.

SQUARE 5 : Jay Campbell
My first square in the “outside to center” shape. I used 1 circular needle until row 21, then 2. I am quite used to circular needles as I used them to knit socks and I did read “Join, being careful not to twist sts” but having to follow 224 sts to check if the work is not twisted is not an easy task and while I did do it I was not careful enough and knitted 20 rows(!!) before seeing that my work was twisted. Apart from that it is a pattern where you can easily follow the chart as each row is read from * right to left. Having the pictures of the corners (see my photo) in your mind helps a lot with the S2KP2. You pick up any mistake quickly.
I had to undo the top part once as I had knitted two rows in excess and the center of the square was sticking out.

SQUARE 6 : Susan Rainey
The “jumper” square. That was fun. I mean the jumper part because the background square was very boring, a real TVknitting square. I put the detail of the corner as it could be tricky specially while watching tv. I maybe will have to stitch the jumper again on the square as it does not lay flat.

SQUARE 7 : Dagmara Berztiss
For the next square, I gave the book to my Mum and asked her to choose one. Every time I start a new square ,I always ask myself if I am going to follow the Chart or In other words. I hesitated for that one and finally choose the chart. Very easy. I had to read a few times the DEC 4 part, It much easier to do it than to read it! I think it a very good square to get the feeling of the right slanting cable or the left slanting one. I really had only to check if it was on 3 or 4 stitches. It was very easy to follow just in looking at the knitting. I will recommend that one as a first chart reading one.

SQUARE 8 : Carol Adams
I started that one because on the Great American Aran Afghan Along group, Vise qualified it as “tellyknit”. It was just what I needed as I was going to watch a 3 hours film. (in fact 3 episodes).
My only problem: I lost 2 stitches at row 13 of chart C when it changes. I made a mistake in that row putting the yarn over after the SSK. I had to undo and lost 1 stitch on each side. As you can’t really see it and I was at row 25 when I realized it, I just add a st on each side of the C pattern.

Wednesday 12 September 2012
I finished Carole Adams square monday and started on a bobble one:

SQUARE 9 : Ann McCauley
This is definitely not a TVknitting square. I decided to follow the charts. Chart A and D are not a problem. I did not use a cable needle there, I used the technique described on the Berztiss square. Chart B and E also are not a problem: once you have knitted 4 rows you can see the direction of the cable and you just have to remember that it is on 4 stitches, 2 knit and 2 purl. You just have to be aware of the position of the bubbles. They are not really easy to do as I found it quite tight. With Chart A,B,D,E, when on a WS row you just knit the stitches as they present themselves, knit or purl.

The difficulty is chart C. I have made a close-up photo as you HAVE to know what to expect to be able to rectify quickly. One important thing is that things are also happening on the WS row.
I have nearly completed one complete sequence but had to undo and redo 6 rows because of chart C.

Monday 24 September 2012
Once the McCauley square finished, I went through the book to choose another one. While I was doing that I thought that some squares don’t appeal to me at all. I will have to find replacements for them. I don’t fancy the one with spider (Judy Summer) nor the Breast Cancer(Vicki Sever) one.I will definitely not do these one. I am not very keen on the hearts one (Barbara Selesnick) but I will see.

SQUARE 10 : Kathleen T. Carty
So I decided on the Carty square. It is classified as one of the 5 most difficult one.I think it is more by the way it is done that the stitches it has. First you do the Cable border , using wrap stitches to do the corners. On the photo you will seed that I made a mistake: I went chart A, B,C ,D and instead of continuing with A , I stayed on the chart D page and did chart C. The difference between A & C is the the way cable are going in the middle, I had to undo all chart C.
The most difficult part is the way the Center section is done. I could not visualize why I had to pick up stitches then bind off the stitches I had just picked up! In fact it’s to give that line effect around the center . I don’t think I aligned correctly the cable line of the center square with the corner of the Cable border. My first stitch was not exactly at the right place. To compensate I pinned the center square, pulling a bit to align with the corner.

SQUARE 11 : Ada Fenick
I have developed a fondness for the landscape squares. It is like knitting a painting. You have to follow the chart closely but it is never boring.

Sunday 7 October 2012
That square was a pleasure to knit. And it is a very nice square.

SQUARE 12 : Ann Strong
Easy square. I uploaded the details of that square as it is easier when you know what effect to expect. I was not attentive enough though and missed the change of pattern in the two rows preceding the seed RC and LC line of chart C and B and had to undo some rows.

SQUARE 13 : Dana Hurt
I had a bit of trouble to get the rhythm with chart B and E and made a couple of mistakes at the very beginning. As I did not know how it was supposed to be , I realized the mistakes when I was at halfway and decided not to start again. If anybody wants to do it I have uploaded a detail of it.

SQUARE 14 : Betty Sapekar
The most difficult square so far. Most of the difficulty is in the inner square with all those added pieces (see photos of the back of it). The cable border is not really a problem but you have to follow carefully the pattern for the corners with the short rows. Then there are a lot of steps. Following the sewing line with a chain st seam is not simple.
Once finished, I felt like when I take 4 hours to prepare a dish to find it quite ordinary when I eat it. I think it is a lot of work for a square that is not really a “WOUAH” square.

As I have decided to skip at least 2 squares, I have already been in search of patterns and found one nice one. For the second one I will try to do my own design : 2 owls on a branch with the moon behind. I have already done the chart, I am waiting to find an idea of stitch to do some stars.

Wednesday 31st October 2012

I have finished 6 more squares. I am starting to get confused with all the squares. I am writing the number on the corner of the page of each square I made so I can keep the order in which I made them.
SQUARE 15 : Juli H. Levyr
I can’t understand why the designer takes so much care in detailing the pattern and does not detail the“ increase 28 st evenly across last row” after the 3 ridges. Now you have to calculate what she has already calculated because you don’t want to increase in the first and last 3 stitches .I don’t even remember why I did.
Nothing difficult in that square. Nice to knit. Nice result.

SQUARE 16 : Patt Tanton Hewitt (the bobbles square)
I was not fond of that square looking at the picture. It looks heavy and all those bobbles! but at the end I enjoyed doing it although you need 3 hands to do the 2/5/2 RC and 4/3/4 RC.

SQUARE 17 : Ginger Smith
This one is fun. It is an original way of doing a square. You work in column but still in one piece. You knit one 1 column, then you pick up the stitches along the side and work the next column, knitting 1 picked up stitch per ws row until you reach the top of the column, and so one. It needs a bit of concentration for the middle column (chart C), specially on the WS.

SQUARE 18 : Janet Martin (the fish square)
I found that one easy. The only difficulty is not to forget the p1tbl on the wrong side as usually you just knit the stitches as they come.
I left quickly the cable needle for the waves (1/1 RC,RPC and LPC) and used the technic explained in the Berztiss square.

SQUARE 19 :Ginette Belanger
Another one who does not detail the “increase 28 st evenly across last row” after the 3 ridges

SQUARE 20 : Georgia Vincent
Always the same problem with squares that use the circular needle: you need to be very careful not to twist the stitches. I follow the stitches all around the circular needles with my hand to be certain that i keep them in the same way.
The first part is a pain to do: Knitting 3 together over yo stitches is really not easy.I had problem with “wrap yarn 4x counter-clockwise around this st. I warped the yarn around the needle all along and had to undo the all row.
At the end I did not like doing that square and I found that is it is not a “Wouah!” square for all the trouble

Thursday 29th November 2012

I am nearly finished. All squares completed except the Vicki Sever square that I really did not like. I replaced it by October square from the booklet I bought on Ravelry (very badly done for a booklet sold $15) “SA-01_Sampler_Aran_Afghan-fx” designed by Tammy EigemanThompson .
When I had finished 24 squares, I realized that 6 by 4 squares was making the blanket far too narrow. I had to dig and hesitate a lot to find a another square. I choose the Zimmerman square page 22 in the Great American Afghan.

In order I knitted:

SQUARE 21 : Barbara Selesnick
This is the ONLY square of the whole afghan that is really TOO SMALL. In width and length. I really had to stretch it a LOT to have a 30cm by 30cm square and the result is not pretty. If I had to do it again I will do one more heart patter in width and length (3 hearts large by 4 hearts long).

SQUARE 22 : Barbara McIntire
I had to follow the charts carefully at the beginning as the cables are slanting sometimes left sometimes right but no real difficulties.

SQUARE 23 : Judy Summer
I did not like that square when I open the book the first time but as I decided to knit it , it grew on me and I was pleased with the result.
One thing you should know while doing it and it is not clear at al in the pattern:
WHILE knitting the square you have to knit the body of the large bug in the middle of chart D. I completely missed it but I cheated , thread in some wool and knitted it afterward.
I have just realized that I left one bug out ! I did not see it at all! Now that I search for it , it is on the top left eave. Well my square will have to live without it.

SQUARE 24 : The October square by Tammy EigemanThompson from SA-01_Sampler_Aran_Afghan-fx booklet
I found that square while browsing Ravelry. The picture is horrible but the pattern appealed to me.I bought the booklet and was completely taken aback by the way it was done: There is one photo of the overall afghan where you barely distinguish the different squares, the 12 patterns are following each other with no photo, no name of each square. I had to find the pattern of the square I wanted to knit and the photo I had gave me no help.
But all in all I like the result, a bit busy maybe and certainly heavy.

SQUARE 25 : Kathy Zimmerman from the Great American Afghan booklet
Very nice square. With the experience I gained in doing the other square, it was very easy. It is a very “predictable” square, meaning that you don’t have to have your nose in the chart all the time.

THE BORDER
I started the border before I found the 25th square. Easy to do. I will have to do 30 repeat of the chart plus the corner chart for each side. I am nearly hallway.

THE MAKING UP
After having to undo 2 columns of squares I discover that there is definitively a RIGHT way to sew the squares together. The purpose is to have the 3 ridges you knitted in each square nicely aligned.
1 - Once I had arranged all the squares to my liking, I sew the squares of each column together.
2 - To saw 2 columns together I joined each square by their corner separately making sure that the 3 ridges of the two squares were aligned. I used long thread each time that I left for later. Once that done I saw the rest easily.

ASSEMBLING THE BORDER
I was very careful trying not to twist the border when grafting the extremities but in the end I did twist it and had to undo the grafting in order to untwist the border. I think it would have been simpler to do the grafting after sawing almost all the border. I pinned the border where squares joined : 6 pattern repeat for each square. In fact it is a little more as when you do the border corner you add 2 pattern repeat .

CONCLUSION
Yesterday I thread in all the loose ends. My GAAA is finished. It took 4 months less 6 days and I used 41 50g balls . I did not do any other knitting while I was doing it. It was vey enjoyable and I learned a lot. Cables don’t have any secrets for me now. At the end I found that following charts was the easiest for me. The best part of it is that it was never boring. I found that nothing is really difficult and certainly nothing is impossible if the explanation is written properly. Some squares need more concentration than other, that is all. I don’t really know what I am going to do with my GAAA. I was thinking of auctioning it off for Charity in one of our town event but will people appreciate it for what it is worth?