Blue Ribbon Afghans from America's State Fairs: 40 Prize-Winning Crocheted Designs

by Valerie Van Arsdale Shrader

Book Overview

Each of the extraordinary hand-crocheted afghans displayed here in magnificent photos is a blue-ribbon winner. They've all taken the top prize at one of America's state fairs-the prime public venue for showing off the best of our nation's traditional crafts. The styles, colors, and patterns are as varied as the folks who fashioned them, ranging from an afghan with an elegant white-on-white country design to one that has a wildly kaleidoscopic motif. Crocheters can recreate these wonderful items at home, thanks to patterns, detail shots, and instructions, and experience the charm that makes the state fair such a special part of American culture. Scattered throughout the text are fun facts about the fairs, along with new and vintage photos.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1579906710
• ISBN13: 9781579906719
• Release Date: May 2005
• Publisher: Lark Books (NC)
• Length: 159 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 8.4" x 9.9"

Customer Reviews

Excited about this book!

This book is a plethora of state fair history, beautiful pictures and well written patterns. There are afghans that would appeal to a beginner as well as an expert. Standard yarns are suggested, nothing too fancy or hard to find. I am looking forward to trying some of them, would love to put my efforts into our own small county fair. I'm so glad that it is now part of my crochet library.

Gorgeous Afghans!

I ordered this book only after looking though it throughly. It does repeat the directions for a couple of afghans, however they look different because they are in different configurations. If you are an adventurous beginner, then it's very possible that seeing there are different methods of doing the same thing and getting very different results will encourage you to try branching out on your own. Personally I love it! I love the cowboy afghan, I made it for my grandson and he loves it too. I'm working on the Sunbonnet Sue, which is the real reason I purchased it. I love to sew as well as crochet but quilting is an entirely different matter so to be able to make one of my favorite quilting patterns in crochet was wonderful for me. The pictures and the state fair information took me back to my years in high school when I and the entire home ec class had to entire our projects in the fair. It's a lovely book, I have enjoyed it very much and I'm even thinking of entering my work in the fair again. :) I would love to get a blue ribbon!

Awesome book!

This book is really one of the best i have seen on afghans! Great pictures and clear instructions. So many great patterns to choose from. Tons of great info on state fairs and rural life. I just love this one. I bought one for my sister and am buying one for myself. A must see!

For crocheters at all levels

This book has something for all crocheters, some patterns are simple single crochet, some ripples, and some granny squares which are great for beginner crocheters. There are also some sampler afghans and aran style afghans for the more advanced crocheter. There are even some done in Tunisian, or Afghan stitch. I didn't see anything I'd consider challenging. But it is not a "how to" book, or a "learn to crochet" book. Most patterns assume you know the basic crochet stitches. The layout of the book, photos and information about fairs is awesome. I borrowed the book from the library, and immediately decided it was a must have for my collection.

Prize-Winning Patterns With a Side of State Fair Trivia

Maybe I'm prejudiced because my afghan submissions appear on pages 125 and 132, but I think this is one of the most interesting and unique books of crochet patterns that I have ever seen. This book is filled with beautiful photographs, great graphics, and fascinating factoids about the development of state fairs. The book turned out to be far more special than I ever expected. I think this cochet pattern book would be an exciting addtion to any needlecrafter's library!