I was asked the other day, what is an Afghan?
Now, this question was asked in a facebook group dedicated to crochet, and I know what popped straight into my head, me being a self confessed Hooker. But the word covers so much more and it very much depends upon who you ask, as to the answer you will get......
Afghan Dog!
If you ask a dog lover you will be told that an Afghan is a very tall, hairy dog with a pointed nose. Yep, that is true!
AFGHANISTAN!
If you ask a person who paid attention at school, or maybe lives there, they will tell you: An Afghan is a person native to Afghanistan. Again right!
If you bother to look the word up in the online Dictionary it states:
: a native or inhabitant of Afghanistan
A blanket or shawl of colored yarn knitted or crocheted in strips or squares.
A Turkoman carpet of large size and long pile woven in geometric designs.
Afghan Hound: A tall hunting dog of a breed with long silky hair.
Afghan Blanket!
But getting back to what us Hookers know as the only RELEVANT meaning of the word, that being crochet blankets: Afghans come in a huge array of styles, shapes etc.
This gives me a very amusing visual of a person of Afghanistan origin, sitting on an Afghan carpet, with their Afghan dog, crocheting an Afghan. Who knows they could even be in Afghanistan doing this.
If you are going to be really fussy about what a Crochet Afghan is, then it specifically refers to a blanket made from Tunisian Crochet. Of course those who are not proficient in Tunisian Crochet will claim the word Afghan as being relevant for any crochet blanket. Right or wrong is anyones guess!!
It may well be that we all just prefer the word 'Afghan'. If someone claims 'Oh, what a beautiful blanket you are making', we can respond, 'Oh no, It is actually an Afghan!'. Certainly sounds just a little more special.
Afghans can be made in one solid piece (which is usually the case in Tunisian Crochet), motifs joined together, crochet squares and strips. How versatile is that! And the word 'Afghan' does sound so much more interesting than just a boring old blanket.
Must get back to making my latest Afghan Crochet!!! I need it to take on my trip to Afghanistan! May take my dog who would like to be an Afghan hound but isn't (Cocker Spaniel).
