Part 5 – Peacock Plumes Afghan CAL
October 19, 2022

Welcome to Part 5 of the Peacock Plumes Afghan CAL!

Just joining the CAL? Check out these blog posts for previous pattern parts.

I hope you’ve been enjoying all of the fun stitches we’ve been working, and maybe even learned some new ones. And how about all the peacock information? Isn’t it interesting? I’m fascinated by all the detailed information on these wonderful birds. There’s so much more to them than just their obvious beauty. Now isn’t that a lesson we can all take to heart?

This week we will work on the outermost group of wing feathers called the Primaries.

Primaries are the longest and narrowest of the remiges, and they can be individually rotated. They are the largest of the flight feathers and propel the bird through the air. These feathers are especially important for flapping flight, as they are the principal source of thrust, moving the bird forward through the air. The mechanical properties of primaries are important in supporting flight. Most thrust is generated on the down stroke of flapping flight. However, on the upstroke (when the bird often draws its wing in close to its body), the primaries are separated and rotated, reducing air resistance while still helping to provide some thrust.

The flexibility of the remiges on the wingtips of large soaring birds also allows for the spreading of those feathers, which helps to reduce the creation of wingtip vortices, thereby reducing drag. The barbules on these feathers, friction barbules, are specialized with large lobular barbicels that help grip and prevent slippage of overlying feathers and are present in most of the flying birds.

Primaries are the farthest away from the body, attached to the skin of the wing on the ‘hand’ of the bird. In most bird species, there are 10 primary feathers on each wing. If these flight feathers are damaged or lost, a bird cannot fly.

Written in US terms.

ABBREVIATIONS

BL = back loop

Beg = beginning

Ch/s = chain/s

Dc = double crochet

FL = front loop

Hdc = half double crochet

Hk = hook

Lp/s = loop/s

Rem = remain

Sc = single crochet

Sk = skip/skipped

Sl st = slip stitch

Sp/s = space/s

St/s = stitch/es

Tog = together

Tr = treble crochet

Yo = yarn over

HOOK: Crochet hook size H / 5.0mm

FINISHED SIZE: 44” Diameter

SPECIAL STITCHES

Dc2tog (double crochet 2 stitches together): Yo, insert hk in next st, yo and pull up lp, yo and draw through 2 lps, (2 lps on hk), sk next TrCl, rep into next st until 3 lps on hk, yo and draw through all lps on hk.

Dtr (double treble crochet): Yo 3 times, insert hk in specified st, yo, pull up a lp, [yo, draw through 2 lps on hk] 4 times.

Edc (extended double crochet): Yo, insert hk into st indicated, yo and pull up a lp, (3 lps on hk), yo and draw through the first lp on hk (3 lps on hk), (yo and draw through 2 lps) twice.

Ehdc (extended half double crochet): Yo, insert hk into st indicated, yo and pull up a lp (3 lps on hk), yo and draw through first lp on hk (3 lps on hk), yo and draw through all 3 lps.

Etr (extended treble crochet): Yo twice, insert hk into st indicated, yo and pull up a lp (4 lps on hk), yo and draw through first lp on hk (4 lps on hk), (yo and draw through 2 lps) 3 times.

INSTRUCTIONS

Rnd 64: Working in BL this Rnd, join H with sl st to any hdc, [sc in next st, hdc in next st, dc in next st, dc2tog (see Special Stitches), dc in next st, hdc in next st, sc in next st, loose sl st in next hdc] around placing last sl st in same st as first sl st. (528 sts)

Note: In the next Rnd, you will always place the sl st and dtr into sl sts.

Rnd 65: Ch 1 (counts as first sl st), [sc in next st, hdc in next st, ehdc in next st, dc in next st, edc in next st, tr in next st, etr in next st, dtr in next sl st, etr in next st, tr in next st, edc in next st, dc in next st, ehdc in next st, hdc in next st, sc in next st, sl st in next st] around placing last sl st in first sl st. Finish off. (528 sts)

Note: Rnds 66 – 68 will end with a dc join.

Tip: If you would like a little more texture in this section of your afghan, you can work Rnd 66 with Bpdc instead of a regular dc. This will provide a textured ridge between color changes, but won’t interfere with the overall design. This option will also be noted next week in Part 6.

Rnd 66: Join C with sl st to any dtr, ch 3 (counts as dc), dc in same st, [dc in next 6 sts, sk next (sc, sl st, sc), dc in next 6 sts, (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in next dtr] around omitting last (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc), 2 dc in same st as join, join with dc to top of beg ch-3. (528 dc, 33 ch-2)

Rnd 67: Ch 3 (count as dc), dc in same sp, [dc in next 7 dc, sk next 2 dc, dc in next 7 dc, (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in next ch-2 sp] around omitting last (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc), 2 dc in beg ch-sp formed by the dc join, join with dc to top of beg ch-3. (594 dc, 33 ch-2)

Rnd 68: Ch 3 (count as dc), dc in same sp, [dc in next 8 dc, sk next 2 dc, dc in next 8 dc, (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in next ch-2 sp] around omitting last (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc), 2 dc in beg ch-sp formed by the dc join, join with dc to top of beg ch-3. Finish off. (660 dc, 33 ch-2)

End with 33 Points.

NEXT INSTALLMENT ON 10/26/2022.

Do you need yarn for this project, or to replenish your stash? Yarn kits are still available, as well as many other fine yarns for all your crochet needs.

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I  hope you are enjoying crocheting your Peacock Plumes Afghan. I would love for you to join me and crochet along with like-minded souls. Here are links where you can find me:

 

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