This is a very pretty afghan! This is by far the most gorgeous, intricate and time consuming thing I have made. The pattern can be tricky (or again just plain time consuming if you are slow like me), but I knew that from the start. Other Ravelers have been putting this in hibernation - some seem to have just plain gave up. It took me a whole day + to figure out how to do the cable stitch panel. I just kept doing sample after sample til I got it right. I had asked for help from a friend but I figured it out before she could get back to me. ….I also got confused briefly when the author used front bar in one explanation for a stitch and then used post for another…when both was post? I thought the front bar was like saying ‘front loop ,but I am still pretty new…SEE COMMENTS… Most patterns read like stereo instructions in japanese til I read them, over and over, and over…you get the point! Also note the row count is off in the directions…you will have 100 rows and not 96 before doing the end panels.
I also am not really the size that the pattern indicates…even though I seem to be really really close to the gauge. I put a hdc instead of a sc in the hdc ridge (3rd row which repeats) and I am not sure if I lost stitches doing that…it doesn’t look super straight Now after Lyn has commented I see where I went wrong….SEE COMMENTS…

It really is beautiful!

1st pic afghan after washing and drying no blocking
2nd pic daughter snuggling, washed and dried,no blocking
3rd pic row 63
4th pic body before panels
5th pic done, no ends woven in, no washing or blocking

The whole time I was making this I could not get “Cheek to Cheek” out of my mind (oh my off white heaven)!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykdyJrI7S10