Older wrote:After learning I'd be going to Beijing in less than a week, I packed half my cary-on bag with yarn from my stash and my Denise knitting needle kit. During a layover between flights in Chicago, I downloaded the first clues to th KAL/CAL. By the time I was settled in Beijing, I had started the KAL and wanted to start the CAL as well. The octogon motif just looked like the windows on the garden walls I walked past each day. I went to the best yarn shop in Beijing and bought yarn for the CAL in colors I had seen everywhere in their Chinese New Year posters. The shopkeeper spoke no English and I spoke no Chinese, but between my knitting bag, my knitted hat, and hers, we got along quite well.
As the KAL/CAL progressed, I hoped the final design would be flowers because I saw pictures of lotus flowers everywhere around the city. After returning to central Florida, I resolved to make the CAL my "Remember Beijing 2012" afghan. It's not finished yet, but I want to thank Bernat for what turned out to be a perfect afghan to remember a wonderful visit to a very far away city.
That's a wonderful story, Older, so beautifully told that I felt there with you.
Azim
Thanks to all for sharing. It's been a real pleasure reading the posts and seeing all the beautiful afghans. I don't know how you guys and gals find the time for all the posting (with all the crocheting going on!) but I am oh-so-glad you do! So maybe I'll share a bit too. My daughter and I started this together. This crochet project is her first. I last made a crocheted afghan 30 years ago. So both of us learned and relearned together. Off we went to Michaels for yarn shopping. She was very excited. Sadly our 3 local Michaels did not have sufficient quantities of compatible Bernat yarns in colors that I liked, so I picked out an organic cotton yarn in four neutral shades that I loved. My daughter went straight to the Bernat pastels and was in hog heaven! She loved the weekly clues and has learned lots of stitches. She is about 1/4 done, but considering her available time, she is doing well. She remains excited and loves to see how others are doing. As for me, I too, loved the clues and spoilers! Thanks! As I was laying out the finished pieces as suggested, I kept moving and rearranging them until they were a completely different "animal". I realized that I wanted something bigger so back to Michaels for more yarn and many more long nights of crocheting!!! I used "clue 1" pieces around the edges but I wanted a curvy border so I made some changes. Now they look like tear drops. The other clues are as suggested except - no "clue 4". I made "clue 4" in a variegated yarn that I ordered online, but I did not like the way it looked with the other yarn shades. 4 skeins wasted for now. I spent lots of time fussing with the layout. Then more time fussing with the border. There were many floppy parts around the outside, and I wanted the whole thing to look planned with a smooth edge. "Clue 8" gave the outside edge a uniform number of stitches. From that clue we then had the ability to create any kind of border. I went back to "clue 3" and used the stitch combo I learned from "row 5" to stabilize the floppy pieces. Also, I think it looks balanced to repeat a design used from one of the octagons on the border. My only regret is that I wanted a muted grape or rust as the 5th color. Sigh.....I am pleased however with the finished afghan. Wednesday my very proud boyfriend took the finished afghan to work to show it off. Got lots of good "strokes". Daughter and I had a ton of fun and want to thank Bernat for hosting this and all the posting crocheters for sharing so generously all your ideas and life events during this Mystery Tour. 
I love the way it turned out. Had a great time doing it. can't wait to see what's next.
