Brand-newbie to CMe here. Just got Kim's book delivered yesterday and instantly decided my new lifetime project will be to make Annette's Leaves Sweater even if it ends up being the UFO they bury me with -- it's just TOOOOO gorgeous . . .

Anyway, here's what I'm looking for help with. I have a friend who wants me to make him another afghan, solid color with his initial *D* in the middle in contrast. I'm struggling with workable ideas but I'll throw out a few.

The first was to instantly discard the idea of doing it as a single piece (I'd lose my mind trying to count rows and row stitches to know exactly where to begin the contrasting to center it). So the solution to that was to do a center square of ~2 ft w/ initial, and then do the rest of the body patterned either as a border or additional squares. (BTW, I'll probably at least add some of the contrast as a centerpiece border and/or widely spaced contrast row(s) in the border-body, or finish the multi-square with the contrast border.)

My problem right now is working the contrast color change for the letter legs. I expect each one will be ~10 sts wide/6 high. I've been practicing my intarsia but it seems to be limited to only SC -- I can't figure out how to carry the yarn up to be close enough to pick up for the next row in anything other than SC. And for only 10 st twice in a row, I don't want to cut yarn and do all that weaving with a taller st. With so little contrast on the background I really can't carry and crochet over the contrast yarn without it showing thru.

I've considered cross-stitch, but that's absolutely limited to SC. My other alternative is surface crochet, but I'm worried it may look too chunky and funky. In case it isn't clear, I really don't want to do such a large swath of SC only for the center -- enough rows of my 2ft swatch convinced me it's too heavy mainly . . . but also too boring. And doing it as straight filet mesh is the opposite -- too open for an afghan.

Any ideas for getting the yarn up for the next row? I might be able to do a pattern for the square working with/around taller sts for the contrast if I can solve this.

Any other ideas I've missed by overthinking it? My only RL crochet buddy tapped out at cross-stitching :-(.

THX bunches!
MCM