With the end of July here, my quest for a 2011 North Carolina State Fair project has begun in earnest. To assist me in deciding what I will do, I looked through the many wonderful projects posted at Ravelry and other craft and crochet forums looking for inspiration and guidance, and I found what I think will be a new crochet classic.

Given my penchant for making large pieces composed of many smaller pieces, it is no surprise that I was drawn to Ellen Gormley’s, Sunny Spread, and the many permutations of this project that can be found at flickr and ravelry.

Here is Ms, Gormley’s rendition of her own design:

First published in the January/February 2008 in Crochet Today! this project was the reason I bought this particular issue of the magazine. (The pattern is now available at no charge here).

It is clear from the variations on this pattern that can be found at both ravelry and flickr that Sunny Spread is becoming a new crochet classic.

The first variation I saw on Ms. Gormley’s pattern was this piece titled “Calypso” from the crocheter known as JustOneKiss at ravelry:

Another interpretation that caught my fancy was this aptly titled “Tropical Fruit Punch” courtesy of another ravelry crocheter known as BUHBYE:

as well as “Sunset Circles” from grumpygirl:

While the previous examples are within my color comfort zone, at least one crocheter has done remarkable things with this pattern using a less varied but equally striking palette to make an afghan that would be suitable for a man:

While I don’t think I will be making this afghan myself at this juncture, in my quest for the perfect motif, it was heartening to see how one pattern can connect so many people.

If you want to learn more about Ellen Gormley and see more of her designs you can find her on Ravelry, or at her own website, Go Crochet™.