Mid-August ushers in what I think of as the halcyon days of summer.

The dog days of summer are interrupted by a day or two of somewhat crisper weather that portends the coming autumn, school and the attendant obligations are still a week or two away, and the panic of “how on earth will I finish my state fair project by the deadline” is still weeks away.

It is the best time of the summer.

I was thinking about this today while I worked on rectangles for my 2011 North Carolina State Fair project.

I felt no hurry, and the day unfolded with ease.

For me, the most difficult part of any crochet project is deciding what to leave in and what to leave out. In this case which colors will fit into my final project and which colors won’t.

I began making rectangles at the red end of the spectrum, then moved onto orange, then yellow, a trio of greens, followed by a trio of blues, and then three shades of lavender and purple. Right after that I placed two pinks, then ended with two shades of brown.

Here is one view of the rectangles I crocheted today:

here is another:

and here is a third:

I love this time of the year.

I am not yet besieged by the doubts that will arise in mid-September when there is no turning back, nor am I so tired of the project that I am no longer able see any of its charms.

These are special days that only come at the end of the summer, when, for one short moment, time is suspended in amber.