With my intention for the year set on finishing more projects than I start, I found that when it came time to make a choice from the array of unfinished projects at my disposal, I had an embarrassingly large number to choose from.
Did I want to work on legwarmers? a shawl? a tote? a big rug? a bag intended to be used for travel? my long dormant great-granny square?
I ended up playing it safe and going with vanilla.
First it was the textured squares afghan from Maggy Ramsay’s book, Magic Motif Crochet.
Yesterday I rounded up 16 of the 64 small, textured squares I will need to complete the project as I envision it, and then made 8 more for a total of twenty-two small, textured squares. I used 20 of those squares to make five medium squares which were formed by joining four of the small squares into five 2×2 arrays.
Today, I made two more of the small squares bringing the total to 24. I then joined the four squares that were at loose ends into a 2×2 array, and I then took the six 2×2 arrays and joined them into a piece that was 8×12 squares just to see how it would look:
What I discovered from this additional joining is that some of the design elements are lost when the border of additional textured rows is eliminated.
So I set the textured squares aside turned my attention to the 101 Crochet Squares crochet-along I am part of. I really don’t want to get any further behind, so I decided that I would try to finish one square before sunset which would at least stop me from falling further behind for one week.
In looking through the options of “squares I had not done”, I settled on Square 17 because it borrows heavily from the Irish crochet tradition, and that tradition lends itself to off-white and natural color yarns which is exactly what I had at my side. I didn’t even have to change hooks. In just over half-an-hour’s time, I had finished the square seen here:
Tomorrow my son’s vacation from school ends, and with it, my vacation from getting up at way-too-early o’clock. By the time the sun rises, I will probably be on my second cup of coffee. Hopefully, I will be refreshed and ready to begin tackling this embarrassment of riches so that when 2013 rolls around, I get to set a new intention.
Video Tutorial: How to make the crochet textured square/magic motif
Related blog posts: Vanilla
The adventure in vanilla continues
I, too, am working on finishing more than I start, with an added goal…I want to use up all my yarn before I buy new yarn. I am allowed to cheat that only for custom orders that I positively cannot finish from my stash. We’ll see how that goes. Good luck on your quest!
Oh My Heavens: this one makes my heart and soul sing!!!!!!
Wow Leslie, you crochet so fast! Just doing squares myself, I know I couldn’t finish one in half an hour.
your comment…so glad to know others get up before sunrise. LOVE that square.(work of art really) need to get my hands and hook on that book. looking forward to following you through the winter Tuscaloosa Ala.
Between you and Camielle, I am developing a “Stash Disregardance Syndrome.” I know I could never live up to the high standards you two have set, so why bother? And where is my credit card? Haha – just kidding, I think…