Like the endless pools advertised in the home/life improvement sections of magazines, today’s errands stretched on indefinitely. As soon as one was done, another stepped up to replace it so that I would not have waste any time contemplating the complexities of life or thinking of what do do next.

Unlike the swimmers pictured in the endless pools, however, the errands did not proceed gracefully from one to another, but rather lurched in discrete and awkward clumps.

Eventually, however, the errands ended and I was able to sit down with the Square 73 from Jean Leinhauser’s book 101 Crochet Squares.

I had completed the flower motif that is central to the design, but had not yet begun to work on the portion of the project that attaches to the back of the flower in a circle and then squares off.

After an hour of crocheting and answering the phone, I finished all of the crochet work:

But, as is apparent from the photo, there was still plenty of work to be done. Clover chibi at the ready, I soon had one of my much beloved bent-tipped yarn needles in my hand, and I began the work of tacking down petals as well as weaving in ends. Another hour and three phone calls later, it was done:

The most difficult part of this enterprise for me is following the directions and not changing the pattern in some way. We’ll see how long I last at that.

Four squares done, 97 to go.