Sometimes the detail work of finishing a piece can seem tedious and time consuming when compared to the initial planning and execution.

In 2006, I made this afghan to enter in the 2006 North Carolina State Fair:

I came to call it the 12-day afghan, because that was how many days I had to complete it from the time I finally figured out most of the details of my design to the date I had to deliver it to the state fairgrounds.

One of the details I did not have figured out on the first of those twelve days was the hyperbolic or curlicue fringe that I attached to each end.

Recently, I thought about that finishing detail and looked over the piece to figure out what it was I had done.

I started with an initial chain of 51, and worked three single crochet stitches into the second chain from the hook, and continued in that fashion for the next 39 chains.

Then, using a slip stitch, I joined the last single crochet stitch made to the first chain to create a loop at the top of the curlicue that would then allow me to attach the curlicue the way I would any other fringe.

Here is how the 120 sc curlicues look:

Because I was not certain that making all of the curlicues the same length would be visually pleasing, I made shorter curlicues using an an initial chain of 35.

I then worked three single crochet stitches into the second chain from the hook, and in the next 23 chains. Then, using a slip stitch, I joined the last single crochet stitch made to the first chain to create a loop at the top of the curlicue that would then allow me to attach the curlicue the way I would any other fringe.

Here is how the shorter curlicues look:

And here is how the long and short curlicues look when used together:

I often find that the finishing details of a piece can be a bit of a slog when compared to the exuberance and ease of a newly begun project, but the additional time and care taken with these details can turn an ordinary project into an extraordinary one.