With two equally compelling WIPs, it can be hard to know where to start, and even though both of them are based on the same design that I have made twice before (and for which there are two additional bags in medias res), each also has elements that are a departure from the original and offers me (as a crocheter) unique challenges.

With that in mind, most of my time was spent working out the details of the donut bag-to-be.

I started by completing the surface decoration of “the last donut,”

and then moved on to making the squares that will comprise the edging/handle. I decided to leave half of them plain, and decorate the other half with little “mini donuts”:

It’s not the quickest of work, but still, I made progress, and in addition of the photos above, I also got this one of the recently worked pieces with the fabric for the inner and outer lining of the bag-to-be:

With the donut bag-to-be well on it’s way to being an actual donut bag, I returned to heart festooning which is — for whatever reason — a task that apparently can not be hurried, and so when sunset neared, the bag was three boho hearts shy of nearly finished:

I am now so close to finishing these bags, I know that when the ends comes it will seem to be all-of-a-sudden, even though I have spent weeks working on both, and while I don’t know how this particular crochet journey will change me, I know that it will, just as every project does: one stitch at a time.