This is the time of year that I am reminded that while much of my crochet labors for the North Carolina State Fair are conducted while I am home by myself — seemingly on an island with my dog and my cat — these sorts of projects are never really brought to fruition by any one person, but rather by a community of people.

In my case, I have a reliable and stalwart community of friends both near and far who help me in ways tangible and intangible, and I was thinking of them this weekend as I worked first on embroidering the edges of what form the foundation of the four corners of the finished piece:

then as I shifted focus to figure out how I would square-off the long-stemmed tumblers:

and then yet again as I used that newly gained insight to start work on two of the five remaining crocheted long-stemmed tumblers:

As I embroidered each edge, crocheted each stitch, and wove in each end, I had friends who were helping me move forward, sharing their crochet mojo, doing virtual chores on my behalf, and offering me their unwavering support, and closer to home, I have a family that is willing to get me coffee and eat as many tuna fish sandwiches and boxes of macaroni cheese as the task requires.

So while my name is the only one on the entry form, this is most assuredly not a solo effort, and with each stitch, I am grateful for the friends and community that make my projects possible.