Today marked an early end to a particularly exhausting week that was too full of things that absolutely, positively had to be done.

But early this afternoon, the frenetic pace of the week settled into a more normal rhythm, and as my son and I prepared to leave the house for his trumpet lesson, I grabbed my hooks, a small assortment of yarns, and this copy of Liz Blackwell’s aptly titled book, A Treasury of Crochet Patterns:

Published in 1971, Liz Blackwell’s book is not just a collection of patterns, it is also a guide to living.

Before getting to the patterns that comprise the treasury, Ms. Blackwell discusses her thoughts about how crochet came to be, and in her introduction states:

Imagination is a wondrous thing and must be counted as one of the greatest blessings given to man. Without imagination, few discoveries would have been made. With imagination, all things are possible.

And it is with this, Ms. Blackwell sets the tone for the reader/crafter to explore the patterns within the pages of her book.

After taking a few minutes to leaf through the pages of the book, I stumbled on number 27 from the section on “Raised Patterns,” and was immediately determined to give the pattern a whirl.

Using a 5.5 mm hook and worsted weight yarn, I counted out the number of chains needed for the foundation and followed the clear, concise directions with just one minor modification made to accommodate one of my personal crochet quirks, and while I had initially not planned to change colors, by the time I finished the fourth row, it was clear that changing colors every two rows would do a lot to enhance the lovely texture that was developing.

Here is an overview of the swatch:

along with this detail of the front of the stitches:

and this detail of the back:

There were many other delightful and interesting stitches and motifs that I did not have time to work, but with summer just around the corner, I suspect that I will soon have a chance to while away some of the afternoons that lie ahead with my copy of A Treasury of Crochet Patterns at my side.