I found myself sitting in a doctor’s office waiting room today doing what one does, namely waiting, but I did have the forethought to bring my crochet with me. Another happy circumstance: the waiting room came equipped with a coffee machine, so with my crochet book, my Etimo Hook Set, and my travel stash of Red Heart Super Saver yarn, I was prepared to wait the entire day if I needed to. Happily, that was not the case.

I set to work in B-5 after retrieving the first two rounds that I had begun many days earlier. The directions advise the crocheter to “Follow directions for pattern B-2, with the exception of using a different color for rnd 7.”

So, I went as directed to the directions for B-2. There the fearless crocheter is advised to “Follows instructions for first 4 rnds above.” This is a touch misleading as the directions the crocheter is searching for are not “above” but rather two columns over to the left. Be that as it may, when I finally arrived at the correct line, hook still in hand and myself, no doubt, a bit older, I began reading. By the second round I understood that the directions I was reading would not result in the square I was seeing.

Meanwhile, the waiting room at the doctor’s office gave me what I needed most: time. Time to work and rework as needed. For my part, the bulk of the effort was reworking, and while the result is not an exact replica of the square pictured in the Granny Square Sampler Afghan featured in Better Homes and Gardens Crocheting & Knitting, it is very close. One difference was the result of me not figuring out exactly how something had been done; the other difference was a change that I decided to make on my own.

Here is what I ended up with:

I followed the directions for the first round as given, but beginning with the second round I had to depart from the available instructions, and what follows are the directions for how I did what I did.

Round 2: Attach new color in center top st of any spoke with a sc,* sk next 3sc, (1 trc, 3dc, 1 trc )in next sc, sl st to top of next spoke, repeat from * 3 times more, sk next 3sc, (1 trc, 3dc, 1 trc) in next sc, sl st to first sc made. Fasten off.

Round 3: Attach new color in sl st of sc in top of any spoke with * 1 sc, hdc in next st, dc in next st, (trc, ch 1, trc) in next st, dc in next st, hdc in next st; repeat from * 4 times more. Join with sl st to first sc made. Fasten off.

Round 4: (Here is where did a lot of reworking and eventually settled on the following): Attach a new color in the back loop of any ch-1 sp with a sc, work a 2nd sc in the same space, * sk next 3 sts (2trc, 2dc, 2trc) in next st, sk next 3 sts, work 2sc in back loop of ch-2 sp, repeat from * 3 times more, sk next 3 sts (2trc, 2dc, 2trc) in next st, join with sl st to first sc made. (40 sts) Fasten off.

Round 5: (This is the round where the motif is squared off) Beginning in any stitch of your choosing, * Work (3dc, ch3, 3dc) in on st, sk next st, 1 hdc in each of next two sts, 1 sc in each of next 3 sts, 1 hdc in each of next 2 sts, sk next stitch, repeat from * 3 times more and join with sl st to first dc made. Fasten off.

Round 6: Using a new color and working in any ch-3 corner space, * Work (2sc, ch2 2sc) sc in each of next 13 sts, repeat from * 3 times more. Join with sl st to first sc made. Fasten off. (68 sc, 4 ch-2 sp).

Round 7: (I decided to make this round hdc, although in the pattern it was dc). Using a new color and working in any ch-2 sp * Work (3hdc, ch2, 3hdc) evenly space 6 3hdc groups over the next 17 sts, repeat from * 3 times more. Join with sl st to first hdc made.

Round 8: (I decided to work this round in dc, although in the pattern it was hdc). Using a new color and working in any ch-3 space * Work (3dc, ch3, 3dc), work 3dc in between the next 7 3hdc groups, repeat from * 3 times more. Fasten off.

All in all, it was a reasonably productive day.