Note to my readers: This post first appeared on May 15, 2011 under the title “In the crochet zone.”

I think of the crochet zone as a place where circumstances, coupled with a particular state of mind, allow a crocheter to get a lot done with ease, and this crochet zone is where I spent most of my weekend.

I ran no unnecessary errands that might make me lose focus, I kept track of and knew where my tools and materials were at all times, and when I felt the need I set aside one project to work on another.

Now the sun has set and the weekend is about to draw to a close, I have the opportunity to reflect on what I got done.

First on the list is my groovyghan stripe strip.

When I began this panel last week, it got off to an inauspicious start. I changed colors after every row rather than every other row, and after seven rows in seven colors, it was clear that such narrow stripes would not form a good design bridge from the dot motif strip to the flower motif strip, the two strips it would come between. With some annoyance and reluctance, I frogged it and moved forward.

Today, I worked to weave in and trim the ends of the completed strip, and I am happy with the outcome:

Next up was the granny square strip. Having just finished this set of squares yesterday, it took me about 15 minutes to arrive at their final layout, but once that was done, I was able to join them in very quick order:

Having completed all but the shell strip (which is crocheted directly onto the side of the motif strip of the crocheter’s choosing), I laid out the pieces I had completed in the order I will have them in the final afghan to get a sense of how it will look:

Having gotten all of this done, I still had both a bit of daylight and weekend left, so I got out my 4.5mm hook, my Red Heart Super Saver stash, and my copy of Lesley Stanfield’s 100 Flowers to Knit & Crochet and gave flower number 75 (a zinnia) a whirl, first making the petals:

and then the center:

With both of the components of the zinnia-to-be made, I then joined the center to the petals:

While my execution of the zinnia will, no doubt, improve with practice, I was pleased with the result, and I will definitely be making this flower again to use in a future project.

As this weekend draws to a close, I will try to keep the memory of it fresh in my mind to sustain me when other, more challenging, weekends present themselves.