Easter crochet

Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should

Leslie Stahlhut

This is a lesson I am constantly in need of relearning. The most recent refresher began innocently enough.

I was at Facebook and the a woman I know by the name of Aleta Lewis Farmer posted this photo of her most recent quilt:

Aleta Farmer Lewis's pinwheel within pinwheel quilt
Aleta Farmer Lewis’s pinwheel within pinwheel quilt

She is an avid quilter and her work is always spectacular,  and I found this pinwheel within a pinwheel design enchanting.

Despite having more than enough on my crochet plate, I succumbed to the temptation to attempt to replicate in crochet what she had done in quilting.

I got a start, but after just seven color changes:

I rudimentary effort to crochet a granny inspired pinwheel design which serves to remind me that just because you can doesn't mean you should
I rudimentary effort to crochet a granny inspired pinwheel design which serves to remind me that just because you can doesn’t mean you should

I came to the realization that it would probably take me less time to learn how to make a “pinwheel within a pinwheel” quilt that it would take me to design a crochet version I liked. So at least this time, it was very early on in the process when I remembered that just because “you can,” doesn’t mean you should.

It was with reluctance that I set the shiny new crochet idea aside and got to work on one of the myriad projects within an arm’s reach.

The first one I selected was the Frankston market bag. All that was needed was to weave in the ends and trim them (which went very quickly):

The Frankston market crochet bag with the ends trimmed and ready for blocking
The Frankston market crochet bag with the ends trimmed and ready for blocking

And then block it so that the beauty of the bag’s shape would be readily seen:

The Frankston market crochet bag in the process of being blocked
The Frankston market crochet bag in the process of being blocked

With one project now done (except for the drying) I again resisted the temptation of “you can” looked to find something else I could finish, and low and behold, I found this collection of yarn scraps in various states of readiness:

Yarn scraps in waiting
Yarn scraps in waiting

After not too awfully long, I had all of the loose yarn scraps tied end-to-end:

The yarn scraps after some organizing
The yarn scraps after some organizing

and I was ready to wind it all into one big yarn scrap ball:

A scrap yarn ball growing ever larger and ready for adventure
A scrap yarn ball growing ever larger and ready for adventure

At this point, I had to resist the temptation to look for the project this ball of yarn scraps is destined for:

March 2018, the scrap yarn ripple afghan packed up and ready to move
March 2018, the scrap yarn ripple afghan packed up and ready to move

and instead set my sights on finishing a crochet Easter bunny:

Two bunny halves ready to be joined
Two bunny halves ready to be joined

I got as far as weaving in and trimming the ends, but by then, my dog reminded me that life (at least his) is all about the walks, not all about the crochet.

If my dog allows it, I would like to finish the bunny tonight, but if he doesn’t, there is still tomorrow, and I will once again move forward, one stitch at a time.