I get some much needed crochet mojo

Yesterday, I got a lot of errands done, but not much else.

Today, however, I had the luxury of staying at home and neglecting any and all non-crochet related obligations. Two of my friends even sent some crochet mojo my way, and all of it together seemed to do the trick.

I started by getting out a 4.00 mm hook and crocheting the second panel needed to make the Melinda Miller’s Kit Kat purse:

two pieces for a kit kat crochet purse
The two pieces needed to move forward on Melinda Miller’s Kit Kat crochet purse

In very short order, the second panel was done. At that point, I got out my 4.5 mm hook and turned my attention to making more rectangles for my 2011 state fair project.

Ninety minutes and a pile of purple and red and pink rectangles later, I took a break to eat lunch. When I returned to my crochet endeavors, I felt a strong need to work on something that could be finished.

I put away my 4.5 mm hook, whipped out my 4.0mm hook for the second time, and began to work on my French Country granny cushion cover using Andie Hanley’s pattern.

I found that twelve rounds of the worsted weight yarn I used was sufficient to get a snug fit for the 14″ pillow form I purchased:

crochet granny pillow cover
The front panel of my French Country inspired crochet granny pillow cover

Having finished the front panel with a color change for every round, I decided to work the back panel with Red Heart Super Saver lemon and no color changes:

crochet granny pillow cover
The back panel of my French Country inspired crochet granny pillow cover

I was very pleased with the result, and while I love the movement created when the color is changed every round, I also love the pattern of the stitches that is more readily visible when only one color is used.

Once I had the two pieces of the cushion, I put the panels wrong sides together and followed the joining directions, even adding a variety of buttons for both functional and decorative purposes. Here is the cushion cover with the buttons unbuttoned:

crochet granny pillow cover
Crochet pillow cover with buttons and loops

with the buttons buttoned:

crochet granny pillow cover
Crochet granny pillow cover with the buttons buttoned

and with the pillow inserted:

crochet granny pillow cover
The front of my French Country crochet granny pillow cover with a pillow in it

crochet granny pillow cover
The back of my French Country crochet granny pillow cover with a pillow in it

Andie Hanley’s granny circle motif is absolutely enchanting, and I am looking forward to experimenting with it and using it in other crochet situations.

But for now, I am going to take the finishing mojo this crochet granny cushion cover has created and let it work some magic on my state fair project.