independence day

Trying my hand at something new....

My grandma was exceptional at it.  As are many of you.

So I am on a quest to see if I can carry on her in her footsteps.  Again.

Oh, and of course, I mustn't forget ---->

~~Happy Independence Day!~~




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strawberries & a ladybug

I am hopeless when it comes to actually growing a garden filled with strawberries. 
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And I have the most vivid memories of picking them by the pails-full in my Aunt Anna Mae's garden.  Row after row I would walk, diving for the big, red heart-shaped fruit.  Of course, my pail was pretty near empty as I would devour almost all of them.
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So.  I can't grow 'em, but Lesley Stanfield can sure design a pattern that looks like the real thing.  And her book is just filled with oodles & oodles of the cutest, buggy-flowery-almost-edible looking delights....

Adding tiny seed beads to mimic the seeds of the strawberry? --- beyond cute.

I used Debbie Stoller's Stitch Nation yarn (which I looooove, btw.  Soft from the get-go & the most fabulous of colors) and fluctuated between using my F & G hook.

Lesley's leaf pattern is my most favorite of leaf patterns & seeing all of the adorable 'little beasts' that she includes in her book -- I just had to crocheted her ladybug. 
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Adorable.
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So adorable that between our golden retriever puppy (naughty boy that he is) and the cats --- sheesh!  those furry, little rascals were/are under the impression that these stuffed items are actually toys intended only for them.  You can not believe how many times when crocheting the last details, the strawberries & ladybug would disappear from the sofa cushion only to find them in the mouth of some very guilty looking pets.

Now, on to her butterfly pattern.  Or caterpillar pattern.  Or Bachelor's Button flower...



.......

a square a day + a whole lot of joining = a throw!

Wow.  I amazed by this throw for so many reasons.
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The first being that it turned out so lovely!

When I first started to crochet the squares together, I decided on a turquoise color as the joining color.

Ehhh.  Not so good.  Or as my kids would say, 'pretty cheesy'.  And actually I thought the turquoise overpowered the whole look of this throw.

So, as you can tell from this pile of ramen-noodle-looking-yarn, I had to frog about 8 blocks worth of turquoise joining...and if that weren't time consuming enough, I realized that some of the blocks were not even close to being 12 inches square.  And as much I figured it wasn't going to be a big deal --- it was.

Turquoise was out and white was in. 

And being precise about the actual size of each block became much more crucial than I thought --- it was either that or have one lumpy looking throw. 

And then I found this video for the flat-braid joining.  A perfect method for the look I wanted.  I made sure that I crocheted 22 3chain loops on each side of every block and a 5chain loop for each corner. 

This throw is also amazing to me because I finished it. 
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That is H.U.G.E. for me. 
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I see other people whip out project after project all perfectly completed ....but me?  Well, let's just say I have a pile of WIP's that weigh heavily on my guilted ( I know -- not a word) mind.

Sheesh.  And it's just yarn.

But this!?

It's much, much more than just yarn.

It's Melissa coming up with the idea.  It's oodles of designers sharing their patterns.  It's the hours of hooking.  It's the constant inspiration from others who are stitching right along with me.  It's the heady feeling that I get when I read comments that come from you. 
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All of that --just thrills me to no end.




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almost finished...

While a whole lot of napping is going on....

...there was also a whole lot of crocheting going on.

Participating in Melissa's fabulous a square a day in may -- which I loved, btw -- I have finally finished all of the blocks.

May 14  Violet

 

May 15  More V's Please

May 16  Alter Ego



May 17  Lemony Lime Citrus Square

May 18  Starburst Flower Square

May 19  Ladybug Square

May 20  Eye of the Beholder

May 21  Georges Granny

May 22  Impossible Hexagon

May 23  Versailles

May 24  Bright and Cheery

May 25  Birthday Flower

May 26  Blooming Lace

May 27  Grandma's More Complex Star

May 28  substitution --> Groovy Purse instead of

Peace Sign Granny Square

Why the substitution for this block?  Well, simply -- my children inform me on almost a daily basis that if it was 'in' when I was a kid, then it  is not 'in' for me when I am an adult.  And seeing how I grew up with the whole greg-marcia-brady-groovy-far-out-peace-sign thing, I can not revist that or worse yet, embrace it. 

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Actually, I think my kids fear that I will start using 'far out!' and 'groovy!' whenever I talk to them.....or gasp! ...when their friends are over!

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Oh, the thought of it.

May 29  Yarn Clouds Square

May 30  Kaleidoscope Blossom

I have already woven all of the ends of each block (thank you 6 hour road trip in the family van last weekend...) and now for the icing on the cake---> joining them together into a gorgeous throw. 

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I can't wait! 

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Honestly, this whole thing has been a huge uplifting endeavor.  Seeing everything come together; with all of the vibrant colors; and the design of the blocks ---- well, for someone who can talk herself out of completing a project, this has been Far out! fabulous!