200::365 square 92

Pattern: "Square 92" from 101 Crochet Squares by Jean Leinhauser.

I don't ordinarily go for "novelty" squares, but when I saw this one l knew I had to make one that looks like my sweet little kitty, Jim! So his stripes aren't exactly purple, but you get the idea. :)

This square is a basic granny square and a cat motif made separately in two pieces that are embroidered with features and then are sewn onto the granny square. I think this block would be a really cute addition to a baby blanket.

Two hundred squares! I can't believe it! Below are the latest 25. You can see all of them here. Don't forget to check out my granny square wallpaper. :)

190::365 italian cross

Pattern: "Italian Cross" from 200 Crochet Blocks by Jan Eaton.

I wish I had taken a before photo because this is one of those blocks that really benefitted from blocking. The edges used to be super wavy. Now it is nice and square, but at 9", it is a bit bigger than the other squares from this book.

I hope this weekend is cooler, because it would be really nice to go outside without frying...or maybe if I had a friend with a pool! I was invited to preview a yard sale that a friend from work is having, and she is giving me the coolest old desk that I'm going to use for my craft space. I should have it in a few days, so I have to get my stuff ready for it!

189::365 chocolate box

Pattern: "Chocolate Box" from 200 Crochet Blocks by Jan Eaton.

This was one of the easiest squares ever to crochet, but there were a bunch of ends to weave in. As long as I do it right away, it doesn't seem like such a chore. I think an afghan made of a giant square like this would be pretty!

188::365 coral seas

Pattern: "Coral Seas" from 200 Crochet Blocks by Jan Eaton.

Technically squares like this one that are not worked in the round, but rather in rows, are not really granny squares. That's okay because I like the way they contrast with my other squares. I have been avoiding the blocks from this book that are worked in rows for the most part because I don't think they would look that great in multiple colors, and I think that working in a single color is pretty boring.

When I'm making one like this out of rows, I like to make a final round of single crochet (all the way around), being careful to use the same amount of stitches on each side so that it will join nicely later on. This seems to help square it up, too.

Here are some other squares I have made that have been worked in rows:

1. 106::365, 2. 147::365, 3. 148::365, 4. 153::365

187::365 lacy wheel

Pattern: "Lacy Wheel" from 200 Crochet Blocks by Jan Eaton

I added a round of single crochet to the outside of this lacy square to give it a little more structural integrity, but as you can see, it still kind of pulls in along the sides. Once it is connected to other squares, it will be fine.

186::365 christmas rose

Pattern: "Christmas Rose" from 200 Crochet Blocks by Jan Eaton.

It was kind of weird crocheting a Christmas motif in July, especially this year when it has been so horribly hot for what feels like weeks now. Maybe if I had really used red and green like in the example in the book, I could have tricked myself into thinking that it is really winter. I kind of doubt it though when it is still hotter than 80 degrees in air conditioning. Maybe I'll make the Christmas tree square next...

185::365 circle in a square

Pattern: "Circle in a Square" from 200 Crochet Blocks by Jan Eaton.

I'm having trouble deciding which squares to make each day, so I'm back to 200 Crochet Blocks to finish up some of the patterns I skipped. I really love that this book has an example photo on the page with the pattern. 99 Granny Squares doesn't, and it isn't fun to flip back and forth all of the time. Hey, I got some new yarn!

184::365 edwardian fancy

Pattern: "Edwardian Fancy" from 200 Crochet Blocks by Jan Eaton.

I had made this square before about a year and a half ago when I was first learning how to really follow crochet patterns. It is SO MUCH EASIER NOW! It is amazing how much faster you can crochet when you aren't second guessing your every stitch!

175::365 corner square

Pattern: "Corner Square" from 200 Crochet Blocks by Jan Eaton.

This square is worked in rows and starts off in a weird way, and I almost just did it my own way instead. The pattern says to work 3 dc into the 4th stitch of the beginning chain of 6, but it doesn't specify if they are all to be worked into the indicated stitch (which would be my assumption with no explicit directions not to), or if each should be worked into the next stitch. I realized after a minute or two that the latter way has to be it, otherwise I would have had two little ch stitches dangling off the edge.

The last row of double crochet (in teal) should have just been worked on two sides like the others according to the pattern, but I continued it all the way around and added an extra round of sc to make it easy to join to my other squares which are mostly worked in the round.

Here are blocks 151 to 175! :)

148::365 shell lace

Pattern: "Shell Lace" from 200 Crochet Blocks by Jan Eaton.

I made a couple of modifications to this pattern. I worked each row of the new color around the posts of the previous row (like in the yarn clouds square from a couple of days ago) to make it look like this. I added a round of sc around the edges then two rounds of hdc to finish it off. See below for a before picture. Since the sides are different, placement of the stitches was mostly trial and error.

With my H hook and those extra rounds, this square is about 10". Doesn't a rainbow of colors just make you happy?

147::365 twin stripes

Pattern: "Twin Stripes" from 200 Crochet Blocks by Jan Eaton.

I'm going to spend the rest of the week crocheting squares that are made with rows instead of rounds, so expect to see lots of stripes! I'm going to use these squares along with some of the other smaller ones to finish my granny square sampler afghan. By the end of the week, my tutorial on joining squares of different sizes will be ready.

Ghost, one of my new friends from A Square A Day In May, has been posting lots of helpful crochet tips with each new square she blogs about. You should check it out!

82::365

Pattern: "Alhambra," Block 14, from 200 Crochet Blocks by Jan Eaton.

200 Crochet Blocks is my go-to source for a quick square. I've been saving the ones I haven't used yet for super busy days like this one has turned out to be. I'll be so sad when I run out!

Alhambra was simple to make despite being rated as medium difficulty. Even without stitch diagrams, this book has really well written patterns.

62::365

Pattern: "Granny Square #1" from 99 Granny Squares to Crochet from Leisure Arts.

This square was supposed to be a solid color, but I changed it up a little. The thing is, this is the exact same pattern as the "Tricolor Square" from 200 Crochet Blocks. See my 25::365 square for comparison. I hope the rest of the patterns in this book aren't the same as ones in my other books...! Isn't that fabric in the background pretty amazing?

cute little stitch markers I made from lobster claws and charms

I've officially started joining the squares together--nine of them so far! I was kind of intimidated about how to attach squares that have different numbers of stitches along the sides since I'm making a totally different pattern each day (today was a fluke!). Also, I wanted a border of the same color around each block to help tie them together because I haven't been sticking to a particular color scheme. I eventually chose this bluish green color, Caron "Soft Sage," to frame my squares with 7 "shells" of 3 dc each side. As usual, I'm joining as I go by substituting a slip stitch where I would normally sc between shells. The corners are worked 3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc, and when joining corners, I've been using ch 1, sl st in corner to attach (and if attaching a 3rd or 4th square to a corner, also sl st in the corner of the next corner, too), ch 1, and then proceed with the next shell.

It is really just a matter of simple math to figure out how to space the inner shells. Not counting the corners, there are 5 shells worked into the side of the squares. I take the number of stitches along the side, subtract 5 (for the stitches I will be working the shells into), and then the resulting number is divided by 6 (for the number of empty spaces between the shells). This final number is how many stitches I will skip between each inner shell. Sometimes there are one or two left over, and I have been trying to compensate for this difference either at the edge or just before and after the center by adding or subtracting a stitch between the shells. So far I have found this method to be very forgiving of the variations between blocks. I hope this all makes sense.

Today was a beautiful day considering it is still winter, and it was perfect for a day off of work! I spent the day with Junior and some friends. We ate at some of our favorite places for lunch and dinner, and for dessert, we took home cupcakes from Cuppies & Joe. Yum!

53::365

Pattern: "Bev's Soft Flower Square" by Beverly A. Qualheim

I made a couple of small modifications to this pattern. Instead of turning after each round of yellow, I slip stitched to the next ch space and crocheted from the right side of the square. Funny, when I first learned to make granny squares, I always turned at the end of each row unless I was changing color because none of the tutorials I read showed how to slip stitch across the next two stitches and into the following empty space. It was like a revelation when I finally figured it out. I also changed the final round from sc to hdc to get the size I wanted.

The center of this block reminds me of the "Bright Flower" square (#51) from 200 Crochet Blocks. In fact, it may be exactly the same. Apparently I never blogged about the potholder I made with "Bright Flower" below way back in April. I am not a fan of variegated yarn at all really, but I think it looks okay in this.

I do not, however, like the way the variegated yarn looks on the back of that same potholder. I've learned since not to even bother buying the stuff. This pattern is motif #105 from Beyond the Square.

49::365

Pattern: "Daisy Chain," block 161 (and 162-164) from 200 Crochet Blocks by Jan Eaton.

I still think it is silly that this book starts counting color variations of the same block as different patterns. Like anybody uses the exact colors in the book anyway! That said, I like this block. I'm so ready for block 50 tomorrow!

48::365

Pattern: "Peach Rose," block 58 from 200 Crochet Blocks by Jan Eaton.

I think I have enough squares for a blanket now. I just need to decide how to put them together! :)

39::365 sunray

Pattern: "Sunray," block 86 from 200 Crochet Blocks by Jan Eaton.

The blocks in this book are pretty simple compared to some of the online patterns I've been using. This one was a breeze. I changed it up a little by adding a second color in the middle part. Yellow seemed like an obvious choice for a block with this name.

35::365

Pattern: "Centered Square" from 200 Crochet Blocks by Jan Eaton.

Busy day! This simple square was all I could muster. If you can make a regular old granny square, you can definitely figure this one out.

It snowed all day again today, and there's more to come. We finally got out of the house for something other than work though. Dinner with friends was awesome after a week of being stuck in the house!

I made a Ravelry page for my flowery square (8::365) pattern. If you crochet yourself one, I'd love to see it! Meanwhile, my tiny new pattern will have to wait for Saturday.

31::365

Pattern: "Wisteria" from 200 Crochet Blocks by Jan Eaton.

This square was pretty simple to crochet, and the cluster corners keep it from being boring. Still loving this book, but I really wish the designs were charted. Reading detailed instructions for such a simple pattern almost feels like a waste of time when a chart would tell me everything I need to know at a glance.

In weather related news, it is sleeting. I can't wait to see what it looks like outside in the morning!

27::365

Pattern: "Kingcup" from 200 Crochet Blocks by Jan Eaton.

I haven't made a square that I didn't at least sort of like from this book! Kingcup is one of my favorite. I made it after a failed attempt to turn this linked-ring tawashi pattern into a larger square. I'll try again soon with way larger rings than the pattern says.

My brother Zack treated us to Sweis for dinner, which was tasty and also helped us avoid the inevitable daily what's-for-dinner conversation. Susan's menu planning resolution is such a great idea that could really help out over here!