I spent a lot of time this week crocheting and watching true crime. I felt pressure to get as much done on this project as possible before starting school. It was enough to hurt my hands and arms (people have no pity for crochet injuries). But I couldn’t be happier with this somewhat insurmountable task.

If this is your first time reading about my current crochet challenge, make sure you go back and read this post for a refresher of my self-imposed rules. As I post each square, I will post the name and difficulty rating given to each square by Diana Krenz in her book 100 Vibrant Granny Squares, which I’m using for this challenge. Then I will give my difficulty rating and notes about the yarn I used and any new stitches, etc., that I encounter. See squares 1-2 here and squares 3-5 here and 6-11 here and 12-19 here and 20-25 here.

Confession: I almost broke rule number four: “I cannot buy any new yarn for this project. This will be a true stash buster. I will use mostly worsted weight yarn, but may make some squares of other weights.” I had in my mind what I wanted to make with these squares, but I knew I needed 12 of them. After about 8 squares I could tell my stash wasn’t quite going to make it. I got on Google and searched and searched. One thing about using stash yarn is that it is often old or *gasp* discontinued. Such was the case. I could find a skein here or there, but it was either one that didn’t match my colorway or that I already had enough of. Long story short, I didn’t break the rules. I added in some Stylecraft Special DK in Parchment. (I’m sure you’ll see more Stylecraft Special DK as I make more squares.)

The colors continued to be pulled at random until I had to start substituting the Parchment. At that point, I picked the colors based on what I felt fit best and how much I had left.

This square threw in a new stitch in round 4. The technique is to crochet down the post of a v-stitch, which gives it the triangle look and a fun texture. For that reason alone, I increased my difficulty rating to three. The rest of the stitches are ones we have used before.

This square has it all: popcorns, puffs, ruffles, ridges. It definitely belongs in intermediate to advanced level of crocheting. We are still using the same combination of stitches we have been from the beginning, but new configurations. The patterns have to be watched closely to make sure all of the stitches are in the right place.

These probably aren’t the colors I would have picked for this square, but it’ll fit right in with the rest of them.

Can you see the texture on this square? It’s just divine. At this point, the 12″ square patterns are taking at least three pages in the book and have no less than 4-5 diagrams. I can’t overstate it enough: the diagrams are top tier. They are so helpful for question on the instructions. These patterns are so well written.

This is MY square. I could not believe the title of this one. After reading the book Heidi with my dad as a child, Adelheid became my “I wish that was my name” name, my alter ego, my desired pen name, my AOL username. For those who don’t know, Adelheid is a German name meaning “noble.” It is a variant of Adelaide, and Heidi is a nickname for it. The author of the pattern book is German (I think), so I shouldn’t be surprised to find the name here.

This was the first square that I started using the substitute Parchment yarn in. It is also the first of the patterns with a three-star rating. The author called this category advanced. Here’s what she said about it, “Complex stitches and techniques, complex repetition, many different insertion points for your hook, working in multiple layers at once, color changes mid round.” This square did not have color changes mid-round, but most of the other things are right on point. I did up my difficulty to three on this one. It is still totally doable with the same stitches. Just watch the pattern closely.

The author dedicates this pattern to her youngest daughter, who is among other things has a “strong, determined spirit.” I might have a daughter with similar characteristics while also containing the “big heart” she also attributes to Anna.

Most of my colors were used up at this point. I had a lot of pink, yellow, and purple left. I worried that it was going to look completely out of place, but I think I actually really like this colorway.

Again, this square looks really difficult, but the pattern is written in a way to make it readable and clear plus it has five diagrams. Five! When I took the pictures of these squares, they had already been blocked to 11″. This square needed it. It is easy to skip the blocking step, but sometimes it is very necessary. When you see the stack of squares that are all the same shape…it’s so satisfying.

I used up some scraps of colors in the center of this square. I thought I had enough gray for a full round, but I didn’t. Thus the orange. So the part of the “advanced” rating that calls for midrow color changes still doesn’t apply here.

This square has some of my favorite shapes that we have worked on so far. It reminds me of a Moroccan tile with the curves and peaks. The variety and texture of this square might put it in my top 10.

Have you guessed what these squares will be yet? I’ll give you a hint: It’s not a blanket. I did not have enough of this yarn for a blanket and with 2/10 projects complete, I can’t make my one blanket yet. Stay tuned, you won’t have to wait long.

In the meantime…

Keep Stitching, Heidi