We’re halfway there! Cue 80s hit rock ballad!

Seriously though. We’re a little less than halfway to our finish date of Nov. 23, and I’ve reached the halfway point of the Granny Square Gauntlet. It seems like a good time to review my self-imposed rules.

1. I must crochet the 100 squares from this book in 100 days (excluding Sundays). This gives me a deadline of November 23rd. Note: I do not have to crochet a square each day, but I have to finish in the time frame.
2. A square does not count as finished until all of the ends are woven in.
3. I will post an update with my completed squares every Tuesday.
4. 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.
5. I have to come up with 10 different types of projects to use the squares for and only one of them can be a blanket.

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 and 26-31 here and 32-40 here and 41-46 here.

Progress report:

• Squares completed: 50/100
• Projects completed: 4/10

I’ve managed to get four more squares done this week. These will be the last squares in this colorway. I have a plan for the squares, but I don’t want to tell you what it is in case it doesn’t work out. You’ll have to stay tuned for that. These are also the end of the 9″ squares except a few that I’ve held off for a different project. Many of the designs are written as 12″ squares that can be adapted to 9″. I did that once with these squares.

This is the square that I chose to end at 9″ instead of continuing on with the 12″ instructions. It is sad though because it had some really cute shells toward the outer edge. But since the instructions were written both ways, I chose this one. As far as difficulty goes, it is labeled “advanced,” but I didn’t have any problem with it.

I would like to claim this to be harder than the others, but it is still the same stitches. You do have to be extra careful where the stitches are placed or the pattern can become confused quickly.

I love this square. I mean I love all the squares, but I particularly love this one. Each new round seemed to bring something new to the table. After the first round of light purple stitches, there is a darker purple that I thought would be completely hidden, but when I followed the instructions, it got a peek-a-boo moment! That’s what makes all of these squares very unique.

This is the first square I have completed that was labeled with four stars or “extra advanced.” According to the author, extra advanced squares contain “challenging repetitions and positions of the hook.” I upped my difficultly level proportionally. The stitches were mostly the same, but the construction was unlike any I have done before. The purple “star” in the middle was worked in one round and attached as the rounds continued. I stopped one round short because my square was large. It is so fun to learn new methods. That’s what this challenge is all about!

I have been steadily working my way through this gauntlet, but the schedule is getting a little busier in a few weeks. Hopefully I can continue to keep up. My brain only has a couple of ideas left for projects, so I’ll have to put my thinking cap on again soon.

Which color way has been your favorite? Do you have a favorite square?

Keep stitching, Heidi

All 50 squares: