If this challenge were a roller coaster, I’d be at the part where the coaster has come to a stop and is waiting for that last final push when it rolls into the station.

I can see the finish line. I’m almost there.

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 and 47-50 here and 51-52 here and 53-55 here and 56-66 here and 67-73 here.

This week I’ve been using Himalaya Baby DK yarn in five different colors. I bought this yarn on clearance a while ago and it is no longer available.

The Squares

When I was working on Abagail, I was so impressed by the structure of the square. Each round of petals fits together so well without feeling loose or too airy. This would be a great one (really any of these would) for elder care homes where textures can be soothing to those struggling with memory loss.

Looking at my square and the picture of the square I was supposed to make, I fear I must have made a mistake on the first round of blue petals. They are supposed to be frilly like the outer round. I upped the difficulty based solely on that fact.

I did make a note that “3rd loop in a sc is almost impossible.” I have done it before but in this one on the second to last round, opted for a back post stitch instead.

This is another one of my favorites! The colors worked really well on it, but I love the combination of petals and puffs and clusters. I haven’t been taking a lot of notes lately, but on this one I circled the difficulty rating. I think that means I thought it was duly deserved. When I rate them a higher difficulty, it usually just means that extra attention needs to be paid to the instructions.

The center of this square is spot on! Someone could use superhero colors in the center to look like a shield or wintry colors to look like a snowflake.

Again, the structure of these designs is exquisite. Each of the petals fit together so well.

I don’t know who Ellen Ripley is. I just googled the name and came up with Sigourney Weaver’s character in Alien. I have not watched the Alien movies nor do I know if they are a favorite of the author of the patterns. What I do know is that this square is not alien. It fits well with the rest, but it is … out of this world! (groan. I rolled my eyes for you.)

This is the first square that has used a treble crochet in the center, giving it a slightly different feel. I do like the octagon instead of circle before it becomes a square. (My words aren’t wording anymore.)

“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”–William Shakespeare in Romeo and Juliet.

I have always been a big fan of roses. My mother had over a hundred bushes in our yard growing up, and I have enjoyed putting them in my own garden. Some live. Some don’t. I didn’t quite inherit her green thumb.

This square is a beautiful bloom. The layers upon layers of petals remind me of English garden roses, my favorite variety.

My notes on this pattern say “Looks harder than it is.” This one was definitely surprising to me. Between the blue and yellow on the outer petals is a pink peekaboo. I thought maybe it was surface stitch. There is actually a round of pink hiding behind those petals. This type of construction is genius. The genius strikes again with the floating pink popcorn stitches. This was a really fun square.

The author rated this square with four stars, extra advanced, which I feel it totally deserves. There is so much happening in this square, so I labeled it with a 4.5 difficulty. Maybe that’s unfair, but it is probably the most complicated so far. As far as I can tell, there are no five star patterns in this book, but if there were here is what she has to say about it: “Boss level: True brain-teasers. Expect highly technical construction that delivers peak mindful-crafting mode.” This one is pretty darn close.

There you have it. This week’s total is nine squares, and a little more than a month from my deadline, I have 18 squares left to make. Four of those will be in a familiar color scheme since I need more to finish a project. Stay tuned to see more of those.

Keep stitching, Heidi