Squared Off

I've got squares on the brain this week so this image going around on fb caught my eye. The game is to say how many squares you see. I found 40. At least that is the answer I get most often. Occasionally I count 41 or 43 but I think I was counting something twice those times. Don't know the official correct answer.

At any rate the reason squares are on my radar this week is because of the latest crochet project I've begun.  A very big project for my Secret Santa recipient.  I'm making her a crafter's tote bag though she could use it for travel or anything else totes are used for.  But to make it useful as a crafter's tote it will have many pockets.  And since quilting is her thing it will be big enough to hold a standard bed sized quilt.  Dimensions: 20x12x10 inches.  12 being the height.

Where do the squares come in?  Well to honor the quilting theme I'm making the front and back panels resemble a quilt of 4x4 inch blocks.  The back panel and cover flap is all one piece of 20x44 inches comprised of 5 strips of 11 4in squares in 11 pastel shades.  Each strip will be a different stitch with these five being my current selection: 2 chain mesh, single crochet, filet, double crochet cross stitch, seed [sc & ch alternating].  I would like to use beads in the seed pattern, attaching them at the chain stitches.  Or I might switch out cross stitch for track stitch consisting of alternating 3 rows SC with one row triple crochet.


I'm still working on the design of the front panel of squares but it will be approximately 12 inches tall and 20 inches wide using the same 11 colors and five stitches.  Or possibly since I'm have trouble choosing between stitches I could use different stitches in the front panel.


The bottom, sides and handle will be all one piece in dark brown done in 2 chains plus SC mesh in a  60 inch diameter Moibus strip so the natural stretch serves the front to back width.  The Moibus twist will be kept at top of handle and the front and back panels sewn across the bottom and sides at least twelve inches up.

Instead of making individual squares I am making 4 inch wide strips and using each color for four inches. Once the strips are completed I'll sew them together and do a decorative embroidery stitch in brown around each square to echo the quilt theme.  I may do simple cross stitch designs on the single crochet blocks or alternately sew buttons to the center of them.  I also hope to make inside pockets using the same mesh stitch as the Moibus strip though not sure what color(s).  

As usual I'm making it up as I go along.  Some of my ambitions may have to be curtailed as Christmas nears.

I began the first of the strips for the back/flap panel on Monday and am working on the fifth square already bettering my hoped for pace of one square per day by 50%.

I should have made the effort to get a picture of it for this post but my motivator was broken by the residual heat from the dinner time oven and the 95 degree day.