Finishing Up: Crochet Swap Squares

Finishing up the week here with these Pink Lemonade squares. Whew, looking back, I realize that these were a lot of work! Sometimes I get “in the zone” while crocheting and don’t realize exactly how much effort I’ve put into things. It’s always nice to see a finished result that you’re pleased with.

So today I’m finishing up the last of the crochet swap square that I’ve made. This isn’t the full twenty; there are a few stragglers here: one that I haven’t tracked down the pattern yet, a couple whose photos I need to get transferred onto my computer, and so on. But these are the bulk of them.

First for today is Granny’s Fireworks. I love the buttons on this square. If I would have had more time, I would have gone out to the craft store and tried to find some lemon buttons or something like that, but I used what I had on hand instead. This is another square that I condensed to fit the 9” swap requirement, even though it’s a 12” square. I think that took away from it a little, because it’s a bit of a tighter fit, but it was still fun to make and is one that I’ll make again. The pattern is a free Ravelry download.

Next up is Melinda Miller’s Always a Bridesmaid, from her wonderful eBook of 6 patterns called The Wedding Party for $7.50 (or you can purchase the pattern separately for $2 here). I’m a big fan of her crochet squares and have made plenty of them. I had a lot of fun with color placement on this one, and it’s another that I cut down on the ending rounds and used a smaller (G/4.00mm) hook to make the square into a 9” one.

Finally, Odyssey is the last square to share today. I won’t lie, I had a lot of trouble with this square. A lot of that is my fault – this is a square that definitely does better as a 12” than a 9”. I had to improvise on some of the outer rows in order to make it square since it came close to 9” way before I wanted it to, even with using the G hook. I’d like to make this again following the full pattern. The round of “x-stitch” also threw me for a loop, and I had to redo that round a couple of times until I got it, but once I did, I thought the texture was a nice contrast with the rounds. It’s a free pattern that can be found online here.

That just about wraps up the Pink Lemonade squares! Thanks for letting me share them with you! And as I get the last few up I’ll share those as well. This was a really fun swap to be in, and now I’m looking forward to relaxing with some crochet work that doesn’t have a deadline!

~ Mellie ★