There is something about crocheted ponchos that delights my boho soul — and Summer is the season for them, of course.

Besides, I tell myself, Summer yarns like of cotton, linen, and hemp are ideal for crochet (which is true) and crochet is so fast (which is sort of true).  And then I start a couple of crochet projects — figuring I will “whip them up in no time at all”!  (I have never in my life “whipped up” something “in no time at all” — but, y’know, there’s always a first time — okay that is not actually true, is it? I mean, there are lots of things that have not happened even once.  Who started that expression anyhow?!  Maybe I should just say that hope springs eternal…well, so far…I mean, we haven’t hit eternity yet so how do we know it doesn’t peter out sometime about a hundred zillion years out? I digress.)

Anyhow, I am pretty happily hooking away at my two shawls — especially since I have convinced myself that they will be done for our Beach trip in a week.  One is nearly done — I just haven’t worked on it lately since I am converting the pattern from a stole to a cape (and there are some color decisions involved as well) and I am not entirely sure how to finish it off…apparently, my plan is to panic next week and just make it happen in a flurry of determination (I suspect that I am one of the few persons on this planet who has flurries of determination).

I am about 2/3 done with the 2nd piece.  It is a big, chain-y lace thing with lots of triple crochet (which is a tall, leggy crochet stitch) — so I will end up with a poncho from the same amount of work it would take to make a doily.  Big hook, thick-ish yarn, y’know.  It is really not so much garment as a garnish.  Useless on the Oregon Coast even in August, but I could wear it over a sweatshirt, right?

Where crochet met crazy this Summer was when I saw Lydia Tresselt’s Beetles, Bugs, and Butterflies — with the most fiendishly adorable buggy amigurumi!  Not only are these buggies eye-popping cute, they are biologically interactive — one makes the caterpillar and its sweet little antenna cap and then one makes its egg and one can pop it in and out of the egg;  then one makes the cocoon and one can pop it in and out of the cocoon;  then one makes the wings which slide up onto the caterpillar and — poof! — it is a butterfly!  There are flies and beetles, too, and even a dainty slug!

Sarah and I were captivated — and my grandkids were enchanted (especially Evelyn who adores little creatures and has been hopping about and salivating for three weeks now).  Of course, I initially had starry visions of 2 complete fleets of buggies to take on our Beach trip — one for each household of grandchildren.  Sarah and I ordered yarn and started crocheting.  

The designs are exquisite and the directions quite clear.  But we are talking skinny yarn and slim hooks and working tightly to make firm fabrics.  Like crocheting miniature armor.  Lots of stitches, lots of counting.  Lots of time.  Sarah suggested I work on butterfly wings (I had made a caterpillar already and was getting used to the tight gauge — I think I have built up muscle from stabbing the hook in and out so much!).  She suggested, casually, that I might as well start with the Peacock Butterfly — which looked like fun to me with all its color changing! Ha!  

Lots of stitches.  Lots of counting.  Lots of changing yarn colors.  Lots of time.  So, I made the 2 large upper wings and the 2 small lower wing pieces for 2 butterflies.  8 wing pieces in all.  And I started the assembly step.  And it made no sense at all.  Holding the pieces the way I was instructed …well, it wasn’t going to make a butterfly!  

And then it all came clear.  The instructions were telling me to hold together a front and back for each wing piece…I needed 2 of each wing piece.  8 wing pieces for each butterfly.  16 total (for 2 butterflies) not 8.

Augh!!!!

I did not have 2 sets of butterfly wings done.  I had half of two sets of  butterfly wings done.  Crap.  Nothing to do but start crocheting duplicates of the pieces I had spent 2 weeks making.  Fortunately, I had become familiar enough with the pattern now that I was more efficient now.  A few days (and a flurry of determination) later, I had all the wing pieces done.  Now it is only a matter of weaving in a thousand ends and I will ready to crochet them all together!  

So, I have scaled back my buggy production plans.  One modest set of buggies — the grandkids can just fight it out for awhile — followed by additional wings, caps, cocoons, etc. into the Fall!