While I am working on my five interview answers for Susan in WA, (almost done, Susan!) I thought I’d post about the latest Gracious Parcel squares I’ve completed for Jackie’s on-going charity blanket project. When Jackie contacted me and told me she was coming up a bit short on squares for the next blanket I knew I couldn’t let her down. This time I did three different squares; two of each kind. In case you don’t remember, she asks for the squares to in some way represent the countryside where she lives. Since this blanket was going to be given in the spring, I wanted my squares to reflect things found in the spring and summer.

Lilacs are one of my favorite things, so it was only natural that one of the squares would be dedicated to those fragrant blooms. It took me some time to find the right yarn for representing lilacs, but I found the perfect fit. I experimented with different stitch patterns until I hit on the right one (the box stitch) to make it look like clusters of lilac flowers. It’s soft and smooshy-feeling to the touch.

I had some variegated blue yarn that came with my original “Learn to Knit” kit and thought it would do well to represent a river. When I started playing with the yarn, it just begged for the chevron stitch to make it look like ripples. (The chevron stitch forms a “v”.)

I also wanted to represent the fruiting bushes around her area and even though the yarn is not quite the correct color of red for raspberries, it works. The checkerboard pattern worked up to look like lots of small pints of raspberries (or at least to my imagination it does).

I enjoy doing the squares. They work up quickly and keep my mind and hands busy.  It’s a creative adventure from start to finish: picking out the yarn; choosing the pattern stitch; designing and making the tags. And best of all, it’s for a good cause. You can read more about how you can contribute on Jackie’s blog. She now has a photo up of the last completed blanket. Take a look—it’s awesome! I can see all three of my squares sewn into this work of art created by knitter’s hands from all over the world. It’s a good thing to be a part of.