Grammie’s Granny Square Snag

Or, better stated, I THOUGHT I could see!

I always considered the typical granny square a walk in the park. It is easy enough to do the double crochet, cluster that sucker into three at a time, and make my rounds as I go, right? Well, a few months ago I had Lasik done on my eyes. My vision has always been pretty bad, so once I started healing from the surgery, I literally had to learn how to use my eyes again! Sounds crazy, I know, but for decades I had prescription eye glasses, around 15 years ago I got the bifocal, 6 years after that, the dreaded trifocal, so I went from almost blind to 20/20 practically over night! And, yes, it certainly does take getting used to. The way I used to have to focus on things and the way I focus on things now has changed a lot. The way, I suppose, I had to learn to use my eye muscles, has changed. Things people typically never thing about, like breathing or hearing, it is just something we “do”, right? Anyhow, since I was on a trifocal prescription lens, apparently, while I can see details I had never even realized were there all my life at almost every range, when it comes to close up detailed work with dark colors, I struggle. I simply cannot get my eyes to focus properly when I have the small detail work to do. Now I struggle to “connect the dots”, as one might put it.

A few months ago my Aunt Barbara asked me if I would make her a granny square afghan. I told her, sure I would! Piece of cake, I said! I set out to pick a wide array of colors to piece together and got started on those clean easy squares. I have already made a few dozen…but, when I started to piece these suckers together, I realized that the struggle is real! I had chosen a dark color to finish my rounds with, and as I was trying to piece these dark purple stitches together, I realized I could not see the detail I needed to line them up properly. What, in the past, would take me a few weeks to complete has now run into two months. At the onset of creating this piece, I was going to do single color squares, then two color squares moving out, then three and so on. Now I hope to be able to keep my sanity in the one set of sewing I will need to do. Fortunately, I have another 3 months to get this  afghan put together, but, it sure is tempting to just start doing the rounds on this medium size square I have managed to piece together.

To my dear Aunt Barbara, these stitches will be made with love…and with struggle…and with victory over my obstacles! See you in September~

Grammies grannies edited-Edit

 

 

By Yarn Zen Fibers

Many years ago, I was outside playing kickball with the neighborhood kids. My grandmother called me inside and quickly informed me that "Young ladies do not play with boys!". And she sat me down beside her and taught me my first set of crochet stitches. I do not recall my age, exactly, but do remember I was still in my single digits. Today I am very much grateful for her passing this skill down to me. It has saved my life in so many ways. I have used it as physical and emotional therapy more times than I can count...

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