[/caption]I hope you had a wonderful Fourth of July celebration! My family and I had a great time visiting Arkansas, relaxing with good friends and we set off fireworks each of the three nights we were there. My son did a great job running back and forth staging the explosives then setting them off. Sounds kind of horrible when I describe it like that, but he's a very conscientious fire cracker, I must admit!
During the moments when I had some time to crochet I managed to work up several 8 x 8 inch squares that will be headed to Joplin, Missouri very soon. Crocheting with a charitable purpose really has given me a sense of satisfaction while I work. And it's nice to be involved with a group of crocheters that I can link up with through Ravelry to see what tips and tricks they might have, or to just read about their involvement in the project we are working on together.
If you're looking for ideas on what to crochet for a charitable cause check here and here.
When I began working on the squares I found it a wee bit troublesome trying to calculate just how many stitches I could make that would come out the right size. When I chained eight inches I measured my yarn and thought I was on the right track. But, as I added rows I found that depending on the gauge of my stitches my foundation chain either grew or shrank by at least half an inch.
I remembered that I knew how to make foundation stitches and that solved my problem. I started using the Linked Treble Crochet stitch and my progress tripled! (no pun intended) You can create foundation stitches using any crochet stitch (single, double, treble crochet) once you get the hang of it. Here's a link to a great article created by futuregirl where she explains more about foundation stitches as well as has pictures with the differences between foundation single crochet and foundation double crochet. If you'd like to watch someone create a foundation double crochet stitch then be sure to watch Teresa's video here. There are more videos available for whatever type of foundation crochet stitch you would like to try.
I think I'll make squares that utilize other foundation stitches so that I will not only have blocks that vary in color but also in stitch. This is really a fun and productive project. Not only am I crocheting with an added purpose, I'm de-stashing at the same time!
