Crossing that Border.

I'm not sure how many fellow crocheters become almost undone when , at last, we reach "the border" of our blankets, afghans or shawls? I know, there's always a pattern to follow which someone else had night sweats over. But, there is an enclave of crocheters who have a mental block ( more like a steel plate ) of pattern-reading resistance, and I am one of them! :-) I've tried to analyse why I don't just do the work of learning patterns and it all comes down to my rebellious nature. Yes, I squarely set blame at the feet of my intense dislike of authority. I will not be told what to do. What, y/o, sl st, sc2tog and repeat, 3 x trbl and y/o again??? Just No! And of course, I pay for my stubbornness by winging all my crochet projects. I do love the youtube tutorials though, and already I have my favourites... Laura, from Happy Berry Crochet  has been a great help to me. She is very patient, and takes time to properly explain, which is invaluable to ADD crocheters like me. :-) The other youtube tutorials I often turn to in times of extreme crochet frustration are the eHow crochet tutorials and it's where I learned how to do the simple scallop border on my WIP. Then of course, I wanted to add to that so I tried my own pattern ( of sorts ) and I am now going to actually attempt to write an abbreviated crochet pattern for it! So here goes. As you will see I did include the link to a simple scalloped border. Then I added to it by crocheting simple chain stitches, half-double stitches and a sort-of puff stitch.

The sequence is: starting with a 4 y/o puff stitch ( although you could add more strands if you want it puffier ). Then, ch x 2, then y/o and into the "top or tip" of your scallop ( there are 5 stitches in the scallop so it would be the 3rd stitch ) crochet hdc x 3 into the top of that stitch, then ch x 3 and then into the "valley" between the scallop and do another Puff Stitch. Then repeat the sequence all the way around ending with a sl st.

I was satisfied with the effect. Well, as satisfied as any OCD perfectionist could be. I accept the fact that I will probably never get even close to the likes of Dedri Uys or Tatsiana from LillaBjorns Crochet World , and I have made my peace with that. Afterall... I make melt-in-your-mouth vegan meringues using the juice from canned Chickpeas... and how many people can say that? :D We live in a wonderfully diverse world and the possibilities out there, which have the potential to bring us so much joy, contentment and a sense of accomplishment ...are endless, Whatever blows your hair back, just do it!! Take care. xxxxxxx