December 18, 2018

I love Ravelry sooooo much! I went to the pattern browser, chose Components > Afghan blocks, and put 27.6 yards in the custom yardage filter and the very first thing that popped up was the Emma Square by Dedry Uys. It is exactly what I was looking for. She even says, “This Emma Square is perfect for using up small skeins of yarn, scrap yarn, or the very popular Cutie Pie boxes from Scheepjes.”

The unblocked squares are 4.75”. We have a large table in the kitchen -- 42” x 96”. The table is essentially the hub of our family life. We don’t need any more blankets in the house, but this cotton yarn would be great for a table runner and/or placemats. It might be a little too psychedelic, but I could choose a joining color that will maybe help pull it together (dark teal?)

December 19, 2018

Well, that was annoying and took a lot longer than it should have! I ran out of yarn on the second square. I weighed it and it is only 9g instead of 10g, which is probably why. Or my tension was looser. Either way, I tried doing the last round again, just tighter but still came up short, so I had to rip out and re-do the last two rounds with a 2.25 mm hook. This 100% cotton isn’t the easiest on the hands, especially doing it so tight, so it had me rethinking this whole endeavor (and the $60 I spent on this box of yarn). Sigh.

December 31, 2018

I’ve made my peace with this project. I’m using a 2.25 mm hook, which is a little small for the yarn and makes it a bit splitty, but it avoids the problem of yarn chicken.

What I really like about this project is that several mini skeins, my hook, scissors, and yarn needle all fit in a little pouch that slips easily into my purse. The pattern was easy to memorize, so this is the perfect on-the-go project.

March 17, 2019

I’ve got 19 squares done so far and the last few went quite a bit faster. The trick is I changed to a 2.75 mm Susan Bates brand hook and the deeper throat and pointier tip is much better for this splitty yarn. The smaller size Clover hook made the yarn slip off or split way too often. I also switched from a double magic circle start to a ch3+ss ring which saved about 6” of yarn which allowed me to go up to the larger hook size (but I still have to consciously crochet tighter than I usually do).

January 30, 2021

I created one more of these squares today to bring the total up to 39.

January 11, 2022

Picked this up again and made a few more squares.

I have ordered 5 50g skeins of black from Jimmy Beans Wool to eventually join these, though I still haven’t totally decided what they’ll be.

February 10, 2024

Two years later and I still haven’t done anything with these squares. I’ve rethought the placemat idea because they would shrink in the washer and who wants to hand wash placemats?

So, my latest idea is to use them to make a pillow cover for a pillow form I have hanging around., and to cover the tops of the storage footrests in my master bedroom sitting area/craft space (that have peeling pleather tops) Then, since I’ll probably have plenty, a tote bag to line with the cheap black cotton one I bought last year. If that doesn’t use them up, I’ll have some for coasters and maybe a small table runner.

I am getting close to finishing the On the Seashore blanket, which is the 6th (of 11) pre-2024 WIPs I’ve been tackling monotonously. I’m going to make this project the 7th.

February 19, 2024

The On the Seashore blanket is done. Perhaps I will choose colors for each item I plan to make with these so I can crochet up those squares first. It would be fun to finish some projects with these squares before the end of the month.

These will also be a good choice for taking to Texas with me to work on while on the plane, and during downtime while hanging out with my family.

February 21, 2024

OK, I’ve had enough of Emma Squares with these minis! They’re not all 10g!! The last one was only 8g, which is 20% less than it should be. Unless I strangle the yarn with a too small hook, which puts a lot of strain on my hands and arms, especially because 100% cotton is so inelastic, then I often run out of yarn and have to rip back quite a way and pull even tighter. Not. Fun.

I’ve made 46 of these squares, enough to do the pillow and a small table runner, with some coasters left over.

I’m off to the Ravelry pattern advanced search to find a different square that uses slightly less yarn. I can make the other projects I planned to make with these minis using a different square. The Emma Square is a lovely pattern, but the combination with these minis is too annoying!