It’s my Week! Last Dance on The Beach CAL – Week 5

That’s right, it’s my week!

I basically grew up at the beach in country South Australia and I’ve always loved following footprints in the wet ripples at low tide.

When I look at this image I’m transported back there – the smell of the ocean, the birds calling, the waves crashing, the children splashing.  Then I think of the fish and chips, the sunscreen, the joy.

When someone says to me, what is your happy place I’m there.  Sitting on the sand, the sun on my face, the warm sand between my toes, free.

And so, my inspiration led to this square, which you can download the instructions for here.

I call it Footprints in the Sand; I hope you enjoy it.

I’ve kept it pretty light hearted throughout this CAL so far, and I haven’t really touched on how much this project has impacted my life.

Last year, after months of pain and the overwhelming feeling that I was going to die, I was diagnosed with burnout.  I was exhausted, sick and miserable, but hadn’t realised until my GP told me that all my intense physical symptoms were caused by stress.

Needless to say, I collapsed.  Just fell in a heap and couldn’t deal with anything.  It was all I could do to carry out basic functions, and the only solace I could find was in crochet.  I spent days, weeks really, hiding from the world crocheting.

And then Wink died.

Her death hit me harder than I ever could have imagined.  She was one of my crochet heroes and my friend. The weeks and months that followed were very difficult for me; trying to recover, terrified of the slippery slope.  It took a long time, but as we emerged from winter, I could feel the light warming my face and my heart again.  Being given the opportunity to contribute to this tribute is truly an honour and I’m so proud to be able to participate.

To help you make this square this week I have a few tips that will ensure you enjoy the design.

Below is a short photo tutorial of the Seagull Stitch itself, and Esther from It’s All in a Nutshell has created a fantastic video in English, Dutch and for left-handers like me.

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When creating the Seagull Stitch, do make sure you pull your loops all the way up to be level with the working row, otherwise your square will shrink in height.

If you do find that your gauge is off height-wise, no problem, just add or remove two rows to add or take away a footprint.

I used a 4mm hook for this square, and if I compare this to the other squares that I’ve made so far (still on week three), I’ve used either a 4 or a 5mm hook.  So, you can probably use the same hook you used on Esther’s square in week one.

This is also a bit of a “rest week.” After the challenging designs of the last few weeks, this one will give you a bit of a break so you can just sit, count and crochet.

I hope you have fun, I’ll be popping in and out of the Facebook groups over the next week to see how you are all going and to answer questions.  For the Dutch language group, click here and for the global, English speaking group go here.

To help you with your gauge and tension, visit the Tips and Tricks document at the CAL home page, plus a great video, again by Esther here.

As always, do make sure you share your squares on social media so we can all see and comment on them.  Use hashtag #scheepjesCAL2016 or#lastdanceonthebeach all over the internet and I’ll be sure to find them on Insta or Twitter or Facebook.  Don’t forget to tag me – @miss__neriss.

Good luck, and enjoy!