crocheting the American flag part two

I've been working on crocheting two flags during all my spare time (which wasn't much) with the hopes of having them both finished by the 4th of July... yeah, tomorrow. This morning as I was working on the stars I realized that it wasn't going to happen.

I have ten out of a hundred done. Crap.

It wasn't until this morning that I finally came up with a star solution that I was happy with. I told myself that I wouldn't get too hung up on exact measurements and I didn't when it came to the crochet parts. To my surprise they turned out better than expected. The stars on the other hand needed to be exact if I wanted to fit 50 in a small space without them looking like a mess. It took a lot of trial and error to come up with something that I was happy with and I really like how the stars are turning out. 

I could have rushed and settled with something else just to get the flags finished in time... but I realized that these flags will last a lot longer than the holiday tomorrow. 

There will be plenty of opportunities to hang these flags in my windows once they are finished. And that is something to celebrate.

crocheting the American flag

Last year, on July 3rd, I decided I would crochet a flag to celebrate our nation's independence. I looked through my stash and realized that the red, white and blue yarn I had would be enough for a flag the size of an index card. Because of that - and the fact that I didn't have much time - I wisely decided to not start this new project but to work on one of the zillions of projects that I had abandoned in the middle of production.

This year I did a bit more pre-planning. I got some yarn last weekend and went to work Monday night. My goal was to have one done by Flag Day and two by the 4th of July. Well today is Flag Day and I'm not done so I amended my goal to finish just the crochet parts. Goal completed. Not bad for less than three days of work, but my wrists are mad at me.

Now all I need to do is sew it together between the blue part and the top stripes and sew in the stars. I thought about crocheting each star one by one and then sew them on, but that would have been a lot of work. I want both flags to be finished on both sides... 200 stars... no way.

I'm making these flags not only to be festive, but because I like the idea of having them around for awhile. I'd like to put them up every year and then pass them down to the next generation of my family.

I'll make updates when this flag is done and then again after they're both finished. I didn't use a pattern so I'll write it out and post it with one of the updates. And in case you were interested, I used a 5.5mm hook and Red Heart Super Saver yarn in soft navy, soft white and burgundy. The whole thing is done in single crochet.

Happy Flag Day!