What's on the pins?

Or more accurately, what's on the hook? Well, this.

I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that in amongst all my running, writing, working, silliness and other pursuits, I'm also still finding time for yarn. I chose this pattern to take away to Spain with me - partly because, being made of individual granny squares, it was highly portable and also partly because it calls for cotton yarn and therefore was less likely to be hot and sticky to make.

As regular readers will know, it was incredibly hot in Spain and even with cotton yarn, doing much crochet wasn't really an option. So I've been battling on with this since I got home. And it's finally beginning to take shape. This picture is from a week or so back when I eventually got to the stage where I could join the squares together. I've now progressed even further and I'm crocheting the body section on to the joined squares.

As I'm doing this 2 thoughts strike me. Firstly, why on earth did I choose a pattern that involves 40 individual squares - with, of course, 40 individual squares-worth of ends to darn in afterwards, not to mention the ends from joining the damn things - when I just hate finishing off. Secondly, never ever let me choose a pattern with stripes again - what a pain having to change colour every row!

Don't get me wrong I am actually enjoying making this cardigan but I know that when I get to the end I'll be cursing at the amount of darning in I'll have to do. There's every chance as well, that it won't actually look right since I went wrong with the decreasing at some point and while the length will be about right, the armholes might be slightly off. The challenge will be to make sure I make exactly the same mistake on the other side!!

Oh well, onwards. I'll post a pic when it's finished so you can see how it turns out. Nice colours though!