The Tree Project

Yesterday I attended my local CGOA Chapter's monthly meeting. In celebration of National Crochet Month we decided to contribute, as a group effort, leaves for The Tree Project for the International Fiber Collaborative. We created over 50 fantastic leaves that we will be shipping out this week!

Most of the leaves I crocheted for The Tree Project I used the free leaf crochet pattern that can be found here, afterwards embellishing my leaves a bit. (For those wanting to give the pattern a try, should you get confused on where some of the stitches go, use the designer's pictures as a resource.)

For the last two leaves I created for this project I decided to take out my book, Crochet Embellishments (Leisure Arts #4419) by Jean Leinhauser, (Your local library may have it available for loan) as she has a variety of leaf patterns to try in her book. I picked two and, using various yarn samples I've collected from the Yarn of the Month Club, I eventually added my own personal flare to make them unique. I not only got to mix colors, but also textures, weights and fiber content -- nearly every type of fiber under the sun -- and moon! -- and what a blast that was! I guess you could say crocheting the leaves is another "addiction" as I had a difficult time stopping; I just wanted to keep on crocheting more leaves! Who knew they'd be so much fun? Now I am preparing to ship them to the Collaborative.

But, like a little pesky bug buzzing around, one leaf keeps calling to me, "Keep me! Keep me!" (Kinda sounding a bit like the fly/person caught in the web from the 1958 film "The Fly." Spooky if you ask me!) -- So do I dare? What do you think, readers? Should I keep the leaf that keeps calling to me or, pardon the pun, do I let it leave? Have you ever loved the way a project came out and opted to keep it for yourself? If so, please share your story with me.