Last week I talked about the Urban Island beach party, a cool Milwaukee festival on an island off the shore of Lake Michigan. This was just an example of what happens every Summer in Milwaukee. If you live in the Mid-West, or any place where seasons actually take place, and in our case three shorter seasons give way to a very long winter, any excuse to go outside is taken advantage of. This week alone I took my daughter to the zoo, and the PGA Championship practice round; tomorrow we are planning the Wisconsin State Fair and Irish Fest this weekend. If this week doesn’t tire my three year-old out, it definitely will tire me out! But I can’t complain, once football season starts, my family and most of the people I know begin our hibernation (at least on Sunday every week), and as the weather gets colder we spend more and more time indoors. Truth be told, it is welcome after such a go-go-go summer, but that is probably why we go-go-go, being cooped up all winter will do that to a person.
Still, as an avid (or obsessed, depending on who you are talking to) crocheter, I am always looking for inspiration and ideas for crochet designs. Sometimes they are winners, sometimes they are starters, sometimes I should scrap them immediately, but it is always fun to try! Here are a two crochet inspirations I took from this busy week:
My Tear Drop Earrings
I am a golfer, hence my “follow-through” of taking my three-year old to a major golf tournament. It was a practice round, my good friend gave me a free ticket, and I read on the website that children were free due to promoting golf to kids, so I reasoned that I could take her. It was a beautiful day, a cool breeze blew in from the pristine blue waters of Lake Michigan (I didn’t believe the lake could be so beautiful, but take a look).
I had made my Tear Drop Earrings as a request from my mom who wanted a lightweight pair of earrings when she golfed. These give a pop of color, hang well, and you aren’t even aware you are wearing them!
My next project was inspired from our upcoming day at Irish Fest. While I have made
Shamrock Earrings,
I wanted to make a cuff to wear that reflected the Flag of Ireland. Here is what I came up with yesterday. 
I still need to block the cuff, and add a snap to it, but I like the chevron pattern. If I were to make it again, I’d probably use a smaller hook size, but overall, it will be a fun accessory for the festival!
I hope to get some of these patterns to you once I proofread my notes and finalize them. What do you think of these ideas? Festival season gives you ample opportunity to show off your pride, but it doesn’t have to be cheesy. You can make chic pieces with crochet that are fun to wear and stylish too. I hope you think these are two examples of this. Hope all your weekends are full of fun!
Crochet539 