I saw a butterfly yesterday…kinda remarkable because I live in Wisconsin and we had about 6 inches of snow on Sunday.  If that’s not truly one of natures most wonderful miracles, I don’t know what is.   But we’re not in Wisconsin this week…we’re in New Jersey and I’m super excited to tell you about one of our own admins, Silvana Tabacchi, who has designed “Butterfly Kisses” for week 23 of the Friends Around the World 3 CAL!

Having always been fascinated by butterflies, Silvana planted butterfly bushes in her backyard so she could enjoy them up close and personal. They now let her get near them, even hold them, so she can feel their butterfly kisses…heavenly kisses from loved ones she holds dear in her heart!

Silvana isn’t the only one in her family who thinks butterflies are special. Even her grandson, Augie, loves them and surprised her recently by bringing this masterpiece home from school !

So, as you can imagine, when Silvana sat down to design her square, it was no wonder that butterflies flew from her creative hands. Are they not the sweetest???

Silvana spends a lot of time crocheting…ALOT!  She’s a tester for many of our CALs and She even crocheted wedding favors for all of her children’s weddings. She crafted beautiful doilies that were tied and filled with Jordan almonds, an Italian tradition.  She also crocheted flower pins for all the guests at her daughter’s wedding shower!

Aside from crocheting, Silvana loves spending time with her grandchildren and enjoys leisurely summer days at the Jersey Shore.  Her favorite time of day is in the evening watching the glorious sunsets over the bay.

Silvana was born in a little town called Mammola, in the Province of Reggio Calabria, Italy and came to the United States when she was four years old.  The day they arrived, her maternal grandparents held a welcome party.  It was there that she first met her grandfather’s sister, Great Aunt Maria Rosalia.   Whenever they would visit her, Silvana would be fascinated by her beautiful handmade crochet doilies and she promised herself that someday she would make them.

Her mom eventually taught Silvana and her sisters to knit and crochet.  While her sisters  knitted, Silvana found that she preferred crochet.  Later, she married, moved to New Jersey, had 3 kids and a lot less time to spare on her “hobbies”.  Still, she crocheted her  daughter’s Christmas dresses as well as clothes for her dolls, and sweaters and hats for her boys. Most of her work was created spontaneously, without a pattern.

As her kids got older, she taught school kids how to crochet, then some adults.  Now she hosts a knitting/crocheting group of 4 at her house a few weeknights a month.

Lately, Silvana has toyed with the idea of writing patterns for her own work, but is realizing that it is certainly not easy and requires a lot of time.  Nevertheless,

she’s intrigued with the thought of sharing her passion.  You can find her at her Crafty Nonna Facebook page.

Oh, and about those doilies she was so inspired by–she has managed to make so many over the years including the ones used as favors at her children’s weddings.  I think her mom and great aunt Maria Rosalia would be proud!

Now, let’s get back to those butterflies.  Silvana has created a beautiful design that is an absolute joy to make.  The center flower and 4 butterflies are designed to perfection and will have you dreaming of summer days, butterfly gardens and butterfly kisses!

Pattern Info

You can find the written pattern here:  Butterfly Kisses by Silvana Tabacchi

You can find the video here:  Butterfly Kisses YouTube Video by Tania Leis

Extra Stuff

Yarn Requirements

Check out our post on yarn requirements here.  Here’s what the testers used for this square:

Lynette:  Worsted/Aran, 131 grams

Marjolein:  Stylecraft Special DK, 45 grams

Silvana:  Herrschners Worsted 8, 94 grams

Aprille:  Stylecraft Aran, 92 grams

Micki: Worsted, 109 grams

Important Additional Pattern Info

Don’t forget you will need to add an extra three rounds to your square to achieve the final 48 st/side count which is necessary for joining. You can find the instructions for all squares here. Translations for these additional rounds can be found here.    The extra rounds will vary slightly from week to week because the squares vary in ending stitch counts so be sure to follow the directions for each square.

This square ends with a 40 stitch count on each side.  You will need to add an additional 8 stitches per side for a total of 48 stitches per side.

Rnd 1:  Begin with a standing sc (stsc) in any corner chsp. Ch2, sc in same corner, sc in each of the next 40 sts. *(Sc, ch2, sc) in corner chsp. Sc in each of the next 40 sts* repeat from * to * 3 more times. Join with slst to beginning stsc. (42 sts, ch2 per side)  

Rnd 2:  Slst to corner ch2, *(sc, ch2, sc) in corner chsp.  Sc in each of the next 42 sts* repeat from * to * 3 more times. Slst to beginning sc. (44 sts, ch2 per side)  

Rnd 3:  Slst to corner ch2, *(2sc, ch2, 2sc) in corner chsp.  Sc in each of the next 42 sts* repeat from * to * 3 more  times. Slst to beginning sc (48 sts, ch 2 per side)

Silvana wanted to be sure to share her gratitude to the CAL team.  “Without you all, this square would not have been born. I accepted the “challenge” to make a square and the village helped tremendously to make it happen.”  Thank you, to you, Silvana!  We love your square and can’t wait to see all the pics that will be shared on the CAL Facebook group page.

Goodbye for now and Happy Easter!