My Fingers Fly

The Mission Inn exceeded all my expectations. The rooms are luxurious, the staff friendly and helpful, and my love of history was on overload with the artwork and the museum. https://youtu.be/PO9VFE1nLqc

Frank Miller purchased the property in 1880 from his father. It was built by his father as a boarding house, but Frank expanded it to several more wings. Through his travels, he populated the wings with art work from around the world. He counted among his friends Teddy Roosevelt, Andrew Carnegie, and Louis Tiffany. Many of Tiffany’s stained glass windows can be seen throughout the buildings including seven windows in the St. Francis Chapel. It has never been consecrated as a church, but it is a popular wedding chapel for southern California brides. To see these gorgeous works of art and the 18th century cedar and gold leaf Mexican altar, be sure to sign up for the museum tour. Although time did not allow me to sample all the restaurants in the hotel, Las Campanas serves some of the best chicken tacos I have ever had. Sorry, I forgot to take the photo until after I had already eaten one of the tacos.

Frank Miller’s collection of bells once numbered over 800, but since his death, the hotel has changed hands several times. The collection still has over 500 bells, and they are displayed all over the property. That’s how I came up with my next pattern, a rustic wall hanging with several bells.

Wall hanging measures approximately 18 wide by 24” tall Materials: Lion Hometown USA Aspen Tweed – 1 ½ skeins Size L crochet hook Yarn needle 18” wooden dowel or tree branch (1 1/2” diameter) 10, 2 cm wooden beads – 3 for each bell and one for hanger Large Bell: Rnd 1: Ch 2 (or magic circle), 8 sc in 2^nd ch from hook. Do not join. Rnd 2: 2 sc in each st (16 sc). Rnd 3: *Sc in next st, 2 sc in next st, repeat around (24 sc). Rnd 4: *Sc in each of next 2 sts, 2 sc in next st,* repeat around (32 sc). Rnds 5-13: Sc in each sc. Rnd 14: 2 sc in each st (64 sc). Join with sl st. Rnd 15: Ch 1, sk joining st, sc in back loop only of each st around (63 sc). Join with sl st. Rnd 16: Ch 1, *dec, sc in next 7 sts,* repeat around. Small Bell (Make 2): Rnd 1: Ch 2 (or magic circle), 6 sc in 2^nd ch from hook. Do not join. Rnd 2: 2 sc in each st (12 sc). Rnd 3: *Sc in next st, 2 sc in next st, repeat around (18 sc). Rnds 4-8: Sc in each sc. Rnd 9: 2 sc in each st (32 sc). Join with sl st. Rnd 15: Ch 1, sk joining st, sc in back loop only of each st around (31 sc). Join with sl st. Rnd 16: Ch 1, *dec, sc in next 4 sts,* repeat around (29 sc). Assembly: For large bell, cut 50” length of yarn. Fold in half and loop around center point of dowel. Thread both strands yarn through center of large bell and then through center of wooden ball. Allow bell to fall to desired placement on yarn (approximately 8” down from dowel) and knot yarn under the wooden ball. Thread one wooden bead on each piece of yarn with each bead visible just below the rim of the bell. Knot yarn under each bead and trim yarn below knot. For small bells, cut 40” lengths of yarn and assemble in the same manner on the outer portion of the dowel. Bottoms of small bells should be even with top of large bell in the middle. Measure to ensure small bells are equal distance from center bell. For hanger, cut 2” lengths of yarn. Loop around the dowel with each side halfway between center bell and outer bell. Pull all 4 lengths of yarn through wooden bead and make a knot to hold in place. As always, feel free to post photos of your crochet at http://instagram.com/myfingersfly