Totally Loopy Flower

Here is my latest flower applique design - the Totally Loopy Flower! I was away for a few days break and in my spare time was playing around with this till it came out looking OK. It would be great sewn onto a girl's hat or bag, particularly if a face were embroidered on it.

My WIPs (works in progress) are mounting up as I keep getting waylaid with small projects like this instead of assembling the two bags I have crocheted but not finished off. Does anyone else suffer from this ailment?

This pattern is also available on Craftsy.

Totally Loopy Flower

UK terms

Materials

Double knit yarn in three colours of your choice

4mm crochet hook

Size

3 ¾ inches diameter

Instructions

4mm crochet hook. DK yarn

Make a magic circle.

Row 1: With Colour A:
10 tr in magic circle. Close circle by pulling on yarn tail. Join with slip stitch in Colour B. Pull yarn tail tightly.

Row 2:  With Colour B:
1 ch. 2 dc in each stitch. Join with slip stitch in Colour C. (20 stitches)

Row 3:  With Colour C:
(9 ch. 1 dc in same stitch. Slip stitch into next stitch)*.  Repeat * around the flower to last stitch.
9 ch. 1 dc in same stitch. Slip stitch into base of first loop.

Finish off and weave in ends.

NB. When changing colour and starting a new row, ensure you pull the new colour through on the very last pull-through of the previous row to prevent the previous colour bleeding into the new row.

I hope you enjoy this pattern. If you find any mistakes in it, please let me know. Thank you.

Kath

A new crocheted dahlia flower to try

I have just developed this pattern for a large dahlia type of flower. It is a straightforward pattern which involves starting with foundation stitches, rather than chains, and then making a second row of stitches ranging from slip stitch up to double treble (UK). The third and final row uses shells to form the petals.

If the thought of using foundation stitches is off-putting, then please read my post about foundation stitches here - the entry contains a link to a very useful and easy to follow video.

Assembling the flower then involves winding and stitching the petals which I found to be much easier with foundation stitches than if the first row were chains.

If you were to attach a brooch pin at the back, then it would make a lovely join for the two edges of an edge-to-edge cardigan or it would be great on a wide knitted or crocheted headband or wristband.

Materials

One ball of DK yarn of your choice

Tapestry needle.

4 mm crochet hook

Size/Gauge

Gauge is not critical for this project, but choose a suitable hook for the weight of yarn you use. Using the yarn and hook above the finished flower measured three and a half inches across and one and a quarter inches deep.

The pattern can be found on Craftsy here


or on Etsy here

 

Foundation Stitches - got it!

I am still learning my craft and I have tried on a few occasions to follow video tutorials which aim to teach me  how to make foundation stitches instead of starting with chains. I have failed abysmally until today when I found these easy to follow videos on the Crochet for Cancer site. So I am feeling very pleased with myself for mastering these techniques:

• Foundation double crochet (sc in US)
• Foundation half treble (half dc in US)
• Foundation treble (dc in US) 

 In particular, I liked the fact that the presenter took her time and also some of the tutorials were in slow motion for slow learners like me. Great!

Foundation stitches give a stretchier edge to the beginning of a piece of work than working with a simple chain stitch, so are useful when you want some 'give' along the starting edge of a garment.

You can also follow Crochet for Cancer on Facebook. The flower in this post is their emblem.

Do any of you out there crochet for any charities?

Finished at last!

Ah-ha! I've finished the bag I was crocheting for a friend's birthday with two days to spare. Here's a picture of it...

I'm pleased with the result, especially as it is my own design both for the bag and flower. I have posted the pattern on Ravelry and Craftsy.

Now to move onto something else. Mm.mm.mm.mm... but what?

Picot-Picot Flower

It's bucketing down with rain outside, so I need no further excuse to get out the hook and yarn. Onward and upward with the string bag!

Yesterday I posted a pattern of my Picot-Picot Flower on Craftsy. It is made up of loads of picots - some of them picots on top of picots - and it also involves some crocheting around posts if you want to try your hand at that. I got a little bored with the string bag chains and took some time off to design this so that I can stitch it to the bag when it is complete.

Source: Picot-Picot Flower via Kath Williamson on Craftsy