By Helen

crochet sunflower pattern...

August has been soooo very busy, I am afraid that there is no crochet flower of the month, this month.  I simply have not found the time.  That said my month has been quite flowery, with the fabric flower course and my crochet for Yorkshire Day.  Instead of bringing you a new crochet flower of the month, I thought that I would share with you the pattern for last month’s Sunflower…

Here goes, using dark brown yarn to crochet the Sunflower’s centre

Round 1: into a magic loop 2ch, 9dc, slst to join…

Round 2: 2ch, 1dc into each ch, slst to join…

Round 3: 2ch, 1dc into same dc, 1dc into next dc, *2dc, 1dc,* slst to join…

Round 4: 2ch, 1dc into same dc, 1dc into next 2 dc, *2dc, 1dc, 1dc, * slst to join…

Round 5: 2ch, 1dc into same dc, 1dc into next 3 dc, *2dc, 1dc,1 dc,1 dc,* slst to join and fasten off.  Weave in any ends to secure.  Crochet two of these…

To make the petals, use a lighter coloured yarn. 

Round 6: join the two centres together using  double crochet…

When you are part way round joining the two centres, lightly stuff them…

Then finishing joining together…

Now crochet the rest of the petals..

Round 7:  7ch and slst into dc…

Repeat this all the way round, until you have finished your Sunflower…

I used a garden stick as my stem, which I covered using green yarn slip stitched around it.  I planted my Sunflowers in plasticine and then covered the pot with a simple crochet cover in rainbow colours for extra cheerfulness.  I’ll share that pattern later: if you want?

Go on crochet yourself some sunshine!

 

blocking crochet...

Over the past few weeks I have crocheted lots of things which need blocking.  I have never blocked anything before.  Blocking, or pressing or making-up, is a brilliant finishing technique where you dampen and press out you crochet, pulling it into shape with pins and leave it to dry, so that the shape and pattern of your crochet is enhanced...

Sometimes this process can involve starch.  I decided to follow Lesley Stanfield's tip, in75 birds, butterflies and beautiful beasties to knit and crochet,and use PVA glue to give my starflakes more strenght and extra shine...

I also decided to add glitter into the PVA, for extra sparkle!  You dilute the PVA with water and mix in your glitter. 

Soak your crochet for about ten minutes.  Squeeze out the excess water and then pin out your crochet on a pin board.  Make sure that the pins you are using are rust-proof and make sure your pin board is covered with cling-film, otherwise you will have a big mess and will never be able to take your crochet off the board...

Wait for twenty-four hours, or until your crochet is completely dry, and then carefully take the pins out and ta-dah - your crochet should look even more brilliant than it did before...

Will show you how mine turned out on my next post: though hopefully some of you might already know...

crochet a daisy

Why does life get in the way of crochet?  Simple answer because I let it.  I shouldn't!  I know but sometimes...Hay-ho.

Remember the Lazy Daisy I crocheted a few weeks ago?  Remember in my how to crochet a chain post I said that I would share the pattern with you?  

It really is very simple, which is a good thing as sometimes the most simplest of things are the most effective.  Why try and over-complicate a daisy?  It doesn't need it, it speaks for itself.

Normally I post my crochet through photogrpahs, but this time I thought I would share direct from my notepad. 

Let me know how you get on.  This is the first time I have shared a pattern.  

Happy crocheting! 

how to...

I thought I would do a “how to” I’ve been teaching some of the girls at work how to crochet.  Truthfully I am trying to convert them.  I am the only crocheter in our knitting group. 

The teaching went quite well.  But then I was there telling them what to do and sorting out any problems.  Writing the how to is proving more of a challenge.  So you will have to let me know what you think..? 

 Holding the hook is definitely the trickiest bit of crocheting.  This is how I hold mine

  
The hook is in one hand, usually the one you write with.  The other hand holds the yarn and controls the tension.  So it has quite a lot to do.  I use my little finger to do this. 

You need to just play around with it, until you find what works for you.  Some books suggest holding the hook like you would a spoon or a pen.  But I don’t hold those normally (so I am told and whatever that might be), so am not really best placed to comment.  I am a great believer in if it works for you... 

 So once you have got the hang of holding the hook and yarn you are ready to start crocheting. 

We are going to make a chain.

1. First make a slip knot.  and slip the knot over the hook.

 

 

2. Now wrap the yarn round the hook.  The hook should be in front of the yarn..

 

3. The hook then draws a new loop though the loop on the hook.  So that there is only one loop on the hook. 

 

Assuming you have just the one loop left on the hook, you have completed your first chain stitch. 

Now you are crocheting!!!! :-)

This is one of the great things about crochet.  If you think you have finished a stitch, and there is more than one loop on the hook – the stitch isn’t finished! 

The chain stitch is really useful in crochet, as it is the start of most projects.  You can either start rows, rounds or foundation chains.  All of these I hope to post at some point.

 Now that you can chain stitch.  You could make a Lazy Daisy  I will post that pattern very soon. 

Let me know what you think?