By Helen

crochet: lazy, daisy, bunting…

Coming back from holiday, I am getting back into the routine of everyday life; work, rest and play.  To be honest getting back into it hasn’t been too bad: maybe it is because the sun is still shining, maybe it is the thought of the lovely friends I’ll be catching-up with in the coming weeks or may be it is because our next holiday doesn’t seem all that far away.  I thought I’d get back into the routine of blogging crochet and share with you my pattern for lazy, daisy bunting.  It is a pattern I have been working on for a long, long, long  time: but I finally settled on it just in time for York’s last Yarnbomb.

I used some lovely yarn by Rico Design, called creative fliz!  It is a merino yarn, really thick and chunky.  Any chunky yarn will do:  I was drawn to this practically yarn because of the colours…

The ball band recommends you use a 8mm hook: but I decided to use a 4.5mm hook – so the bunting didn’t droop when it was hung out.

Here’s how to crochet the daisy…

2ch…

Working into the 2^nd ch from hook…

Crochet 9tr…

ss to join…

Finish off and change colour (if you want to), *9ch…

ss into next tr*…

Repeat *-* until you have crocheted your petals…

Finish off and weave in your ends.  Crochet as many lazy daisies as you like: then join together using a long crocheted chain, catching the petals, with a double crochet, as you go along…

Hang, make a cup-of-tea and enjoy your lazy, daisy bunting....

Notes:

• Uk crochet terms have been used
• Sorry about the blurriness of the last image: not sure what happened! 

crochet flower for July…

Gosh it is hot!  Here in the UK we are officially having a heat-wave.  I have to confess I am being a bit British about the whole thing; keeping cool and not doing more than I need to.  Maybe I am being sensible rather than British (though I have moaned that I am toooooo hot).  I do prefer cooler weather, I prefer months that end with ber (September, October, November and December), I prefer months that have r’s in them, if I am very honest I prefer the snow.   I do love seasons; how the weather, the garden and moods change through the year.  The weather made last week’s Yarnbomb very hot but very well attended.  Did you stop my contribution?  No, never mind, here’s a close up of one of the flowers that I crocheted…

I am writing up the pattern, and I’ll share that with you very soon.  For now it is back to doing very little and keeping cool.

Enjoy the sunshine…

crochet forget-me-not bracelet…

For June’s crochet flower of the month, I was inspired by all the forget-me-nots that I saw when out walking in woodlands.  I hope you like it…

In case you do, here’s how I made it…

I gathered together all the bits and pieces I would need: forget-me-not blue yarn, a teeny-tiny crochet hook (for the DK yarn I used a 2mm hook), ribbon, hook and eye (for the fastenings), beads, needle, scissors and glue…

I love how the acid green ribbon looks against the forget-me-not yarn…

I started by tying the hook and eye to the end of the ribbon…

Decorating the ends of the ribbon with some beads…

I crocheted three forget-me-knots, using my blossom pattern; next I sewed little yellow beads to the centre, and then glued them to the ribbon…

Leave the glue to dry, then ta-dah…

Your very own crochet forget-me-not bracelet.  Let me know how you get on…

crochet blossom…

I thought that I’d share with you my crochet blossom pattern.  It is perfect for May and was May’s crochet flower last year.  The pattern is one of my very favourite.  I use it, quite literally, all the time.  I use it to embellish hats (the green one), wreaths and phone socks.  One of my favourite uses was when I needed hair clips in an emergency…

To crochet the blossom, so that it looks like blossom, I used Debbie Bliss’ Angel, but any fluffy yarn would be prefect.  For easy of seeing the stitches in the pattern I have crocheted it using some DK which I had.  Hopefully you can see the difference…

Gather your yarn, you don’t need much, and a hook which suits the yarn you are going to use.

Working into a magic circle, **3ch…

1tr, into the magic circle…

3ch…

ss ** into the magic circle…

Repeat ** - ** four more times, so you have five petals…

Don’t worry if your magic circle gets bigger and bigger!  After your last ss, finish off and pull the ends of the magic circle…

Weave in the ends and decide what to embellish!  Or secure to branches, to make your blossom bloom…

NB - To turn your blossom into a hair clip, stitch a bead into the centre of your flower, attach a kirby-grip and wear with pride!

 

crochet flower for April: Primula / Primrose…

Now that Spring is here: I decided it was time to cheer up the front of my home, with a hanging basket.  After spending a happy hour browsing York’s Newgate Market, I came home with some Primulas. Or are they Primroses?  I’m not sure, I think Primroses are pale yellow and Primulas are stronger coloured (if you know let me know).  Anyway, I came home with five, in fact, for the bargain prices of three pounds (perfect just in case Spring isn’t here and the late frosts attack them).  Don’t they look cheerful…

So colourful and zingy…

They got me thinking, Primulas (or Primroses) would be the perfect flower to crochet for April.  So, get your crochet hook ready, here’s how to crochet yourself a Primula (or Primrose) posy or table centre.  Like with many of my crochet flower patterns, I suggest you use any yarn that you have to hand and a crochet hook which works with the yarn.  I used two contrasting colours, so the cute little centre really shows up.

With yarn A make a magic loop (sometimes called a slip ring or magic ring)...

2ch, 9dc into the magic ring…

Slip stitch into the top ch, to join together…

Finish off, pull the ring tightly to close the ring and secure the ends, so that they don’t get in the way.  Change to your second colour.

Join B into any stitch, secure with 1ch…

*work htr, tr, dtr, htr, dtr, tr, htr, into next dc, ss into next dc* …

Repeat the above instructions until you have five petals, finish off and secure your ends…

Crochet a few more Primulas and pot…

Perfect for little table centres, and Primulas (or Primroses) that don’t have to worry about the frost getting!

Happy crocheting!

NB - All crochet terms are UK terms. 

crochet flower for March…

Before you continue reading, you should know that I have a confession to make. Ready?  March’s crochet flower of the month is (a teeny tiny) bit of a cheat.  I loved last March's flower, sooooooo much that I decided to reuse it.  I hope you don’t mind?  Looking back over last year’s post, I realised that I hadn’t shared the crochet pattern with you.  Really it is a win-win: I reuse one of my favourite flowers from last year and you get to crochet it ready for Easter.  Let’s face it, if it is as cold with you as it is here in York, we need the colourfulness, cheerfulness of the Daffodil.  York certainly doesn’t look as good as it did this time last year, the grass banks of the City Walls are not yet full of these…

Maybe it is waiting for you to visit over Easter!  On with the pattern:  I crocheted using Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino and a 4mm hook, but any Daffodil coloured yarn would work just as well. 

First crochet the petals...

Round 1: 9ch. Sl ss into 1^st ch to join the ring...

Round 2: dc into ring, 2ch, dc into ring.  Repeat this until you have 6 ch sps.  Sl ss into ch to join the ring…

Round 3: working into the first ch sp; dc, htr, tr, dtr, dtr, ch3, sl ss into 1^st ch (crocheting a picot), dtr, tr, htr, dc…

Repeat the above (still on round 3) into each ch sp, until you have six petals.   Fasten off…

Now crochet the trumpet...

Round 1: make a magic circle,  1ch to secure.  13dc into the magic circle. Sl ss into ch to make circle…

Round 2: 3ch. Tr into each dc. Sl ss into 3^rd ch to join circle…

Round 3: 3ch.  Sl ss into 1^st ch (picot) sl ss into next tr...

Repeat the above (still on round 3 picot) into each tr. Sl ss to join…

Sew the trumpet and petals together, then voila…

Last year I made my Daffodils into a Spring-time wreath: this year I am reusing them into something else.  I share with you the new project in a few posts time, for now it is just not-quite-right!

NB - when crochet the picot for the trumpet, please, don't worry about how many you end up with, just one in each treble is fine.  Go with how your trumpet is looking rather than fretting about counting stitches.  That's why crochet is so fantastic!

crochet flower for February…

Nothing says Spring is on its way quite as much as a tulip.  Ok may be the snowdrop, daffodil or primrose does: but for now I am focusing on tulips…

That’s because the tulip, is February’s crochet flower of the month.  Last year I crochet a rose for Valentine’s Day, this year something slightly less cliché (I did crochet hearts for Valentine’s Day after all) the tulip…

Here’s how you can make a bunch of them for yourself.  Gather together your yarn, scissors, needle and crochet hook.  I would suggest you use a smaller crochet hook than what is mentioned on the ball-band, as you want your petal stitches to be quite tight.   Ready?  Ok, then.

Row one : 5ch…

Row two: dc in 2^nd ch from hook, dc in next dc, dc in next dc, dc in next dc, dc in next dc, turn…

Row three: 1ch, 2dc in dc, dc in next dc, dc in next dc, 2dc in next dc, turn…

Row four: 1ch, 2dc in dc, dc in next dc, dc in next dc, dc in next dc, dc in next dc, 2dc in next dc, turn…

Row five, six and seven: 1ch, dc in each dc, turn…

Row eight: 1ch, 2dc tog, dc in next dc, dc in next dc, dc in next dc, dc in next dc, 2dc tog in next dc, turn…

Row nine: 1ch 2dc tog, dc in next dc, dc in next dc, 2dc tog in next dc, turn…

Row ten:  1ch, 2dc tog, 2dc tog, turn…

Row eleven: 1ch, 2 dc tog, finish off...

And weave in your ends…

Crochet six tulip petals…

Next you need to join the petals together

Row one: using your green yarn, dc across the base of the first petal…

Don’t worry too much about where you place your hook or how many stitches you crochet.  I crocheted four stitches, but however many you manage if fine.  Crochet one chain, before joining the next petal...

Repeat this until all of the petals are joined together (they will over-lap each other)…

Row two: turn, 1ch, dc in to each of the dc (I found it easier to ignore the ch: in other words, don’t try to dc into the ch)…

Row three: turn, 1ch, 2dc tog all the way across, finish off leaving a long tail…

To sew together, coil the petals together so that there are three inner and three outer petals and secure by sewing in the long tail…

Voila, your tulip…

If you want to arrange your tulips in a vase, I would suggest that you use a small garden cane as a stem, like I did with my Sunflowers.  Me?  I’m going to lay my crochet tulips across the mantelpiece as a Spring garland. 

Happy corcheting...

NB – the first ch in each row, does not count as a stitch.  All crochet stitches are UK stitches. 

crochet flower for January…

Well good morning!  It seems very indulgent blogging to you on a Wednesday morning.  Normally I fit my posts in around work: but not today – I have got a whole day off!  A whole day to myself, to do exactly as I please: I can’t tell you how much I am looking forward to it.  I have a lot of lovely things planned and I thought that I would start the day with you!  I have been crocheting hard over the past few days, to bring to you a flower for January.  Last year I crocheted a Snowdrop (I saw my first Snowdrop yesterday), it still needs working on as I am still not truly happy with it, but that can wait.  I have been working on crocheting  Hellebores…

Do you like them?  I am really pleased with how this worked out.  Just in case you are, here is how to crochet on for yourself.  Gather together lots of yarn, in Hellebore colours, I used mainly DK – but that is not really too important and a 4mm crochet hook…

Round one: using your first colour 5ch, join the ring with a slst…

Round two: 3ch, 2tr cluster, 2ch…

[3tr cluster, 2ch], repeat this four times…

You will have five clusters and five chain spaces, slst to join, finish off…

Round three: using your second colour join yarn in one of the chain spaces…

[5dc in each ch sp]…

repeat this in each chain space, slst to join, finish off…

Round four: using your third colour join yarn in 1^st dc, [3ch, 2tr in dc, 1dtr in next dc, 1dtr, 3ch, slst in 1^st ch, 1dtr all in next dc, 2tr in next dc, 3ch, slst into dc, slst in next dc]...

repeat this four more times, finish off and weave in the ends…

Play about crocheting lots of Hellebores in all different colours…

Happy crocheting!

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NB          stitches are written using UK terms, if you prefer American terms :

                UK dc = sc

                UK tr = dc

                UK dtr = tr

Ooohh and a cluster is crocheted in a very similar way as decreasing: expect all of the stitches are worked onto the same stitch rather than across several. 

Hope that makes sense – if not let me know!

a celebration of 2012….

As 2012 comes to an end, I thought that I would share with you, and celebrate,  some of my highlights form 2012, what a busy year it has been…

In January I started my New Year’s resolution, to crochet a different flower each month – something I hope to continue in 2013.  

In February the weather turned cold: and it snowed and snowed and snowed.  I love snow; nothing else can change the appearance, sound, smell and feel of your surroundings quite so well as snow.

With March came the promise of Spring, with golden Daffodils cheering-up much of York.  I just had to crochet a Daffodil…

In April I celebrated my first Blogversary.  A whole year of sharing all of my crocheting and crafting with you.  Thank-you for sticking with me!

May was a busy crochet month.  Crocheting May blossom and festival hats for my little friend I.

June saw crochet to the rescue with a quick fix for my hair…

I was sooooo very proud of July’s crochet flower of the month; I had to share it with you again.  It still makes me smile of dull rainy days!  The crochet pattern for it is here!

In August I was in for a real treat, making beautiful faabric flowers.  I hope to make bunches of these next year…

September saw Si and I start to get the house ready for re-modelling.  It also saw me fall in love with the most perfect yarn for crocheting flower brooches.  And I introduced you all to my favourite yarn shop. 

Crochet in October was given over to going out, to let the builders get on with finishing our home.  I did manage to sneak in a bit of Halloween hooky time…

Christmas started really early, in November, as I crocheted lots and lots of samples for my Crochet for Christmas course.

In December I found the cutest Christmas trees to crochet, and hung them proudly in by nearly finished home…

Yep, it has been quite a year, all good!  See you in the New Year for lots more crocheting and crafting! 

merry Christmas, yuletide greetings and seasons greetings…

Merry Christmas, yuletide greetings and seasons greetings…

Joyeux Noël

Gelukkig kerstfeest

مواسم تحيات

Buon Natale

मौसम अभिवादन

Frohe Weihnachten

ברכות עונות

sezone čestitke

Karácsonyi üdvözlet

musim salam

სეზონის ულოცავენ

Wesołych Świąt

节日的祝贺

Καλά Χριστούγεννα

季節挨拶

veselé Vánoce a šťastný Nový Rok

mevsim selam

ทักทายฤดูกาล

Feliz Natal

Nadolig Llawen

сезона поздрав

сезоны приветствия

sezoane salutări

فصول سلام

Glædelig jul

God jul

계절 인사

temporadas, saludos

メリークリスマス

I really hope that I haven’t spelt your languages wrong, I have had to rely on Google Translate for this posting.  Or if I have missed you language – sorry.  I hope that you get the sentiment and have a wonderful time what-ever you do this holiday period…

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