a daylily - Part 3

In the previous post, we crocheted the front 3 petals. Now, it's time for the final 3 petals.

Rnd 3 (back petals). * Sc in next Rnd-1 ch-3 sp (crocheting behind Rnd-2 petal), ch 1, sc in next Rnd-1 ch-3 sp (crocheting behind same petal), (ch 1, dc 1 ) 3x in Rnd-2 ch-1 sp, ch 6, sk 1 ch st, sc 1, dc 3, tr 1, (dc 1, ch 1 ) 3x in same ch-1 sp, repeat from * 2 more times (3 petals). Join to 1st sc of rnd.

I think the easiest way to "sc in next Rnd-1 ch-3 sp" is to turn the daylily over. The first picture shows the first sc of the round in progress -- preparing to draw a loop through the ch-3 sp.

Then, keep the daylily turned over. "Chain 1 and then sc 1 in the next ch-3 sp". The next ch sp is in a clockwise direction from the previous one -- since we're working on the wrong side of the daylily.

This completes: "Sc in next Rnd-1 ch-3 sp (crocheting behind Rnd-2 petal), ch 1, sc in next Rnd-1 ch-3 sp (crocheting behind same petal)"

For the petal itself, turn the daylily so the right side is facing and start working in a counterclockwise direction again.

The petal is worked almost the same way petals from the previous round were.

To make matters easier, you'll be starting the scallop part of the petal by crocheting into a ch-1 sp from the second round (instead of crocheting into a dc from the first round).

"(ch 1, dc 1 ) 3x in Rnd-2 ch-1 sp" is the first half of the scallop.

"sk 1 ch st, sc 1, dc 3, tr 1" is the top part of the petal.

Finally, "(dc 1, ch 1 ) 3x in same ch-1 sp" completes the petal.

Then, it's time to turn the flower over and start again.

After the third petal, all that remains is to:

"Join to 1st sc of rnd."

and then:

"Fasten off and weave in loose ends."

The last picture shows the flower from the wrong side just before fastening off.

a daylily - Part 2

In the last post, we worked the first round of the pattern. The next round of the daylily pattern is much more complicated than the first:

Rnd 2 (front petals): * Sc in next Rnd-1 ch-3 sp, (ch 1, dc 1 ) 3x in next dc, ch 6, sk 1 ch st, sc 1, dc 3, tr 1, (dc 1, ch 1 ) 3x in same dc, sc in next Rnd-1 ch-3 sp, ch 1, repeat from * 2 more times (3 petals). Join to 1st sc of rnd.

This round begins at the lower right hand corner. It starts out with a sc in one of the ch-3 spaces from the previous round.

The next few stitches are the beginnings of a scallop. Chain once, then double crochet into the top of the next dc from the previous round. Chain again, then double crochet into the same dc. Finally, chain once more and double crochet into the same dc.

Then, we abandon the scallop to create a top for the petal. (This part is a lot like that of the coneflower in a previous post.)

"ch 6" takes one to the top of the top of the petal. Then "sk 1 ch st, sc 1, dc 3, tr 1" -- or, in other words, skip 1 chain stitch - the last chain stitch -, then single crochet into the next chain stitch, double crochet into each of the next 3 chain stitches, and finally triple crochet into the final chain stitch -- to arrive at the base of the top of the petal.

The last few stitches form the end of a scallop.
-- And the first petal is complete.

Two more petals finish off the round. And, we have something that looks a lot like a Triforce (Zelda ref) or trefoil.

In the next post, we'll work the last 3 petals for the flower.

a daylily - Part 1

I was never quite happy with my daylily pattern in Three Flowers. I've been thinking about how to improve the pattern ever since. I guess that maybe I wanted something with narrower petals and more of the lightness of Irish crochet. (A picture of the newer version is at the right.)

This is the most difficult of the 3 flowers. It incorporates elements of both of the others. It starts out like the pansy. The tops of the petals are like those of the coneflower. Plus, it adds a couple new elements.

As before, I'm using a size 5 or F (3.75 mm) crochet hook and leftovers from a ball of Peaches & Creme cotton yarn – worsted weight -- in yellow. (Any weight of yarn and hook to match will work.)

This flower is 6" in diameter.

Here's the new version (in 3 posts):

Directions:

Ch 4. Join to form ring (with a slip stitch).

Rnd 1: Ch 6, ( dc 1, ch 3 ) 5 x, join to 3rd ch st of rnd (with a slip stitch).

There are now 6 spokes and 6 chain spaces.

Note that the first 3 chain sts of the "ch 6" at the beginning of the round serve as a replacement for a dc.

The final picture shows the flower at the end of round 1.

In the next post, we'll add the first 3 petals.

a coneflower

Happy St Patrick's Day!
Here's a green flower -- a coneflower. This is quick to make -- with only one round of crocheting -- though it looks more complicated. I made it with 13 petals since that's what the simplest coneflowers seemed to have. Besides 13 is a Fibonacci number (and I was taught is school that Fibonacci numbers show up a lot in nature).

The flower begins essentially like the previous hotpads and the pansy – with a chain ring. But, that's where the similarities end.

Note: "sk 1" is an abbreviation for "skip 1". After finishing a length of chain stitches, one usually skips the last chain st (or 2 -- if the next stitch is a dc -- or more).

I used a size 5 or F (3.75 mm) crochet hook and leftovers from a ball of Peaches & Creme cotton yarn – worsted weight -- in light green.

The flower is about 5 " in diameter.

Directions:
Ch 6. Join to form ring (with a slip stitch).

Rnd 1: Ch 10, sk 1, sc 1, dc 6, sc 1 (first petal complete), * sc 1 into ch 6 ring, ch 9, sk 1, sc 1, dc 6, sc 1 (next petal complete), repeat from * 11 more times for a total of 13 petals.

Fasten off and weave in loose end. (The beginning loose end is hidden under the sc's worked into the ring.)

Note: The first petal is different from the rest because the first chain st in the petal is a substitute for a sc. The rest of the petals start out with a sc into the chain ring.

The second picture shows the second petal halfway finished. The sc and 9 ch sts have been worked. 1 chain stitch has been skipped. And the hook is in position to work a sc.

Note: For crocheting into chain stitches, one usually places the hook under only 1 strand (See picture.)

Note: As you crochet more sc's into the ring, you'll have to push the ones already made back toward the first sc -- in order to have enough room for the last ones.

a pansy

This is National Crochet Month and also the month for St. Patrick's Day. Here's a very easy Irish crochet flower, a pansy.

I've been talking about a "rule of thumb" of increasing 6 sts around for each equivalent sc round. This flower, however, has the equivalent of 25 sts around at the end of the first round (instead of the 12 sts that would produce a circle at a dc height).

The flower begins essentially like the previous hotpads – with a chain loop. It also has chain spaces (in Round 1) to give the open look characteristic of Irish crochet.

Since there are only 2 rounds of crocheting, extra height for the petals is made through use of triple crochet sts (described in the last post). The first two petals are rounded with a progression from sc to hdc to dc to tr and then back. The other three petals are squarer with mostly triple crochets (or the equivalent).

The first picture shows the 5 spokes at the center of the flower plus 2 petals. The last sc of the second petal isn't finished for reasons that will become apparent -- with the second picture and the note at the end of the post.

The second picture shows the second petal finished (with blue) and one stitch in the new color to start the third petal.

Here's the pattern:

Pansy

I used a size 5 or F (3.75 mm) crochet hook and leftovers from a couple of balls of Peaches & Creme cotton yarn – worsted weight -- in yellow and blue. Yellow is the color for the center and the first 2 petals.

The flower is about 3 ½ " in diameter.

Instructions:
Ch 4. Join to form ring.

Rnd 1: Ch 7, * dc 1, ch 4 * 4x, join with slip stitch to 3rd st of ch 7. (5 spokes and 5 chain spaces)

Rnd 2: In each of the first 2 chain spaces work "sc 1, hdc 1, dc 1, tr 3, dc 1, hdc 1, sc 1". If desired, change color. In each of the remaining 3 chain spaces work "sc 1, ch 3, tr 2, dc 1, tr 2, ch 3, sc 1".

That's all there is to the pattern -- except for fastening off and weaving in the ends.

There are several ways to change colors. One way is to fasten off the old color and then start with the new. However, for the pansy, I changed colors by just starting to crochet with the new color.

For that method, for the last sc of the second petal, don't draw a loop of yellow through to complete the sc. Instead draw a loop of blue through. (The loop created when finishing a st is the top of the next st. This is shown in the second picture.) That is all there is to it. (One, of course, needs to weave in the ends. But, whatever technique you use, you'd need to do that.)

Note also: Just as the ch 3 (the first part of the ch 7 at the beginning of round 1) is a substitute for dc 1, "sc 1, ch 3" and "ch 3, sc 1" are substitutes for tr 1 (in the blue petals of round 2).

Treble Crochet Stitch, etc

I haven't posted anything here for a while. But, since this is National Crochet Month, I thought it would be a good time to start up again. The following post, authored by me, is from Bits and Bobs, the Blog (and is part of my effort to get my crochet posts in one place).


The treble (or triple) crochet stitch is about three times the height of a single crochet stitch. (It is called a double-triple or double-treble crochet stitch in England and several Commonwealth countries and is abbreviated d tr c, dtr, or 4-c.) In American notation, it is abbreviated tc or tr c or tr or 3-c. The photo at the right is from the American Thread Company booklet and shows both the front and back of the stitch.

NexStitch has a video.

(The caption on the picture is for the double treble crochet st -- discussed later.)

This st and the other two sts discussed here are used mainly in lace edgings or doilies, etc and in Irish lace. They're fairly thin with definite space between the sts. They can be used in combination with the sc and dc sts to form shells.

Again, one starts with a single loop on the hook (and ends with a single loop on the hook). The difference is how many yo's to make. For the single crochet st, there was no yo before placing the hook through the top of a st in the previous row (or into a ch sp). For a dc, there was a single yo. For a tr, there are 2 yo's.

Step 1. Yarn over (yo) twice. That is, wrap the thread around the hook twice (from the back over the hook to the front). There are 3 loops on the hook.

Step 2. With the yarn in back, put the hook through the top of the desired st -- or whatever (as you did for a single crochet st), yo, and draw the thread through. There are now 4 loops on the hook.

Step 3. Yarn over and draw the thread through 2 loops on the hook. There are now 3 loops on the hook. (The pic shows the yo part of this step.)

Step 4. Yarn over and draw the thread through 2 loops on the hook. There are now 2 loops on the hook.

Step 5. Yarn over and draw the thread through 2 loops. There is now only 1 loop on the hook, and the treble crochet is complete.

Going further:
One might ask oneself what would happen if one made 3 instead of 2 yo's to start out. The answer is a double treble crochet st -- shown in the pic at the right -- abbreviated dtr or d tr c or 4-c. (It is called a triple treble crochet st in England.) Here is a link to the video at NexStitch. This st is about 4 times the height of a sc. It is not used very often even in lace.

The picture at the right is of the double treble crochet st.

Similarly, one could do 4 yo's to start out. The result is a triple treble crochet st (or treble treble crochet st or tr tr c or trtr or 5-c). NexStitch has a video of this stitch as well. (I assume it would be called a double treble treble crochet st in England.) It's about 5 times the height of a sc.