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.