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Archive for the ‘crochet’ Category

Crocheting Realistic Leaves

Posted in crochet, Uncategorized on April 28, 2018| 2 Comments »

I just finished crocheting a white Magnolia.  While working on the leaves I realized I hadn’t shared my latest discovery.

It has ever been my desire to create a realistic leaf, one that could be altered to fit the flower I was working on.  I have tried many versions from Irish crochet patterns to Russian patterns.  Many were good, but never came up to what I wanted.

To that end I began playing around with some ideas of my own.  I am not saying that this has not been done before, just that I hadn’t discovered the concept.

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I was close in the post I made in July of last year, but after reviewing it I think I have finally put together the best option, at least for me.

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With this method you begin each section of the leaf at the top.  There is no having to slip st to the top to begin the second side.  The trick is to peal off about 5 yards of thread before you begin.  This thread will be used to finish the second side, allowing both sides to be finished at the bottom.

By manipulating the stitches, sc, hdc, and dc, you can shape each wedge of the leaf and make the veins stand out.  This also give you the freedom to shape the leaf for any specific flower.   The key here is to draw a picture on paper first, then measure the center from top to bottom.  This figure with determine the chain length needed to begin.

I have uploaded a tutorial here.  It is not an exact pattern.  It is the concept, and methods used to create the leaf, or leaves of your choice.

Magnolia leaves tutorial

I have not included the instructions for the Magnolia, as I have not written them up yet.

This Magnolia will be going on a hat for a friend dealing with cancer.  I will share the finished product when it is done.

 

Happy Crocheting

KT

 

 

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Roaming the World of Stix and Strings

Posted in crochet, Uncategorized, tagged , on July 10, 2017| Leave a Comment »

The internet is a marvelous tool for discovering what people all around the world are doing, especially in the field of fiber arts.  My great discovery has been in the field of crochet.

I have crocheted off and on again in my life since I was taught at my grandmothers knee, but have never taken it to the level of some of the ladies in Italy and Russia.

This is one field that you don’t need a translation for. In fact, I am sure that right now we could all get together in a room and share our expertise without sharing one word in our own language.  All we need is the language of the needle or hook.

If you haven’t explored this opportunity then please give it a try.  Just type in your fiber art and explore some of the videos available, and don’t be afraid to try those from other countries- some actually have English translations.

Below is my latest project-crocheted roses and carnations, as well as other flowers.  I began by watching the video and them started tweaking the patterns and idea to suit myself.  I developed a pattern for the leaves after seeing a photo on Pinterest.   As always, I had to take it to the next level, and make it as realistic as possible.  A lot of hours and samples went in to the results, but what fun I had.

Roses and Carnations with a dark Ivy accent.

My rose leaf

 

Crocheted Iris

To make the larger stem for the Iris, I used plastic tubing over the stem wire.  I crocheted the stem cover lengthwise to cover half the length of the entire stem, then designed the large leaf the encompass the remainder.  The 9 petals of the Iris are made separately and wired to the main stem.

Crocheted St John’s Wart

This project involved spraying size 80 thread with Laquer to make the stamen in the center.  It was quite a chore but well worth it. I am not quite finished with it, as the stem has many leaves.  All my flowers are made using #32 or 26 wire.

All my flowers start by taking apart the “real” thing.  Each petal and element are made separate, then assembled.

It has been a great adventure.

I hope my photos will inspire you to do the same.

 

KT.

 

 

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