How on earth can it possibly be 5 weeks to Christmas!? 2017 has positively flown by. I am really looking forward to the holidays this year though, because my siblings who moved away from Sydney during the year will be back to visit :D Kathryn has been working in Japan for Google, and James and Jess moved to Melbourne for a Masters degree, and it has been very quiet here without them!
We are doing something a bit special for the Advent season this year - a weekly Crochet Meditation Podcast! The idea is that you take half an hour out of your week during this crazy time to create something mindfully, with only a spoken pattern. No written pattern, no charts, no option to race ahead; you just have to hook what you're told, when you're told to do it, and at the end you'll have a neat set of coasters! If you are interested in taking part, all you'll need is about 100g DK cotton yarn and a 4mm hook. The first pattern will be posted on Saturday 2 December, but keep an eye out next week for more information.
But today, we have a special treat for you - a free pattern!
Several months ago I was gifted this glorious cake of cotton/acrylic/filament yarn to play with, and it just immediately screamed FLOWERS at me, and I am not usually a flowery person! Sadly you won't be able to get this exact yarn, but any slow colour change yarn such as Wolltraum will have a similar effect! In fact, this pattern will work with any yarn - just change to an appropriate hook size, and you may also have to increase/decrease the number of starting stitches to get the right length.
With 200g/800m, and at around 4ply/fingering weight, a scarf was the obvious choice, and I was inspired to adapt MyPicot's adorable butterflies into textured 5 petal flowers, which just worked so well with the yarn.
Without further ado, the Enchanted Violets Scarf!
You can queue or favourite this pattern on Ravelry here:
https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/enchanted-violets-scarf
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FREE PATTERN: ENCHANTED VIOLETS SCARF
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Finished Size: 165cm x 16cm (65" x 6")
Materials
200g 4ply long self-striping yarn such as Wolltraum (aim for 200g/800m)
3.5mm/E hook
Yarn needle
Scissors
All stitches are in US/American terminology
fdc - foundation dc (photo tutorial here)
ch - chain
sc - single crochet
dc - double crochet
slst - slip stitch
fptr - front post treble crochet
ssdc - stacked standing double crochet (video here): sc into target stitch. Insert hook under two leftmost strands of sc, yarn over hook to do a second sc.
Instructions
Row 1: 357fdc, ch1, turn. To make your scarf longer or shorter, add or subtract fdc in multiples of 11.
Row 2: sc in each st. ch1, turn.
Row 3: ssdc in first st. dc in each st, turn.
Row 4: (violet row - see below for detailed photo tutorial) sc in next 13 st. *in blo of next st, (slst, ch3, 3dc, ch3) twice, turn work clockwide and in flo, (slst, ch3, 3dc, ch3) 3 times. slst in flo. continue turning work clockwise and sc in next 21 st.* repeat * to * to end of row, omitting 8sc from final repeat. ch1, turn.
Row 5: ssdc in first st. *dc to violet st, fptr in same st as violet*, repeat to end of row. ch1, turn. (see below for photo tutorial).
Row 6: sc in each st. ch1, turn.
Row 7: ssdc in first st. dc in each st, turn.
Row 8: (violet row) sc in next 24 st. *in blo of next st, (slst, ch3, 3dc, ch3) twice, turn work clockwide and in flo, (slst, ch3, 3dc, ch3) 3 times. slst in flo. continue turning work clockwise and sc in next 21 st.* repeat * to * to end of row, adding 3sc after final repeat. ch1, turn.
Rows 9-11: Repeat Rows 5-7
Repeat Rows 4-11 until you have 6 rows of violets, or to size desired!
Weave in ends and block aggressively with many pins to spread the violet petals out properly.
VIOLET ROW PHOTO TUTORIAL
(note: I've worked this tutorial sample in two separate colours so it's easier to see the stitches)
sc up to the stitch you need to work the violet into.
This is your target stitch - note the front loop and back loop, as you'll be working into each loop separately.
Work the first two petals into the back loop only.
Now, turn your whole work clockwise, so it is upside down. You'll be working into the front loop next, continuing in in an anti-clockwise direction.
Finish Petal 2 by slipstitching into the front loop only.
Complete your last three petals in the front loop only. It'll look kinda stretched and crowded, and that's ok.
Now keep turning your work clockwise so the working edge is up the top again.
Fold the violet forward and locate the next empty stitch that you're going to need to sc in. If everything is a bit tight and squished, wriggle the violet stitches around until you can see that next stitch clearly.
Ta-dah! One violet completed :)
ROW 5 PHOTO TUTORIAL
It can be a little challenging sometimes to locate the right dc to fptr into because working so many stitches into the top loops of that dc can make the post short, stubby and weird looking.
dc up to the stitch before your violet. Remember, because we're working back the other way, the top loops are to the left of the post, not the right (as they would be if we were working in the round). See that stumpy little post there under the violet? That's where to put the fptr.
You can see it a bit more clearly here.
Just do your fptr arouns that post, and then carry on with your dc stitches.
Easy peasy!
