Call me an Old Granny but I have suddenly become obsessed with Crochet!
For the people that know and love me this will be considered a drastic switch of allegiance as I am primarily a sewer and have been all my life.
I have have dabbled with knitting in the past and I enjoy this up to a point but it is a slow process and if a stitch is dropped due to inexperience it can be a soul less task to put right.
Crochet has always scared me but having taken the plunge and taught myself how – I now can’t leave it alone.
The beauty of crochet is that if you make a mistake it doesn’t take much to put you back on track as essentially you only need to concern yourself with one chain rather than a whole row of stitches.
So – at first it was a bit tricky but once I worked out the abbreviations and tricks of the trade like ‘Turning Chains’ – I think I have just about cracked the art. I also have made great use of the book – ‘Stitch Encyclopedia Crochet’ by Chronicle Books. This is a beautifully illustrated book which explains all the key crochet stitches in a step by step easy to understand manner. The book is a delight to behold as it is designed as if it is an heirloom with its choice of colours used, old fashioned fonts and understated but incredibly accurate illustrations. It is a gem of a book and a must to be passed on through future generations.
Well I have always loved crowns harking back to Vivienne Westwood and the way she so cleverly uses them within her logo. I really fancied a brooch that I could wear on a lapel and spotted a few examples on the internet. Here is a version and recipe of my own Crochet Crown to be worn as a brooch!
Crochet Crown Recipe.
Ingredients:
- Crochet hook 3.5mm (I used Clover Soft Touch hook)
- 8ply pure silk yarn (I used Debby Bliss Luxury DK Silk # 02 silver)
- Glass beads
- Chain 13 – add 3 more chains (turning chains) total chains in row =16
- Double crochet row. Get ready to place hook in to the fifth chain. So you are ignoring your 3 turning chains and the next foundation chain. Start double crocheting from the fifth. Complete the row.
- Half Double Crochet Row – add 3 more turning chains, miss the foundation chain and work half double crochet from fifth chain to end of row.
- Double crochet row – add 3 more turning chains, miss the foundation chain and work double crochet from fifth chain to end of row.
- Top of crown. Chain 6. Miss 2 chains and secure in to the 3rd chain in previous row using a slip knot. Chain 10. Miss 4 chains and secure in to 5th chain of previous row using a slip knot. Chain 6 more and secure in to the last chain of previous row using a slip knot.
- Work a single crochet through each chain in previous row to make top of crown more substantial. Trim and weave in ends to back of crown.
- Sew 4 glass beads on to front of crown. Sew a brooch pin on to the back.
