Flowers 26-30

Hello and welcome to this installment of the "200 Crochet Flowers, Embellishments and Trims" challenge! This batch taught me a new skill and gave me my new favorite flower. It also gave me no small amount of consternation, as I can't seem to get some flowers to keep from bunching up no matter what kind of yarn or hook I use.

For the most part, however, I did find moving up to an H or I hook with the yarns I've been using helped out with the squish factor. On the others, I don't know what I'm doing wrong.

Here are my impressions of each flower pattern!

#26: Periwinkle

Love it, like it, loathe it: like it. It works up very quickly. 

Looks like photo: yes

What kind of project would it complement: a jewelry piece, or any kind of trim on a cute blanket or baby item. Ooh, imagine it atop a little baby shoe! Dead of the cute, I am.

Would I make it again: yes'm!

#27: Cluster Flower

NEW SKILL ALERT! 

The skill: tr3tog, or three treble crochets finished together. I did it wrong at first, but this book has a great section on how to create the stitches. My only gripe is there are no left-handed photos (that's right, I'm a southpaw) but I'm used to reading things backwards. 

Love it, like it, loathe it: like it! 

Looks like photo: yes it does.

What kind of project would it complement: an afghan, bag or scarf would be nice with these as an accent

Would I make it again: sure!

#28: Picot Daisy

Love it, like it, loathe it: this one gave me trouble. It wanted to squish up, and I think maybe I need to do the picots tighter.

Looks like photo: mine looks shaggier and squished. 

What kind of project would it complement: for some reason I envision it on a jean skirt.

Would I make it again: yeah, to see if I can do it right.

#29: Large Gerbera

Love it, like it, loathe it: Like it, but again with the squish.

Looks like photo: More or less

What kind of project would it complement: a girls hair bow, perhaps. It's another that's very frilly.

Would I make it again: yes

#30: Damask Rose

Love it, like it, loathe it: I am in love. This is my new favorite and I want to pin it in my hair and feel pretty forever.

Looks like photo: I think mine looks BETTER. 

What kind of project would it complement: it would make a gorgeous hair ornament.

Would I make it again: yaaaas!

Hopefully I will see you again sooner than later! 

Flowers 21-25

So here's the next five! I'm back in the swing of things, and I feel a bit of improvement. I think I may go back and try a few of my failures again once I finish all the flowers, just to see if I can improve my efforts.

Just a note:  I got a few of the names wrong on the last post, and I've gone back to correct them. 

#21: Gerbera

Love it, like it, loathe it: LOATHE. It's so many chains (read: snoozeville) and it's not worth it because it doesn't look good. 

Looks like photo: Not a bit! Mine is all wonky and stupid-looking.

What kind of project would it complement: Done properly, it would be cute on the end of a pen or something. 

Would I make it again: At gunpoint.

#22: Button Daisy: 

Love it, like it, loathe it: like it! My husband thinks it looks like a squid - with 8 legs I think it would make an adorable finger puppet. 

Looks like photo: yep

What kind of project would it complement: a wall hanging or blanket

Would I make it again: sure

#23: Open Flower

Love it, like it, loathe it: love it. This is nice and simple

Looks like photo: yes

What kind of project would it complement: jewelry or a flower crown, or even a bookmark

Would I make it again: absolutely

#24: Small Orchid

Love it, like it, loathe it: like it

Looks like photo: for some reason, my back loop petals don't line up with the front loop petals.

What kind of project would it complement: I think it would look pretty on a scarf, a brooch or even as a crochet bouquet.

Would I make it again: yes

#25: Orchid

Love it, like it, loathe it: like it

Looks like photo: yes, very much so 

What kind of project would it complement: same as the previous

Would I make it again: yes

I would love some feedback about this challenge I'm doing! If you're reading this, please leave a comment and let me know! 

Flowers 16-20

Sorry for the lack of posts! We've been traveling, and then we were cleaning like crazy because we had family here for Father's Day. Not sure if anyone is really reading this or missed the posts, but if you did, I'm sorry! 

I've decided to compose a form addressing my opinion of each pattern, because I feel like I wasn't being very helpful in terms of describing the pattern. If I just say I liked it, that isn't very useful information to you, is it? 

#16: Frilly Rosette 

Love it, like it, loathe it: like it. It is a loooot of chains, but the finished product is worth the toil.

Looks like book photo: yeah! 

What kind of project would it complement: it would make a nice barrette for a kiddo.

Would I make it again: yep.

#17: Quick Flower

Love it, like it, loathe it: love it! The name is accurate.

Looks like photo: yes, except for my fluffy yarn

What kind of project would it complement: it would make a nice trim on an afghan or baby blanket

Would I make it again: yes.

#18: Button Carnation:

Love it, like it, loathe it: love it. The photo doesn't do it justice

Looks like photo: not perfectly, but not a total disaster.

What kind of project would it complement: I imagine these on the straps of a little girls dress.

Would I make it again: yes!

#19: Pointed Daisy:

Love it, like it, loathe it: like it. I used one cotton yarn and one bulkier acrylic yarn, and I would not recommend that - use the same yarn and weight for best results.

Looks like photo: more or less. I suspect they did some shaping, and why wouldn't they? 

What kind of project would it complement: I'm not sure. Maybe an iPad cover or a handbag.

Would I make it again: sure

#20: Traditional Crochet Flower

Love it, like it, loathe it: like it, but not very much

Looks like photo: no. I made it twice and I couldn't keep it from bunching up either time. 

What kind of project would it complement: a chair doily? 

Would I make it again: probably not. 

Let me know what you think about the new rating system! See you soon.

Murphy's Law and flowers 11-15

I had one of those weekends where nearly everything that could possibly go wrong, did, but it was worth it. 

My friend's wedding was Saturday in Chicago, a half-hour drive and four-hour train ride from my home. 

Things started going wrong the morning of the wedding. We were running late and had to drive with some alacrity (consider this just a *bit* of understatement) in order to arrive at the station before our train departed. Thankfully, we made it - but things continued to go wrong when we got on the train. We were caught behind several freight trains and at one point we had to stop and go backwards to allow a passing freight train access to its needed track. We arrived at Union Station an hour later than planned and rushed to our hotel with visions of relaxing showers and air conditioning dancing in our heads, only to discover we couldn't check in until 4 p.m. - which is when the wedding began. We checked our bags into a closet in the hotel lobby and changed clothes in a filthy bathroom behind the hotel restaurant, and then carted our sweating carcasses to the hotel where child care was being kindly provided by family of the wedding party. I put my makeup on in that room and then we headed across the street to the wedding. Thankfully, our daughter had a blast with the other kids and didn't miss us at all. 

My friend's wedding was by far one of the most distinctive and beautiful weddings I've ever been to. It was held in downtown Chicago at a former surgeon's college with soaring ceilings, stained glass windows and gilded molding. The families being joined were a melting pot of cultures, resulting in a beautiful swirl of saris, traditions, dances and oh my god the best food I've ever had at a wedding. 

It was a lovely, heartfelt ceremony that you could tell the bride and groom put a lot of thought and love into. I loved seeing how truly radiant and happy my friend was, and finally meeting the groom, whom I had heard so much about. My husband and I reunited with old college friends and made new friends, and then we got to show off our daughter for a little while before departing for our hotel to check in.

This is where the problems began again. Our suite was diminutive in size, clearly painted over multiple times and poorly cleaned. However, the bed was comfortable and had nice coverings, and the three of us slept extremely well. 

We woke up and repacked, then I looked up a breakfast restaurant a half mile away with good reviews and we headed out. Have you ever tried to walk half a mile with two rolling carry-on suitcases, a diaper bag and a toddler? Pre-breakfast? At least the kid was happy. 

We arrived at the restaurant, and to our dismay, there were scores of people outside waiting to eat. 

Thankfully, we had snacks and drinks from the train trip, and kept ourselves from being utterly consumed by the hanger (the hunger anger). We walked around the area with our daughter, including nearby Millenium Park, and fed baby Cheetos to grasshopper sparrows. 

The food was insanely good. Like, the kind of good where you have foodgasm aftershocks, where hours later you remember how good it was and rejoice at the gustatory experience you were given the privilege of experiencing. 

The joy of seeing my friend married to someone she clearly loves and the delicious food we got to eat all weekend outweighed the annoyances, for sure, but it seemed like quite the shitshow while it was going on. 

So that's what I've had going on. I had these flowers done Friday, but I didn't get the ends woven in until today. 

These were a mixed bag of results. I didn't find them exceedingly difficult. I looked at the trims coming up and that is where I'm going to have trouble, I believe. 

#11: Star flower

I liked it, it wasn't confusing and it worked up quickly. 

#12: Pansy

This is one of my favorites so far. I just like purple and yellow together. 

#13: dahlia

This one was really easy, and similar in design to the loop daisy in the first batch. I prefer this to that one, however. If you squint it kinda looks like a real dahlia. 

#14: four-layer flower

I messed this one up somehow, and I'm not sure how. It's a bit crooked, no? 

#15: trumpet flower

Round these parts, we call this a daffodil. These signs of spring are one of my favorite flowers, and this works up very easy. 

Up next: flowers 16-20. IIRC, there are 40 flower patterns, so we are about halfway through that section. See you soon!

Patterns 6-10

It's '200cfet' time! That's what I'm calling Claire Crompton's compendium of crochet patterns, "200 Crochet Flowers, Embellishments & Trims," because I am far too lazy to write that out every time. 

So here are the next five! 

These seemed easier, and I'm not sure if it's because I'm getting used to the swing of things or what. That's not to say there weren't mess ups, because there were assuredly mess ups, which I will detail below. 

#6: Small Rose

I liked it so much, I made it twice. That had nothing to do with the fact that the yarn nubbin I made the first rose with ran out before I could finish it. 🎶 Stash buster! 🎶

I'm fond of roses, in real life and in yarn. I can see myself using this in the future. 

#7: Rose Bud

This is just a smaller version of the earlier pattern. Easy peasy. 

#8: Leaf

I've been using a more complicated and less attractive pattern for leaves. No more, says I. I really like how this one kind of folds up along the center vein like a real leaf. 

#9: Irish Crochet Rose

This is the first pattern I've gone along with the color suggestions. I love pink and orange together. 

This bad boy is also a tale of misfortune. You'll note there are seven petals on the front layer of this flower - there are only supposed to be six and I have no idea what I did. As I was staring at the mystery in my hands and cursing, my husband says, "You're going to write about your wacky screw ups too, right?" So, yes. 

I think the fact that my child absconded with my g6 hook and I had to use a cheapy plastic one until I could locate my preferred hook (aluminum with a bamboo handle) had something to do with my distraction, but that still doesn't really explain how I got 7 flower petals into 12 stitches. 

#10: Large Simple Flower

This one pretty much looks exactly like it's supposed to. 

I am making a display for all these patterns - I got a huge 24x96 in. roll of cork that I'm tacking these all onto. I will make a post about the display as soon as I'm happy with it. In the meantime, I'll keep, um... Hooking.