Sunday, February 27, 2011

Crochet Flower Crazy

 I have been a crochet mad woman this weekend.  Because I am not at a swim meet as planned I have had some extra time to myself.  I was very busy making these lovely flowers above on Friday.  And actually I was feeling quite pleased with myself, as crochet is still new to me.  But as I finished the fourth flower, I started to have a feeling that this pattern wasn't exactly right for me.  Now don't get me wrong, I was working the pattern correctly, I just thought the second round wasn't exactly what I wanted.  So I put it away and went to bed.

Sleep was elusive for me Friday night.  I had so much on my mind, including crochet flowers.  I was upset that my son was home missing this big swim meet.  I had checked on the times of his friends and competitors and they were so fast!!!  My son would have done so well had he been healthy.  So now they will all be ranked so much higher than my boy, at least for a while.  Hopefully college coaches are not making big decisions yet.  But the flowers kept nagging at me, even though all these other thoughts. 

So when I woke up Saturday and did a few chores, I decided to give them a try with a slight change.  I decided to put two double crochets in the second round followed by a chain two.  I also decided to make the first and second round a change in color and the third and fourth the same so it would look more like a complete petal.
 Just these small changes have had a big impact.  I am trying to think big picture with this shawl.  While I actually like the first version better, I think the second version will look less chaotic, a bit simpler for me.  I am not a flashy gal, so having a larger amount of color on the outside of the flower and smaller inside might be better for me.  I really like that the second round is a bit different from the first round, it is just a bit thicker.  I think with the yarn I am using that this change needed to be made, with a thicker yarn, it probably wouldn't be an issue.
 Now if I had only figured all of this out before, I would have a lot more completed.  I don't think you could go wrong with either pattern.  I may save the first four and make a scarf.  Right now I am still trying to figure out color combinations that work for each flower.  It is very fun to work on these, but they do take up a lot of time.  I think I am a faster knitter than I am at crochet. 
The hexagon bag is being assembled a little at a time.  It is not near as fun as crochet flowers so I have to force myself to sit down and crochet these hexagons together.  But I know I will love it when it is completed.  So I am going to sign off and sit my butt down at the table and crochet some hexagons together.

Hope your weekend was beautiful and you have found some time to do something you really love.

7 comments:

Rose Red said...

I love the changes you made to the flowers - much better, in my opinion! I hope you are really happy with the shawl, i think it will be lovely.

Jody said...

Hi Meredith - I came to see you, too and am sooo glad that I did! Will be following along now. Your Max is beautiful - my golden is 5 and beginning to show some of that 'powder donut' rim around his muzzle. I think that because they love so well, sensing and checking and caring for us, they age prematurely. How we cherish them!

Teresa Kasner said...

Hey Meredith, I love both flower designs - but I can so relate! I did several flowers before I figured out the correct way to do it! And I've seen them done sooooooo many different ways! They're all gorgeous!

Hugs, Teresa

Unknown said...

Oh, I see you have been bitten by the flower bug too. I can't wait to get started, but first I must finish those darn circles today.

Karen said...

I crocheted an afghan with granny squares, years ago. I'm just amazed at these flowers, and that you were able to come up with the changes. I really like the second set.

Lena said...

I think both versions are very pretty, and I love the color combinations. I think your version looks more like flowers though, and I like that.

Truly lovely Meredith...as always!

- said...

Not being a great sleeper at all in the past year especially I can totally understand when you talk about lack of it! Sometimes I'm a mad crocheter too and I find it's when I do have so much I'm thinking about. I think it's a coping mechanism at times...really!