Spring is such beautiful time of the year in the southeast. Leaves emerge on the trees revealing that amazing shade of light green that is visible for only a short time. Flowering trees showcase their beauty; first the bright, dark pink of redbuds and then the light pink and whites of dogwoods. Within a couple weeks, azalea bushes join the show flooding landscapes in a blanket of vibrant colors. And, my favorite, the sunny faces of daffodils scatter the sides of roads.
If you are lucky enough, you will come across a field of daffodils. When you do, drink in the sea of yellow and white and green for it will only last a couple of weeks.
The change of seasons in the southeast also brings the rain. It brings thunderstorms and all too often, threats of severe storms and tornadoes. More often than not, the threat is just that, a threat and we only have a mild storm with a brilliant show of lightening high in the sky. I often find myself sitting on my screened-in-porch during these thunderstorms. I turn on my twinkle lights (if you keep clear holiday lights up year round they are called twinkle lights), put my feet up, crochet and listen.
I relish the sound of the rolling thunder in the distance and when the rain comes, the sound as it falls through the trees. The sounds, combined with my silent counting, calm me and quiet my mind. All the stresses of the week fade away and I lose myself in the repetition of the stitches.
It is in these peaceful and meditative moments that I am able re-center myself and restore my energy for the busy weeks ahead. Like the trees and all the natural beauty that surrounds us, I, too, am renewed by the rain.
Now is the perfect time to celebrate the rebirth of nature with crocheted flowers, whether you live in the warmer climate of the south or colder climates where the warmth of the season is just now emerging. Just like real flowers, crocheted flowers do not have to be complex to be beautiful.
Do you have a go-to flower design? If not, try my favorite simple crochet flower design, below. Make a bouquet by adding green pipe cleaners for stems and place them in a mason jar on your windowsill to enjoy. Or, use up small scraps of yarn and make just flowers.
Embellish anything and everything. Add a flurry of color to a simple single crochet potholder or create a garden of blooms and add them to a throw blanket. Or, for those living in cooler climates anxiously waiting for warmer days, sew a cluster of three blooms together on a safety pin and create a beautiful brooch for a splash of color on your lightweight coat.
Whether you crochet a single flower to add touch of spring to your projects, a bouquet, or a whole field of flowers for a colorful explosion, you are sure to enjoy the beauty of crochet in the simplicity of the flower design.
Here is my favorite, simple crochet flower design using heavy worsted/aran weight yarn and an H/5.0mm hook. Using your favorite method to work in the round, work five single crochets in a circle, join and fasten off.
Attach a second color with a slip stitch, chain one and in each stitch work the following, [slip stitch, three double crochets, slip stitch]. Join with a slip stitch to the first slip stich and fasten off. Weave in ends and enjoy!
About the Author: Darleen Hopkins
About the Author: Darleen HopkinsCrochet became a passion for Darleen in 2005. Darleen lives in beautiful north Georgia with her husband and teenage boys.
They enjoy traveling and have had many road trips together exploring the natural beauty of the United States. Future plans involve an RV with lots of room for yarn.
You can find Darleen on Ravelry as DarleenHopkins; on Facebook as CrochetByDarleenHopkins; and her website/blog, www.CrochetByDarleenHopkins.com.
Here are some flowers that we made at Knotions HQ, using Darleen’s instructions as inspiration.
The above were made with embroidery floss and a D hook, with pipe cleaners for the stems
We kept it easy and just trimmed the ends with scissors about 3/8″ in length (can you say NO interest in trying to thread a needle and weave in all those ends?).
While you can see an occasional end if you look closely, I don’t see them when I’m just looking at them as a whole.
You can certainly choose to weave in the ends yourself, and then maybe get your therapist’s take on why you felt compelled to do so.
Because, seriously, WEAVING.IN.ENDS.
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