Crochet Motif Patterns (Japanese)

I've been slacking on blog posting and the promise of Japanese crochet motif patterns.  Hopefully these will make up for my neglect, enjoy and let me know what you plan to make with one or more of these..

Note: If you want to print these out it's best to right click on the image and download it to your hard drive and print it from there.

Note (last one lol) if you pray and believe God answers prayers, please scroll to bottom for an important prayer request, thank you, God bless you.

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^ 

 ^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^ 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^ 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^ 

 

 ^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^ 

On a personal note; I  met a woman on the bus tonight, her name is Denise.  We got to talking and she ended up telling me a horrible story about her 6 year old grand daughter, whom she was heading up to see at the hospital near my house here in Las Vegas.  Long story short, apparently the little girl was pushed out of a two-story window by her aunt who had her for the weekend - and the little girl sustained major brain trauma and a massive skull fracture.  She's recovering quickly from two surgeries but the perpetrator in this case needs to be brought to justice for the little girl's sake.  God sees it fit to heal her, (Thank you God!) let's give God a little nudge (or a big one!) to make sure the person, whomever it turns out to be, who did this to her won't be able to hurt her or any other child again.  Thank you for your prayers, God bless you and .  *The little girl's name is Jalynn.*  Thanks again, I know God will hear our prayers.

Crochet Pattern: Delicate Flower Motif

Delicate Flower Motif: Free Crochet Pattern
copyright 2012 by Cynthia J Luciene aka anitalite

Finished Size Larger Motif:  2 7/8"
Finished Size Smaller Motif:  1 1/4"

Materials:
size 10 thread in colors of your choice. I used pink for the color A and green for the color B.
size 6 steel crochet hook
large eyed needle for weaving in ends

Special Stitches:
TrTrCluster; (following ch 4) yo twice, insert hook into next st, yo, draw through st, (yo, draw through two loops) twice, *yo twice, insert hook into same stitch, yo, draw through stitch, (yo, draw through 2 loops on hook) twice, repeat from * once more, yo, draw through all 4 loops on hook. TrTrCluster made.
(It's easier than it sounds)
Tri-picot: (ch3, sl st in 3rd ch from hook)3 times, sl st into top loop and front post of sc just worked (previous to tri-picot) to close picot.

Instructions:

Using color A (pink), ch 7, join with sl st to form ring
Round 1: ch 1, 16 sc inside ring, join to first sc with sl st
Round 2:  ch 1, sc in same st; *ch 4, TrTrCluster in next st, ch 4, sc in next stitch; repeat from * 8 times; after last ch 4, sl st to beg sc to join.
Fasten off, weave in ends with large-eyed needle

Attach color B (green) at top of any petal with sc, (ch 7, sc in top of next petal) 8 times - at last ch 7, sl st into top of first sc to join.
Round 2: sl st into ch 7 loop, ch 1, (12 sc inside ch 7 loop) 8 times.
Round 3: sl st in next two sc (first two sc of next 12 sc group) ch 1, *sc in next 4 sc, tri-picot, sc in next 4 sc, ch 4, skip 4 sc (last 2 of same 12 sc group, first 2 of next 12 sc group); repeat from * around, ending with sl st into first sc made of this round.
Fasten off, weave in ends.

Space filler motif: (smaller motif - optional)

 With color A, ch 4, join with sl st to form ring.
Round 1: 8 sc inside ring, join with sl st
 Round 2: ch 1, sc in same as ch 1, *ch 2, dc-cluster in next st, ch 2, sc in next; repeat from * around, ending with sl st in first sc made.  Fasten off, weave in ends.
Attach color B to top of any petal with sc
Round 1: *ch 5, sc in next sc, ch 5, sc in top of next petal; repeat from * around (8 ch 5 loops); join last ch 5 to first sc with sl st
Round 2: sl st into next ch 5 loop, 6 sc in each ch 5 loop around, sl st to first sc to join
Fasten off, weave in ends.
Use this smaller motif to fill in spaces as you sew work together, if desired, depending on how you choose to put the larger motifs together.  It can be done in several ways, experiment and see which way you like best:

Crochet Motifs: Putting It All Together

If a man empties his purse into his head no one can take it away from him. An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.

Benjamin Franklin US author, diplomat, inventor, physicist, politician, & printer (1706 - 1790)

I've always wanted to crochet a top or skirt or handbag using motifs so I picked a motif pattern from a Japanese book I have called 300 crochet motif, edging.  I thought "This is going to be fun and easy and is going to look gorgeous."   An investment in knowledge would have been the better way to go, but not me.  I think I know what I'm doing.  Ha.

Let me tell you, it's not as easy as it looks!  Making the motifs was easy enough and went along quickly.  As soon as I had enough - or what I thought was enough - motifs to make a handbag with, I started sewing them together. 

This is what I ended up with because I didn't have a good plan in mind to begin with....

I mean, YIKES!  So I went on a search on the internet to see if I could find a pattern for putting all these together without having to ruin what I've already started....

I found several patterns that would accommodate what I already had laid out and sewn together...

This one looks very similar to what I had going so I'm working on following the lay out that was pictured on this blog:
Stitch And Chat. 

I've learned a lesson by all this, that I can't just crochet and expect everything to turn out easily.  I have to have a plan in mind besides just picturing something in my head.  I think in the future I'll make paper motifs and put them together first, making a pattern outline for my crocheted motifs.  Taking out the stitching after motifs were already sewn together was very difficult and nerve wracking.  I was fearful I would cut the wrong thread of yarn and ruin a motif or two.  A few times I pulled on the wrong loop when trying to take out a stitch and had to work the yarn back into the motif so it wouldn't hang like a dead leaf about to fall off a tree. 

I'm going to finish this bag, even if it kills me and it might do just that.  lol.  It's been a headache but once I'm done with this one I'll be able to make the next one (for my daughter) in no time at all.  I found crocheting the motifs was fun and easy and went along very quickly.  I'm really looking forward to the next motif bag because I know what I need to do now.  **take the time to check a pattern before just sewing motifs together and hoping I'm doing it right**  duh.

Will post the finished product as soon as I'm done (which at this rate could be in a year or so!  lol)

Crochet News: I'm Actually Blocking My Project!

Can you believe this?  I am actually blocking and starching (is that being redundant?) my snowflakes.  Well, one snowflake anyway:

I just finished crocheting Snowflake 41 from the Big Book Of Thread Ornaments

I strung tiny red beads onto my crochet thread before I started the snowflake and added them as I went along wherever I felt like.  Midway into crocheting and beading I had the thought that the beads could possibly weight down the ornament, making it droop when hung on the tree.  (I have no experience with this so bear with me).
I added many beads to the middle and less as I went along and actually like how it turned out.

Following the instructions I've read on many a crochet blog or craft web site, I:

• soaked my snowflake in fabric starch (100% strength for maximum stiffness)
• squeezed out the excess starch
• laid the snowflake flat on some paper towels and rolled it up to get a bit more of the extra starch out
• placed waxed paper on top of a sturdy cardboard box lid
• used nickel plated pins to shape and hold the snowflake
• waited
• and waited 
• and waited for the dang thing to dry!  
• ate dinner
• went to bed
• woke up in the morning
• waited for the starch to dry
• decided the old saying "watched water doesn't boil" is TOO true
• started working on a completely different project knowing that if I forgot about this one completely it would magically and suddenly dry when I wasn't looking
• realized I was right about the last bullet-ed step above
• forgot what I was doing and started pattern browsing

When I remember what I was blogging about in this post I'll let you know how it turned out.
Signing off to pattern browse some more and try to remember what the heck I forgot about and to practice being a serious grown-up, a discipline I never mastered, thank goodness.

UPDATE:
Here's the finished, almost dry product of all that waiting and wondering and worrying...

This last photo was taken before the snowflake was dry after starching.  For a follow up on my first block and starch project, see next newer post....

Crochet Pattern - Sunny Snowflake

For ease in printing this pattern or others I've posted,  or elsewhere on the web, here's a comment Viola left on one of my patterns that may help you:

"...As for the printing, if you do a "print preview" first, you can select only the pattern pages. I just tried it and the print is small, but nothing in the pattern was cut off...."
(signed),
Viola's Hook
----
Thank you Viola!
-----


Sunny Snowflake Ornament


Small amount size 10 crochet thread (Aunt Lydia's or other)
Size 10 steel crochet hook,
Size 7 steel crochet hook
Small beads, optional


I already had some beads on my thread and used what I had (6 beads) for this project, kind of by accident.  Beads are optional, you can place them anywhere you like while working along to give your sunny snowflake some shine.




String desired number of beads before beginning work.


With size 10 hook, ch 2


Round 1:  (sc, ch1) inside second chain from hook 6 times.  Join with sl st to first sc.  (total 6 sc, 6 ch1)

Round 2:  ch 4, dc in first st, *ch 1, dc in next st; repeat from * around, ending round with ch 1, sl st into third ch of beg ch 4 (top of ch dc)

Round 3:  ch 6. * tr in next ch 1 space, ch 3, repeat from * around, ending with tr in last ch 1 space, ch 3, sl st into third ch of beg ch 6 to join

Round 4: ch 1, * sc, hdc, sc in first ch 3 space and in each ch 3 space around, join with sl st to first sc this round.

Round 5: Use size 7 hook for this round! sl st to first hdc;  *sc in hdc, ch 3,   tr in next st, ch 3, skip 1 st,  sc in next, ch 3; repeat from * around and join with sl st to first sc and fasten off.

Weave in ends, block and starch as desired, attach red or white ribbon and hang!
In case you didn't click the previous link "starch as desired", it is a link that will take you to Crafters Love Crafts site page that tells several different ways to stiffen your crochet projects including instructions for using liquid starch or fabric glue (recommended), spray starch, sugar (low recommend), salt, etc.

Free Pattern - One Inch Flower Motif or Applique

I think these would be pretty sewn together for a summer scarf or cami.  It would take a lot of them though, they're only one inch in size but they're so easy and quick to make it wouldn't be too much trouble at all.




I used Royale crochet thread size 10 in Mexicana and a size 7 steel crochet hook to make these little cuties.










(Free pattern - which is no big deal believe me - is below)

I left long tails on some of the flowers so I can sew them onto a purse or jeans as an applique.  I splashed bleach on my new black jeans and think I might use these to cover the bleached areas. 











Pattern For
One Inch Flower Motif Or Applique

With size 10 crochet thread and a size 7 steel crochet hook,
(leave a long tail - 6" or more - if you want to use these for applique)

chain 2

Round 1: 10 sc inside second chain from hook; sl st to first sc to join and start first petal group

Round 2: *(ch 3, 4 dc) all inside sc you just made a sl st into; ch 1, sc in next sc, sl st in next
Repeat from * around - five petal groups made
sl st to base of first ch 3 to join

Fasten off, weave in ends, if using as applique leave one of the ends alone so you can sew it onto the piece you want to add it to.

I will post my progress with the summer scarf or cami as I go along and let you know exactly how I put them together.  I've got another project going on at the same time and I'll probably end up switching back and forth between the two because I get bored with things really fast.  heh, heh.

Have fun and let me know what you're doing with your flowers, I'd love to link to your project that is made with these.

UPDATE:
Link to an idea for the flowers, thank you for sending this to me to post here...

http://www.ravelry.com/projects/supertinks/one-inch-flower-motif-or-applique
The project is on Ravelry so you may have to sign in to see her work. 


copyright 2010 antialite ;-)_  cynthia J luciene

Five Point Motif - Free Pattern by Cynthia

I used Caron's Simply Soft in Black and a size F hook to make this motif.  It measures 3 1/4" wide from point to point. 



(scroll down)













If  you put the point together so they're almost touching, a square filler is necessary which I am working on next. 
Free pattern is below.  If you have any questions please feel free to comment or tell me how you like this too.

Thank you!

(scroll down some more)







Free Pattern For Five Point Motif by Cynthia

With hook size F and Caron's Simply Soft black (or any other color)
Ch 2 loosely

R 1:  10 sc inside second chain from hook.  If you push the sc around the ch you are working in every three stitches, it helps make room for all the sc.   Join with sl st to first sc   (10 sc around)

R 2:     ch 3, 2 dc in same st as sl st from last round, ch 3, *skip next sc, 3 dc in next sc, ch 3 ,  Repeat from * around, join with sl st to top of beg ch 3 of this round  (Five dc groups, five ch 3 groups made)

R 3: (do not ch 1) sl st into next dc (middle dc of group here and throughout) *ch 3, sc inside 2nd (middle) ch of ch 3 group, ch 3, skip 1 dc, sc in next dc; Repeat from * around  (10 ch 3 groups made, 10 sc around)
sl st into beg sl st of this round to join

R 4:  * (3 sc, hdc, dc) all inside next ch 3 loop, ch 2, (dc, hdc, 3 sc) all in next ch 3 loop; Repeat from * around
Join with sl st to first sc of this round

Fasten off, weave in ends.

Motif can be used for just about anything.  I'm going to make a top of some sort (I hope) with mine, maybe using a contrast color for the filler squares, maybe not, I haven't decided yet. 

If you have any questions or comments please use the comment boxes below, thank you.

copyright 2010 anitalite ;-)_  cynthia J rupp luciene

Please do not distribute this pattern by any means other than the link to this page, thank you!


This pattern is meant for personal use only.