Welcome to Hook & Petal

Wooly Ana's Crochet has had a make over! 

Meet Wooly Ana's Hook & Petal! I'm hoping a more precise focus to the blog will help me and it feel less scattered. 

I want to start this new version of my blog by going back to the Jacinta flower. This is a pattern I wrote to honor my stillborn daughter Jacinta.  My hope is that eventually this pattern will become as widespread as the African flower or the Maybelle flower so I will continue to share it periodically in hopes that more and more people will make it.

When I first made the flower I did it in a solid color, later I discovered that it makes a delightful multicolored flower as well. 

Here is a tutorial including the color changes:

You will need 3-4 different color yarns

Chain 6, join with slip st to form a ring.

Color 1

RND 1: Ch 3 (counts as first dc), 15 dc in 

ring; join with slip st to first dc. (16 dc totals)

Color 2
RND 2: Ch 1, sc in same st, ch 3, skip next dc, *sc in next dc, ch 3, skip next dc; repeat from* 6 more times; end with slip st in first sc. (8 ch-3 spaces).

RND 3: Ch 1, sc in same st, (2 sc, ch 3, 2 sc) in next ch-3 space, *sc in next sc (2 sc, ch 3, 2 sc) in next ch-3 sp * repeat from * 6 more times; end with slip st in first sc. (8 ch-3 spaces)

Color 3

RND 4: Ch 1, sc in same sc, dc in next ch-3 space, (ch 1, dc in same sp) 4 times, skip next 2 sc, *sc in next sc, dc in next ch-3 sp, (ch 1, dc in same sp) 4 times, skip next 2 sc* repeat from * 6 more times; end with slip st in first sc. (8 flower petals)

Either continue with color 3 as I have here or switch to color 4

RND 5: Slip st into next dc, slip st in next 1-ch space, ch 1, sc in same ch-1 space, ch 3, sc in next ch-1 sp, (ch 3, sc in next 1-ch sp) 2 times *skip next (dc, sc, dc), sc in next 1-ch space, (ch 3, sc in next 1-ch sp) 3 times* repeat from * 6 more times; slip st in first sc. (24 ch-3 spaces)

Your Jacinta flower is done but here is the down side of a multicolored flower - all the damned ends that need to be woven in! 

But they are so pretty you will certainly forgive them for all the trouble.

After you are done you will of course want to do a photo shoot!

I made some beautiful cushion covers with them by turning them into squares.

Hope you enjoy making these flowers as much as I do!
Thanks for visiting!

Flowers for Jacinta

Ever notice that kids are relentlessly needy? For example within one hour this morning my 3 year old has needed an waffle, butter, syrup, juice, her hair up, TV on with me sitting next to her, hand lotion and lots of it, 3 band aids, her "ball, ball, ball," and a washcloth for her feet. Now she is rearranging the furniture because she needs to do a puzzle. Notice I don't make a distinction between wants and needs. That is because kids don't make that distinction and everything is a need. 

But in all honesty I'm grateful for this need, because when a child is dead they don't need a thing anymore. Morbid but true, and for some reason I really feel this absence of need.  

So as I grieve I tend to manufacture needs.  For example I perform random acts of kindness in Jacinta's name in January, I buy her an ornament each and every Christmas, and I always quietly say "bye baby" as we pass the cemetery on the way off our property.  And, just like any other girl, she periodically needs flowers. 

Jacinta needs these things, because far as I'm concerned, all children need tending to and mothers need to tend to all their kids. 

This year I have decided on two things I need to do for Jacinta.  The first is to make tons of flowers in her name, just because I love flowers and I think it would bring me joy to have lots and lots of them. 

Perhaps I'll make a some crazy ass garland or a wall hanging. I'm not sure yet, I just know I'll make flowers for Jacinta in the month of January. 

The second involves yarnbombing! But more of that in a separate post.

OK, now on to the flowers I've done so far.

1. The Maybelle Flower  This is one of the most popular flower patterns out there, probably because it is large, flat and perfect for a wide range of projects.  Annette at My Rose Valley has done some beautiful things with these babies.

2. Large Simple Flower - This one comes from a book I've had for quite some time but have not really used, 200 Crochet Flowers by Claire Crompton. This flower ends up not being very large but it is simple and very sweet.

3. Mini flower: These are just wonderful. With one small round they are quick so you can make lots and lots of them. These are made out of fingering weight wool but for an even teeny tinier version you could use thread.

4. 5 Petal Curved Edge Flower: This pattern is simple but has  neat curved edges which gives it a little extra pizzazz. 

5. Crochet Flower: This one could use a better name but it is a sweet pattern for a double layer flower.

Stay tuned for more flowers for Jacinta to come. 

Composition

The more I use instagram, the more I think about the composition of my photographs. Today I tried to, very deliberatly, set the scene of my photograph by using a combination of yarn and paper to make a small floral landscape with a Maybelle flower and a Jacinta flower.  I think they compliment each other nicely.

I don't know.  I didn't end up loving the end product as much as I wanted to.

Maybe it is better to keep it simple.