More Motifs/Cards

I've created and tested two more motifs. So I have now a 5,6,7,8 and one more.
They been named Floral Star Motif and

Crochet Christmas Trees

I saw a new trio of trees in a for-sale knitting pattern on Ravelry. I dug them! And then I thought I can do that in crochet!
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/oh-christmas-trees



I stayed up last night til this morning and finished them


The one on the left is an original pattern. The one in the middle is a free pattern online.
http://www.wrights.com/wrights/class/12_xmas/crotree/crotree.htm
The one on the right is improvised.

I've written the tree pattern. Will strive to make another one tonight to test it.
So many of the list pages are malware or fronts for selling, so I hope you'll enjoy seeing what I found as I searched around.

Other Christmas Tree patterns:

http://www.paperthetown.com/crafts/z30.htm

http://www.mypicot.com/christmas_crochet_patterns04.html -- fab tree with branches

On Michael's
http://www.michaels.com/art/online/projectsheet?pid=h00062 this reads familiar, but the base is looped before branches are added-- i think I'll try this one when i finish with my giftmaking.

http://www.orble.com/free-rockefeller-center-christmas-tree-crochet-pattern/
She makes the bottom separate-- i prefer to never sew and so for my little tree on right, backstitch decreases gave me a flat bottom.



http://sarahanns.com/crochetworks/tptoppers.html fabulous site fabulous
http://sarahanns.com/crochetworks/gingerbread.html great tiny tree!

http://donnascrochetdesignstheblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/table-top-christmas-tree-free-crochet.html
a 13-inch tree




http://gnathalie2.wordpress.com/2007/12/03/super-easy-xmas-tree/
love this! it's the insight that gave me the tiny tree.



here's a lovely simple crochet snowflake
http://www.theknittingparlour.co.uk/doc/christmas%20snowflake%20pattern.pdf

Little Spiral Star Tree Ornament

I needed some gift-ettes and thought-- I've obtained some wool (at last!) -- I can felt some stars for trees!
This whole process took about 20 minutes--- from crocheting through felting.
It's adorable and feels affectionate(if I may say so myself, LOL!)

Little Star Tree Ornament

Make loop( aka magic adjustable ring), 5 sc in center, sl st to first sc,
2 sc in each sc, join to first :10 sc Fasten off.
Change yarn, in any sc : *sc, dc, trc, sc, skip sc* repeat: 5 points/petals.
Sl st to first sc, fasten off.
With third color, thread up through center hole, sl st in spiral, grabbing vertical threads of sc.

(I'm going to use a spiral sl st in a lot of plain centers --- inspired by this at Gourmet Crochet:
)


After crocheting, I did some tugging to pull the points...if i could, I would have steamed this flat first.
I then "finger felted" it --- ( placed Little Star under hot running water in sink, a dab of dish washing liquid and rubbing between palms and on scrubby. I then ugged on the points, reshaping it, rinsed in cold water and pressed out water to damp dry.... again if i could, I would've sped up this drying with an iron).

I don't have any ornament hangers, but I made one using some brass wire: I made a spiral and then a 90 degree angle,poked it through a point and then mmade another spiral/curve at the top.

By the way-- it works unfelted, too.



Here’s a pictorial on the magic adjustable ring:
http://crochetme.com/Dec_Jan_0405/reads_round.html

A fellow freeform crocheter asked about the adjustable ring.
I thought about the design and decided that I didn't mind the hole this time, because it is where another yarn goes for the spiral.

So I made another star-- actually two, just in time to shove the slightly damp dears in my pocketbook and fiddle with their wires while taking the bus on the way to lunch and gift them to my colleagues. I've uploaded a picture of them, still damp..

Felted Star Ornament 2

Ch 4 , 9 dc in 4th ch from hook,join: 10 dc
ch1, *2sc, sc* around, join, ch1:15 sc
*sc,dc,trc,picot:(ch2, sc), trc, dc, sc, skip two sc,* repeat: 5 points
sl st to first sc, fasten off.
Using contrasting yarn, pull through center hole : sl st, ch1, sl st:

You could just sl st, but adding a ch1between sl st seemed to improve the pattern

3.5” prefelted using Grand Paton’s merino wool.