Crochet to Go

Thinking of flowers, this is one of the better collections of flower patterns I've seen in awhile. 4 different patterns here, courtesy of Crochet Me.

This was a quick, use-up-some-leftover-yarn project. The pattern is from the 2007 edition of the Crochet Pattern a Day calendar. It's not exactly my taste, but it's a surefire grandmother or mom gift. Even an easy hostess gift. Total production time averaged about 30 minutes.

This pattern (the pink one is the original) was designed to be identical on either side, which translates to 2 sets of petals and a ring of leaves in between. The realist in me found this odd - flowers don't work that way. I streamlined the pattern (yellow) to have a single side and more leaf coverage on the back.

It would be simple to make your own custom pattern from any flower pattern you've already tested - just add a long chain and tassel at the end. If you're looking for inspiration, here's an extensive list of flower patterns.

European artist Joana Vasconcelos covers creatures in crochet. Her earlier work was much larger, and she appears to be focusing on the details and quality of her craftmanship. It's intriguing. Her site is interesting too, if a bit hard to navigate.

I finished this suit on the second-to-last day of my trip to Mexico. I think I've posted the top before - I made it several years ago, and it's gotten a lot of use. I've resisted making a bottom, primarily from a practicality standpoint. I just wasn't sure it would actually work.

Inspiration came from - of all places - US Weekly and The Superficial. Mena Suvari was featured wearing two different suits, of varying degrees of explicitness. This first one is similar to my final version; I think I'll skip this size.

It actually worked, and was surprisingly comfortable. I used cotton crochet thread and a 2.55 mm hook. I wouldn't recommend using anything larger. The material kept its shape while wet, it just gets a bit stiff. The bottom is worked entirely in sc; the top consists of 6 granny squares sewn together.

This is - I think - my last project from Simple Crochet for Cherished Babies. I was flipping through the book the other day and realized I've made almost every single item. There are a few that aren't exactly my taste, but the majority are perfect for baby gifts. I definitely recommend picking up a copy.

This little outfit has a zipper from ankle to neck. My boyfriend was concerned with the scratchiness of the zipper on the inside, so I've lined it with a soft ribbon. I like the look of it; I'll continue doing this on future projects.

I also like the reinforced heel (you can see if you look closely at the picture). You could easily make a baby booty pattern out of it.