It is amazing what can be made with just chains and slip stitches in different combinations. The foliage below is made by chaining, then folding the chain back on its self and securing with a slip stitch to make a loop. Combine several loops into clusters and make stems by slip stitching along a chain, and it makes an interesting botanical shape.
I followed a chart for a Monstera leaf that uses crocheted chains, slip stitches, and double crochet. The leaf looks complicated, but it is a simple concept: make a chain, slip stitch into the center, make another chain, slip stitch into the previous rib, then turn and double crochet back to the start.
I don’t really like that there isn’t much to the center of the leaf. I’ll have to come up with my own pattern.
I’m not sure what to call this crocheted foliage element, but at least it looks botanical. It uses only chain stitches and slip stitches to work the stems and branches: chain out, slip stitches back. There is quite a lot of potential in this simple stitch combination.
I switched tracks on what I am doing with the yarn remnants. I decided a need a new front door wreath, and am now making crocheted botanical elements.
This first leaf started with a chain, then I worked each side of the chain with single crochet, half-double crochet, double crochet, and triple crochet to make curved sides. The stem is slip stitched.
It is a humble beginning, but I hope it will bloom into something remarkable.
In October of 2016, I painted ping pong balls with irises and pupils and glued them on a wreath frame decorated with short lengths of dark red glittery ribbon and mounds of black netting to make a Halloween decoration.
This was a short-lived wreath. In storage the acrylic paints rubbed off the ping pong balls, and the hot glue released its hold. And while it was interesting to play with different iris colors, it didn’t take long for painting that many ping pong balls to get tedious. If I were to do it again, I would look into making the eyes more realistic, maybe with some clear epoxy, since the true impact of this piece is achieved on closer inspection. There would be fewer eye balls as well!
Critters and Craft 