Pipe Cleaner Stems - How I did it

I adapted Lucy at Attic24's instructions for the leaf from her Crochet Daffodil, to essentially make a giant leaf which gets wrapped around the pipe cleaner.

Using a 3.5mm hook and green double knitting yarn, you need to chain enough to cover the length of the pipe cleaner apart from just under 1cm at one end. The pipe cleaners I used are 16cm long, so I worked as follows (Note, I am English so give English instructions. An English dc is equivalent to a US sc.):

 Make a slip-knot leaving sufficient tail end to sew the stem to the flower. Chain 31.

 1dc into each chain, starting from the second chain from the hook (total 30dc).

 Chain 1

Then work a row of dcs back down the opposite side by picking up the foundation chain loops.

 When you get to the end

DO NOT make a chain, but dc into the first stitch of the original side. This will curl the end over slightly for the end of the pipe cleaner to sit in.

Work the rest of the row of dcs to the end.

Place the pipe cleaner on the crochet with one end tucked into the curled up end. At the other end there should be just under 1cm left clear.

 

 Start to close the two sides together by slip stitching the stitches from each side together.

 

Work down the length of the pipe cleaner.

 

 When you get to the end, slip stitch into the end to secure it, fasten off and darn this end in.

 

The completed flower stem, ready for the end to be darned in and showing the uncovered tip of the pipe cleaner.

 

Attach the other end to your flower, using the remaining length of tail. I was making daffodils, so the end of the pipe cleaner poked through the little hole in the centre of the flower and I stitched the stem to the back of the flower.

Mother's Day Daffodils

The finished daffodils in their new home

A couple of weeks ago the very lovely Lucy at Attic24 posted a blog entry about Crocheting Daffodils. Me being me, I couldn't stop at just one and decided to make a whole bunch as a Mother's Day present.


Hunting round in my stash of cheap 'n cheerful DK yarn, I came up with some cream, light yellow, bright yellow, burnt orange and green, which let me produce six variations: cream/light, cream/bright, light/light, light/bright, bright/bright and bright/orange.

The six variations and their leaves blocked and drying

Waiting for stems

 I made one of each variation with two leaves with each of three different hook sizes (3.25mm, 3.5mm & 4mm) giving me a total of 18 flowers and 36 leaves.I then created a stem by crocheting around a pipe cleaner (I'll do a separate post with details of how I did this) and sewed them together.

Partially finished

A finished daffodil

I had picked up a Mother's Day gift of three planters on a tray from Tesco and put six flowers into each. To stop them moving about so much I made a coaster from the green yarn, using a 5.5mm hook to give a loose tension, and Lucy's Flat Circle instructions, substituting trebles for her half treble stitches, and poked the stems through it.

The flat circle coaster. As you can see it is quite loose for the daffodil stems to poke through

To give them even more stability, I tried using florist's foam, but this didn't work as pipe cleaner + crochet was too thick, so initially left the flowers just held by the coaster inside the planter. My mum had the bright idea of using crumpled tissue paper in the bottom of the planter although I don't know how successful this would be as we didn't have any tissue paper.

Oh, and remember I am left-handed and Lucy's instructions are right-handed. I am therefore mentally mirroring the images she provides and working in a clockwise direction.

Just had to share

Absolutely nothing to do with crafting but I just have to share

Look at the lovely delicate colour of these tulips

A bit dark, but close up

 

And how pretty snowdrops are

Spring is well and truly on its way, there's daffodils in the wild

Welcome!

Welcome to my new blog!

My plan is to let you all see some of the lovely crafty things I do. I've knitted from almost since I can remember and I've just discovered crochet. I've got a few cross-stitch kits on the go and in the past I have dabbled in patchwork and bobbin lace making, which I may pick up again if I can find somewhere to store everything (there's only so much you can store in one small flat).

Oh and I'm left handed, hence the title of this blog. I don't claim to be an expert but I plan to try to show how I do things. I won't claim that they are the right way or the best way, but they are the way that works for me.