DIY Crochet Projects

Crocheting is no longer a pastime for old nannies sitting in their rocking chairs. In the past few years, this hobby has come largely out into the open and more and more people have begun crocheting with gusto. Irrespective of how difficult it might appear to a novice, it is quite a simple art to learn, and is one of those arts that you keep on improving as you do it for a longer period of time.

So, if you are already into this hobby (or profession, as the case might be) one of the biggest worries could be how to make the best use of the leftover yarn. It is a criminal waste to throw away so much beautifully colored yarn. Even if it might simply be less than a meter in length, the wisest thing to do is to learn how to crochet flowers out of it.

Crochet flowers have gained in popularity because they can add to the beauty of anything they are put upon.

Making crochet flowers is not quite difficult if you are adept with the needle, have good vision and have, of course, a sense of esthetics. For those of you who are beginners, crochet comes from the French word croche, which actually means a hook. And, a hook is the most important part of the crocheting art. If you learn how to handle the hook, you will be a good artist. The hooks are generally six inches in length, but some of the Tunisian and Afghan hooks can go up to a foot or even more. They have a twisted end, where you hold the yarn and weave it to get your pattern. So, in a way, crocheting is very similar to knitting.

Making flowers requires just a little more talent than standard styles. You must begin with a sketch of the flower you are planning to make, and must have an idea of what colors you want to use. Look at what leftover yarn pieces you have, as that would help you decide the right colors. You need to also consider their lengths. It is good if you have small yarn pieces of bright colors, because these can be put into making the accents to make your flowers more attractive.

Crochet flowers have different layers, and it makes best sense to keep them in different colors. You can have as many layers as you like, though the norm is three. You will also need to crochet in a central piece to give the flower an enhanced look and to hide the final weaves. The base layer is what you begin with. Starting from the center, you crochet in a spirally increasing manner, and end with the flower petal designs. You can keep on crocheting till you get the desired size of the flower.

Once the base layer is crocheted, you crochet the next layer, preferably in a different color. It is best to turn out the same pattern with the subsequent layers as the base layer, but a little smaller in size. Complete this layer in the same manner. Then begin working on the next layer. Carry this out till you prepare all the layers. Then, join them at the center, taking care that all layers of the crochet flower display themselves adequately. The final touch would be to weave in the central pattern.