Happy National Crochet Month 2014

Happy National Crochet Month! What is everyone doing to celebrate? As always, I am honored to be included in the month long celebration blog tour put on by Crochetville. Owners Amy Shelton and Donna Hulka do so much for the fiber community and we appreciate you! Let's have a round of applause for this dynamic duo!

Our focus charity this year is Halos of Hope. Halos is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization founded by Pam Haschke, herself a survivor of inflammatory breast cancer. Their mission is to provide volunteer-crafted hats to cancer centers across the country. Please consider making a hat or two to donate. You can send completed hats to Crochetville's official headquarters (also know as Amy's house). For all the details please visit Hat donation details and be sure to check out the hat pattern I was honored to contribute to the designer invitational program for Halos.

So who is ready for Spring? It has been such a crazy winter all over the country. Two days ago I enjoyed sunshine and 75 degree weather with all the windows open. Tomorrow it is supposed to be in the twenties again! So I decided I needed to create a little Spring of my own and I designed the "Passion Rose Motif". I love the look of the little rose buds just waiting to burst open. I am offering the pattern for free until the end of the month. Please be sure to stop by my Facebook page and say "Hello". I also love to see pictures of your projects from my patterns! Enjoy your celebration of National Crochet Month and thanks for visiting!

Passion Rose Motif

Design by Tammy Hildebrand

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Skill Level                           

Intermediate

Finished Measurements

7 1/2  inches square

Materials

Caron Simply Soft medium (worsted) weight acrylic yarn (6 oz/315 yds/170 g per skein):

1 ounce each: #0012 passion, #0014 pagoda, #9702 off white

Size I/9/5.5mm crochet hook

Tapestry needle

Gauge

Gauge is unimportant for this design

Pattern Notes

Join rounds with slip stitch as indicated.

Chain-3 at beginning of round counts as first double crochet.

Chain-4 at beginning of round counts as first double crochet, chain 1.

Chain-6 at beginning of round counts as first double crochet, ch 3.

Special Stitches

Cluster (cl): Yarn over, insert hook in indicated space and draw up a loop, yarn over and draw through 2 loops on hook (2 loops remain on hook); yarn over, insert hook in same space and draw up a loop, yarn over and draw through 2 loops on hook; yarn over and draw through all 3 loops on hook.

Popcorn (pc): Work 3 dc in indicated space, drop loop from hook, insert hook from front to back in first dc of 3-dc group, place dropped loop back on hook and draw through.

With passion, ch 3, join with sl st (see Pattern Notes), to form ring.

Rnd 1 (RS): Ch 3, (see Pattern Notes), 15 dc in ring, join in top of beg ch-3, fasten off. (16 dc)

Rnd 2: With RS facing, join pagoda with sc in any st, sc in each st around, join in beg sc, fasten off. (16 sc)

Rnd 3: With RS facing, join off white with sl st in any st, ch 4, (see Pattern Notes) dc in same st, (dc, ch 1, dc) in next st and in each st around, join in 3^rd ch of beg ch-4, fasten off. (32 dc, 16 ch-1 sps)

Rnd 4: With RS facing, join pagoda with sc in any ch-1 sp, ch 3, skip next ch-1 sp, [cl, (ch 2, cl) 3 times] in next ch-1 sp, ch 3, skip next ch-1 sp, *sc in next ch-1 sp, ch 3, skip next ch-1 sp, [cl, (ch 2, cl) 3 times] in next ch-1 sp, ch 3, skip next ch-1 sp; rep from * around, join in beg sc, fasten off. (4 sc, 16 cl)

Rnd 5: With RS facing, join passion with a sc in any sc, ch 3, sl st in top of next cl, ch 3, [pc in next ch-2 sp, ch 3, sl st in top of next cl, ch 3] 3 times, *sc in next sc, ch 3, sl st in top of next cl, ch 3, [pc in next ch-2 sp, ch 3, sl st in top of next cl, ch 3] 3 times; rep from * around, join in beg-sc, fasten off. (4 sc, 12 pc)

Rnd 6: With RS facing, join off white with sl st in any sc, ch 3, 2 dc in same st, sc in next ch-3 sp, sc in top of next pc, working over ch-3 sp, [3 dc in top of next cl of rnd 4, sc in top of next pc] twice, sc in next ch-3 sp, *3 dc in next sc, sc in next ch-3 sp, sc in top of next pc, working over ch-3 sp, [3 dc in top of next cl of rnd 4, sc in top of next pc] twice, sc in next ch-3 sp; rep from * around, join in top of beg ch-3, fasten off. (36 dc, 8 sc)

Rnd 7: With RS facing, join pagoda with sc in sc of any corner, ch 6, (see Pattern Notes), [dc, (ch 3, dc) twice] in same st, [skip next st, (sc, ch 5, sc) in next st] twice, [skip next 2 sts, (sc, ch 3, sc) in next st] twice, skip next st, (sc, ch 3, sc) in next st, skip next st, *[dc, (ch 3, dc) 3 times] in next st, [skip next st, (sc, ch 3, sc) in next st] twice, [skip next 2 sts, (sc, ch 3, sc) in next st] twice, skip next st, (sc, ch 3, sc) in next st; rep from * around, join in 3^rd ch of beg ch-6, fasten off. (16 dc, 40 sc)

The Next Stop on a "Tour Through Crochet Country" is Hot Lava Crochet!

I'd first like to thank Amy Shelton and Donna Hulka of Crochetville for putting together this "Tour Through Crochet Country". What a great idea and I have enjoyed reading all the blog posts in celebration of National Crochet Month. You can find the whole list here blog tour in case you missed any of them.

There are so many ways to celebrate National Crochet Month but don't we really celebrate the joy every day? I know I do and I can't imagine my life without crochet. It is the one thing that stays constant in an ever changing world.

I first learned to crochet from my second grade teacher, Mrs. Crooks. I can remember it like it was yesterday. After school I would get to pull my chair up to her big, wooden desk as she patiently taught me the stitches to create a floppy, purple "hippie" hat that I still have. Little did she know all those years ago just how big of an impact her act of kindness would have on my life! I am so happy to still be in touch with her and I was thrilled to see a comment she recently left on the CGOA Facebook page saying she was going through my patterns to find one of my designs to make in celebration of National Crochet Month. Thank you Mrs. Crooks!

After that first hat, I've never stopped. I have crocheted everything from garments to dog jackets to baby booties and everything in between. I love to experiment with new techniques and try different things. My crochet goes everywhere I go. I have been spotted stitching at bus stops, on my treadmill, on airplanes, on my riding lawn mower and even floating in my pool! 

And speaking of CGOA, which stands for the Crochet Guild of America, I must also remember them as we celebrate this month. CGOA has been instrumental in helping me pursue a professional path with crochet. They offer a mentoring program, a day long event called PDD - short for professional development day - at each conference, and opportunities to network that wouldn't otherwise be available. Even if you have no desire to become a professional, CGOA has so much to offer. Please visit their site for more information. 

My friend, fellow guild members and former CGOA president, Marty Miller, is also blogging on the tour today. You'll want to stop by and see what she has to say! Marty was the person that took me to my very first ever LYS! You can find her site here at the crochet doctor

Lastly, I want to hear about YOU! Leave me a comment on here or my Facebook page and tell me about how you learned to crochet or the craziest place you've stitched! I went through my stash and pulled a few of my favorite yarns to share with you. One winner will be randomly chosen at midnight on the last day of March. As much as I hate to do this, I have to limit it to US residents only. Shipping prices have skyrocketed     and I just can't ship outside of the US. 

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