Which Stitch Markers Are Best

When I first took up crochet I didn't have any stitch markers, I didn't even know stitch markers existed. It wasn't long before I knew about them and I learnt the value of using stitch markers, aka stitch savers. That first frustrating experience of when a project accidentally unravels because there's nothing holding onto the stitch to stop it coming undone or your crochet circle grows in ways it isn't supposed to and the worth of this tiny tool became obvious very quickly. But there are so many styles of stitch marker to choose from, locking, circle, coil-less, plastic, safety pins, thread, 3D printed... does it really make a difference which one you use? Is it just how pretty they are? I walk you through a dozen different stitch markers from items you have lying around your home to the fancy artisan styles. I share with you what features to look for and those that don't really hold up to the task.
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Fleur-de-lys Motif Crochet Pattern

Fluer-de-lys Motif Crochet Pattern
I thought I might crochet fleur-de-lys to use in Monday's post. However a bit of searching the interwebs in all the usual places showed up very few pattern options.

So I decided try my hand at developing my own fleur-de-lys crochet pattern.


I was hopeful of coming up with a pattern that could be worked continuously.

Taking notes as the pattern develops

I made some progress but I wasn't happy with how the outer petals looked wrong with one worked on the right side and the other worked back to front so I frogged it and started over.

For my second attempt at developing a pattern I decided to crochet each section separately and then stitch them together.

I'm rather pleased with the results. What do you think? It did need to be blocked but I decided I would just put a big book on it for a while. I thought it rather apt that the big dictionary I grabbed for the purpose was French.

French Dictionary makes a great motif weight

Fleur-de-lys Pattern

Fluer-de-lys Motif Crochet Pattern
This pattern uses US crochet terminology

This fleur-de-lys is made of 4 parts
  • left petals (upper and lower)
  • right petals (upper and lower)
  • central petals (upper and lower)
  • central bar
Yarn: 4 ply Clever Country (left over from a lace project - I really like this yarn)

Hook: 2.35mm / size 1

The outer petals

chain  20
*SS into second stitch from hook then SC into same stitch, SC & HDC in next st, HDC & DC in next st, HDC in next st, SC in next 5 stitches, HDC in next st, 2 DC in next, 2 DC in next, 1 DC & 1 TC in next, 2 TC in next, 2DC in next, 2 DC in next, HDC in next st, HDC in next st, SC then SS into same stitch** tie off.

For the outer petals on the other side work the above in reverse

chain  20
work from ** to *

Center Petals

To work the spine of the center petal

chain 26
SS into second stitch from hook, SC 23, SS, ch 1

To work the petals


*SS, SC, HDC, DC, DC, TC, TC, DC, DC, HDC, HDC, SC, SC, SS, SS into next 4 stitches (5 SS in total), SC, HDC, DC, DC, HDC, SC, SC, SS**, ch1
work in reverse back up the other side from ** to *

Central Bar

To make the central bar work 8 stitch double foundation chain.

Using a yarn needle stitch the outer petals to the central ones and then stitch the centre bar on last.

Ada-cat loves to 'help' with project photos

Ada-cat helped with taking photos, which always makes things more interesting.



This is my first attempt to write a motif pattern. I hope it works for you and I haven't over looked anything in the instructions. If you give this a try I would love to hear from you on how the pattern worked and see your finished motif. 

Comments

  1. PurpleSlob20 November 2015 at 10:41

    Gorgeous! Your creativity and skill amaze me, and make me jealous!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Purfylle24 November 2015 at 19:32

      Sometimes I surprise myself, this was certainly one of those times.

      Delete
  2. Winnie20 November 2015 at 18:45

    This is simply BEAUTIFUL !!

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    Replies
    1. Purfylle24 November 2015 at 19:33

      Thank you Winnie! You've totally made my day ;o)

      Delete
  3. MAPLELEOPARD4 January 2016 at 09:22

    Gorgeous you are so talented...and I LOVE the kitty in the pic! I am a cat fiend...so many reasons why we click.ha! Thanks for all your help lady!

    Valerie
    xo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Purfylle5 January 2016 at 16:01

      That little kitty is my totally annoying super cute Siamese x called Ada. She always tries to kiss the camera so it's hard to get pics of her. And you're welcome!

      Delete
  4. Anonymous9 January 2016 at 04:45

    Thank you! Very easy instructions.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Purfylle9 January 2016 at 10:42

      I'm so pleased to hear that! Thank you for the feedback.

      Delete
  5. Rebecca Faris14 February 2016 at 09:29

    OOOOooo I love appliques and the fleur-de-lys is wonderful :D Thank you for sharing it with other crochet crazies! (like me!)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Caprina Miles9 May 2017 at 22:13

    I love your work. I am attempting the outer pedals and keep having a few chains remaining. I cannot seem to figure it out. Do you happen to have a video to compliment the pattern? I think I am missing a step it reading it wrong. Thanks a lot

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Caprina Miles10 May 2017 at 11:30

      I figured it out ��

      Delete
    2. Purfylle11 May 2017 at 11:29

      I did try to make a video tutorial, but it wasn't that successful. I shall have to try again :o) I think the extra slip-stitches I needed when turning aren't needed for thicker yarn. I'm so glad you figured it out! I'd love to see a picture.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous17 May 2017 at 11:30

      Hello! I was about to ask the same thing, a tutorial video. I tried the centre pedals and the outer but they didn't turned the same as yours, and in some point I had three, four, five rings and I didn't know how to finish them. I'll be thankful if you try one more time the video tutorial, because it is easier to me to understand the process and be successful in that crochet fleur-de-lys. =)

      Delete
  7. Beth Ann7 February 2018 at 09:00

    Perfect. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Unknown11 May 2018 at 08:21

    Great, thank you!!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. annie8 November 2018 at 08:15

    i love you work but iwas wondering if there was a way to make it bigger

    ReplyDelete
  10. Unknown19 August 2019 at 05:58

    Hi I love this and want to make this to put on a small teddy bear can it be made smaller?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Purfylle19 August 2019 at 10:36

      If you work it with a #10 crochet cotton it will turn out much smaller.

      Delete
  11. Unknown20 December 2019 at 21:29

    Your written pattern was excellent and easy to understand until I got to the center part... I don’t understand 8 stitch ... would you write out the steps like you did the other 2 steps

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Stella23 December 2019 at 12:25

      The red text is a link to a separate page with detailed instructions on how to dot that section. Or you can use this link here https://www.purfylle.com/2015/05/how-to-crochet-double-foundation-chain.html I hope that helps.

      Delete
  12. Unknown18 June 2020 at 02:43

    How can I make the flue de lay bigger to put in the middle of a blanket

    ReplyDelete
  13. Traci22 August 2020 at 10:57

    I'm getting stuck on the center petal. The base chain is 26, then the 1st row is 25. But to work the petal, there are 27 stitches listed. That's too many?? Help!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Weeping Chicken15 January 2021 at 07:58

    Wonderful instructions! Easy to follow. I tried to learn and follow how to make the foundation stitch, but finally had to find a video on YouTube. After 45 years of crocheting, I learned a new stitch!!! I used Red Heart Unforgettable in Dragonfly and an E (3.5 mm) hook. It came out beautifully. Wish I knew how to upload a picture!

    ReplyDelete

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