Here in north-central Texas, our daffodils bloomed in late February. They were beautiful while they lasted a bright splash of yellow in the brown winter landscape.
Even though our daffodils bloom early, they are always associated with Easter in my mind. Maybe it’s because of my German heritage. In my mom’s Frankenwaeldlerisch dialect, daffodils are called Osterglocken = Easter bells. In the pretty Easter books and cards from my German grandmother, the Easter eggs always had daffodils around them.
Let’s crochet daffodils and narcissi in April. They’re on pages 51-52 of Crochet Bouquet. Check the corrections page (see sidebar). The frill around the top of the daffodil’s trumpet should be crocheted into the BACK loops only (rnd 5).
The photo shows the Daffodils and Narcissi from Crochet Bouquet, against a background of long, thin leaves. They’re very easy to figure out on your own, but in case you would rather have a pattern, here you go:
Long, Solid Crocheted Leaf
Crochet a chain the desired length of the leaf plus 2 ch. Working in the back bump of the chain, sl st in third ch from hook. For best-looking results, work into the back bump of the chain for any of the following leaves.
Narrow Leaf: sc 1 in each remaining ch st. End off.
Medium Leaf: sc 2, then hdc 1 in each remaining ch st. End off.
Wide Leaf: sc 2, hdc 2, then dc 1 in each remaining ch st. End off.
Long, Open Leaf
Open meshes make this leaf more delicate than its close relative, the Long, Solid Leaf. Use both styles in a grouping to give it depth. Twist the leaves or fold down the tips of the leaves to make them look natural.
Chain an odd number of sts to the desired length of the leaf, plus 2 ch. Working in the back bump of the chain, sl st in third ch from hook. For best-looking results, work into the back bump of the chain for any of the following leaves.
Narrow Leaf: * ch 1, sk 1 st, sc in next st * Rep bet *s to end of chain. End off.
Medium Leaf: ch 1, sk 1 st, sc in next st. * ch 1, sk 1 st, hdc in next st * Rep bet *s to end of chain. End off.
Wide Leaf: ch 1, sk 1 st, sc in next st, ch 1, sk 1 st, hdc in next st. * ch 1, sk 1 st, dc in next st * Rep bet *s to end of chain. End off.
Tip: when you use fuzzy, loopy, or very bumpy yarns, don’t bother to crochet into the back bump of the chain. Novelty yarn obscures the stitches, so it isn’t worth the extra trouble.