Our August 2009 Crochet Bouquet Along selection is the Crazy Eight (pp. 81-82 of Crochet Bouquet). It is a simple eight-petal flower, which is perfect to crochet in the eighth month.
The basic Crazy Eight is easy to crochet and then you can fancy it up with several options for trims and embellishments.
My favorite is the ‘Outline’ option on page 82.
First, crochet a large or small Crazy Eight. To make the outline, attach a contrasting yarn to a ch1-space of Rnd 1, as in this photo.
Now you outline each petal with sc, working up one side of the petal, over the top, and down the other side, where you find yourself at the next ch1-space of Rnd 1. When the instructions say to crochet around the dc, I find it easiest to fold the flower so that the dc is at the top. Then I crochet around the stitch itself.
When you get to the individual petal at the outside of the flower, you will be holding it sideways. You crochet around the ch4 (that means you insert your hook under the chain, not into it). Then sc into the tops of the treble stitches, sc down the ch4 at the other side of the petal, and continue toward the center of the flower, crocheting around the dc stitch or stitches.
Here’s the first petal finished and the second in progress. Crocheting around eight petals takes time, but the results are very nice!
The outlined Crazy Eights on the Flower Power Jeans (pp. 100-101 of Crochet Bouquet) are made with Aunt Lydia’s No. 10 Classic crochet cotton. I crocheted the ones pictured here with Brooks Farm Yarns’ Duet, a blend of mohair and wool.