Crocheted Black Rose

I took a little break from the  unpacking and organizing in our new place to sit and listen to my news podcasts while crocheting on this rose which I started on Christmas day.  It was one of the items intended for my niece's gift bag. One of the reasons I was so late starting it was that I'd been practicing the methods and testing the patterns I found online with lighter colored threads.  But none of the patterns I found made a rose in size 10 thread any bigger than an inch and a quarter across and I was picturing at least three inches.  So I had been working out in my head ways to use the concepts in the patterns to enlarge it.  I will share my method at the foot of this post.

I had elected to make several smaller items rather than one large one like a shawl or afghan so I started a bunch of things and had none of them finished Christmas morning.  Many were at least as far as off the hook but still needed those finishing touches.

  

A black bow barrette the length of my hand from wrist to fingertip with a vintage button attached to middle band still needed its middle band crocheted and wrapped and then to be sewn onto the barrette.  That was finished just before we got in the car to head for the family gathering. 

Four of the bookmarks still needed their ribbons selected and woven in which was done early that afternoon..  A fifth bookmark is still on the hook.  

A black headband with lime green ribbon is still on the hook.  

A hairpin lace belt in a variegated greens and gold ribbon thread isn't even on the hook yet.  I am still having trouble doing hairpin lace being such a newbie at it and didn't want to start working with that difficult thread until I could do it right with easier thread.  So by a week into my flu I'd already let that one go.

The black drawstring bag needed its sides sewn up and the drawstring with vintage buttons for ends strung.  I used slip stitch to crochet the sides and had that done before leaving for the family gathering Sunday afternoon and had the drawstring woven in by the time we arrived but there were glitches as the decorative edging I used for the drawstring would not hold a knot and it took me another hour after arriving to figure out a solution.  

Once there I had to ask for a private place to keep working and ironically that was my niece's room.  She even served me dinner in there which I only nibbled at occasionally in my frantic haste.  The black and mint green candle doily still needed the outside row with black beads crocheted on and I was still working on that as presents were handed out and opened.  And *blush* I stuck it in the gift bag without tucking the 8 tails.

Because I was so late getting everything finished I was unable to get the usual photos of the finished projects.  I've asked my niece to do that for me and will share them as soon as she sends them to me.

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Here was my method in plain English instead of pattern speak:

The approximately 1 inch roses called for a beginning chain of 50 something so I chained 150 to triple that. (leave a long tail for sewing the bottom once rolled)

Row 1: single crochet all the way back across the chain.

Row 2: chain 3 then skip two single crochet and do 2 double crochet plus 2 chains plus 2 double crochet in the third stitch.  Do the same in every third stitch until you have 50 of these 'petal bases'  then for the rest of the row switch to triple crochet.  Same pattern: 2 triple plus 2 chains plus 2 triple in every third stitch to end.

(I think if I make another of these tho that I will switch to quadruple crochet for the last 12 petal bases in order to raise the height of those petals on the outer layer.  Either that or use the quadruple in the first 12 petals on Row 3, triple in the next 12, double in the next 12 and half double to the end.  The latter would take more thread tho.)

Row 3: chain 4 and crochet 11 triple crochet into ea of the 2 chain spaces for the first 13 petals.  Then switch to double crochet for the next 25 petals and then use half double to the end.

When fastening off you can leave another large tail for sewing the rose onto something if desired.

Roll up the strip from small to large keeping the bottom edge even sew bottom edges with long tail.  I haven't done this yet and as I rolled I had the thought that I should be tacking it occasionally as I rolled and not wait until it was all rolled to start.  I may have to unroll and start over in order to do that as I'm afraid I will not catch all the edges and then the rose will be easily deformed with any handling with petals sliding up out of the middle or out the bottom.

I'm not sure of the exact size (using size 10 cotton thread) as I can't measure it as I haven't yet found my rulers or measuring tape in the packed stuff.  It covers the palm of my hand and I'm sure it is at least 3 inched across and possibly a bit more but definitely less than four.