The bottom of the cover up has alternating green and orange flowers with these colored flowers trailing up the spine. The piece is worked from the bottom up.
Note: when counting the flower petals in this pattern, work clockwise.
Materials:
6 skeins Aunt Lydia’s Crochet Thread, Fashion 3, in Natural
1 skein Aunt Lydia’s Crochet Thread, Fashion 3, in Copper Mist
1 skein Aunt Lydia’s Crochet Thread, Fashion 3, in Sage
Size D crochet hook
Finished Measurements:
34" long
Snugly fits a women's size small
Instructions:
Spine
Work the flowers for the spine first.
Using magic loop method, 8 sc.
Round 1: Ch 3 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in first st, 2 dc in each st across the next 6 sts, turn (14 sts total).
Round 2: Ch 4, *1 dc in next st, 1 ch.* Repeat from * to * until end, turn.
Round 3: Ch 3, *1 dc in next st from Round 2, ch 3, 6 dc down the 1 dc from this Round, sl st in next st from Round 2.* Repeat from * to * until 4 more times (5 petals total), ch 8, sl st in starting ch from previous Round.
Rounds 1-3 completes one half flower. The final ch 8 from Round 3 makes up the magic loop starting round for the rest of the half flowers so they are attached.
The top of the flowers will rest between your shoulder blades and the bottom will rest approximately 2.5" from the end of the piece. There will be an additional edge on the bottom.
The bottom edge flowers alternate green and orange, but make a full circle with the petals, as opposed to a half circle of petals with the flowers trailing up the spine. Written instructions are below:
Round 1: Using magic loop method, 8 sc
Round 2: Ch 3 (counts as first dc), 1 dc in next st, 2 dc in next st and in each st until the end, sl st to join. (16 sts total)
Round 3: Ch 4, dc in next st, *ch 1, dc in next st,* repeat from * to * until end, ch 1, sl st to join.
Round 4: Make petal the same as in the spine flowers and continue until you have 8 petals total.
For my size, I made 13 flower motifs. To join, attach the first petal of one flower to the sixth petal of a second flower, and attach the second petal of that same one flower to the fifth petal of the second flower. This leaves two petals unattached on the top and two petals unattached on the bottom of each flower.
To join the bottom edge to the trailing spine of flowers, join the third petal of one bottom edge flower to the bottom petal of the first flower in the spine.
The flowers on the body are white and are one round larger than the bottom edging flowers.
Round 1: Using magic loop method, 8 sc
Round 2: Ch 3 (counts as first dc), 1 dc in next st, 2 dc in next st and in each st until the end, sl st to join. (16 sts total)
Round 3: Ch 3 (counts as first dc), 1 dc in first st, *1 dc in next st, 2 dc in next st,* repeat from * to * until end, 1 dc in last st, sl st to join. (24 sts total)
Round 4: Ch 4 (counts as first dc and first ch), dc in next st, *ch 1, dc in next st,* repeat until end, ch 1, sl st to join.
Round 5: Make petal the same as in the spine flowers and continue until you have 12 petals total.
Body Motif Joining
To attach the flowers on the body, work 5 ch between a petal of one flower and a petal of a second flower.
Starting with the bottom edging flowers, sl st in third petal of edging flower (also the same flower with joined spine flowers), ch 5, sl st in fourth petal of edging flower, ch 5, sl st in joined petals of two flowers, ch 5, sl st in third petal of next flower, ch 5, join to first petal of white body flower, ch 5, sl st in fourth petal of edge flower.
Continue joining body flowers to edge flowers in this manner by working 3 sections of 5chs and sl st in next petal before attaching another body flower. For the 13 edge flowers, I attached 9 body flowers.
Continue attaching the body flowers in the same manner. Attach the body flower rows to the spine flowers as you go. The height of one row of body flowers is equal to the height of one green spine flower and one orange spine flower.
To add a little shape, decrease by one body flower motif as you go up the rows.
Row 1 of body flowers: 9 motifs
Row 2 of body flowers: 8 motifs
Row 3 of body flowers: 7 motifs
Row 4 of body flowers: 6 motifs
Row 5 of body flowers: 6 motifs
Row 6 of body flowers: 6 motifs - this row will make up the bottom of the armholes.
Row 8 (back shoulder): working in the back only, attach one motif on either side of the spine. Work a half flower for either side of the shoulder in the same manner as the spine motifs, but with an additional row like the body motifs to they are larger (6 petals total).
Row 9 (front shoulder): working in the front only, work one body flower motif on either shoulder and attach to Row 8.
Notice how there is a gap between the flower motifs in a row between the fourth petal of one flower and the tenth petal of another flower. You can either leave this gap open or you can close it by doing the following:
Ch 4 between the tenth petal of the first flower and the fourth petal of the second flower. Sl st in ninth petal of first flower, ch 5, sl st in ch 4 space, ch 5, sl st in fifth petal of second flower. Sl st in eleventh petal of first flower, ch 5, sl st in ch 4 space, ch 5, sl st in third petal of second flower.
I left the gap on the third row of body flowers, around where the stomach is, but filled in the gap on all other rows.
Good luck and enjoy! Please let me know if you have any questions. I may try to make a chart to make it easier to explain.
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