Generally when I buy grab bags of yarn there are some yarns I keep and some I re-donate. But every so often, a bit I have put in the re-donate pile gets rescued. One very old skein of Fleisher’s Tri-laine that had clearly been munched on in its probably 75 years was such a bit. Amigurumi style crochet is an excellent way to use up single skeins, especially those with damage, because the little pieces use short lengths, and a knot here or there will never be seen. This skein was such a succulent green grey blue, that it practically screamed from the donate bag, “No, I want to be a thing!!” So thing it became.
After everything was crocheted and sewn, I used some eyeshadow in lieu of chalk pastels to give it a little color interest. Here it is displayed on a weird random burl that fell out of our maple tree.
To make these little guys, I worked the leaves as follows:
Fingering weight yarn and size E crochet hook
Into magic ring work 5 sc. Do not join. You’ll be working in a spiral.
2 sc into next stitch, placing marker in the first of these two stitches to mark the beginning of the round, sc in next stitch, 2 sc in next stitch, placing marker in the first of these two stitches, sc in next 2 stitches (7 stitches)
2 sc into marked stitch, sc in each stitch to next marker, 2 sc into marked stitch, sc in each stitch to next marker. Move markers to the 1st of the 2 sc on the new row.
Repeat row 3 until 11, 13, or 15 stitches. After reaching required number of stitches, work 4 rows of sc.
Make as many or as few of any of these sizes as you like. This example uses 3 of each.
Make sure the magic circle is pulled snug, then use the tail to lightly stuff the tip of the leaf.
The odd number of stitches creates a flat leaf that wants to bend on itself a little bit, so make sure you keep track of which is the shorter side, and place that toward the center of the plant. Your first leaf should be folded in half at the base, then stitch the remaining leaves in a spiral, graduating sizes as preferred.
I had other semi-formed plans for the burls, but I think it will probably serve this purpose instead. The plant perches perfectly impertinently. We have had a lot of high winds lately, and some other weird but interesting pieces of dead wood have come down, and I have more of the Tri-laine and a small skein of another very old fleisher’s wool in another very succulent-ish color, so I may do a few more.
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Lynx
(In a world where you can be anything, be kind.)
4
This reminds me of a radio commercial I used to hear where inanimate objects told stories of what they want to be when they grow up. I’m so glad the yarn was rescued and grew up into this fabulous succulent!
Sometimes the yarn decides what it wants to be. That’s how it happens in my house, anyway, where most of the yarn is thrifted. I live a very devil may care sort of fiber life. The yarn chooses the projects rather than the projects choosing the yarn.
Random burls raining from the trees is fortuitous but unnerving. We just bought the house last summer, and they said they’d had an arborist out to tidy up the maple that spring, but a lot of small, interesting bits of dead wood have come down in the winds we have had since then. (It has been a very windy couple of seasons here on the plains.) I’m thinking of having an arborist back out again just to make sure everything’s ok up there. It’s a 50 year old tree.
congrats on the feature!
so organic and cool. i love that you can follow the yarn and make it what it wants to be. my yarn often just sits there and mocks me.
