Gift Wrap Idea – with small crocheted ornament

To wrap a gift nicely is an art. And if you can crochet then it’s getting much easier :) The best wrap is the one made by yourself. And if you attach some small crocheted ornaments, your friends and relatives will like and appreciate it. As you are not just giving them the gift, but also a piece of your heart, a small part of your beloved crocheted world.

I have a shop on Etsy and every time I ship something, I am trying to wrap it nicely. I’ve tried different variations and attached small crocheted flowers, and hearts, and stars to the packages. But recently I’ve come up with a new idea of a small crocheted dandelion (at least it reminds a dandelion to me). You probably know that I am a little bit addicted to dandelions in general, and I just love round and spherical shapes. That’s why I like to make mandalas. And you can also see them in the renewed header of my blog. Do you like them? :) They are not  balloons, like some of my friends are joking. They are small dandelions on the stems, made of the pictures of my real crocheted mandalas…

I used different kinds of paper to wrap the gifts but right now I am much in craft brown paper. I like the color very much, and I also like to think it might be a recycled paper. And using it I care about the nature and environment (which I really do a lot!!). I’ve also ordered to print new business cards and tags made of firm craft paper. And I chose a dandelion (of course!) for the logo. For me green color goes together well with the brown. You can either create your own tags of brown paper or you can purchase them on Craftsy (affiliate link). They are now offered with 30% discount. Be also sure to check EverythingEtsy with lots of free printable crochet gift labels.



I have been experimenting a bit with different ornaments and this is what I came up with. This pattern is written in overlay crochet technique. And each dandelion consists of 4 rounds only.

Dandelion Crochet Ornament

You will need:

• Leftovers of yarn in three colors of your choice. I used yarn “Catania” by Schachenmayr (50g/1.76 oz., 125 m/137 yds.) Yarn weight: Sport. Texture: 5 ply (12 wpi)
• Crochet hook 2.5 mm (C) or size needed to get an acceptable gauge – your dandelions should stay flat!
• Scissors, tapestry needle to weave in ends.

Size

The size of the finished dandelion depends on the yarn and hook you use. My dandelion is approx. 6.5 cm (2 ½ inches) large.

Stitch guide and Abbreviations

US standard abbreviations are used in this pattern. But if you are used to other terms, please check this Crochet Translation Project which might be helpful in translation to your native language.

rnd - round
st(s) - stitch(es)
ch - chain
yo - yarn over
lp(s) - loop(s)
BL - back loop(s)
NJ - needle join
sk - skip st(s)
*…* *crochet following directions* as many times as indicated
sl st (slip stitch) – insert hook in indicated st, yo, draw yarn up and pull 2nd lp through the 1st lp on hook.
sc (single crochet) – insert hook in indicated stitch, yo, draw up a lp, yo and pull through both lps on hook.
dc (double crochet) – yo, insert hook in indicated st, yo, draw up a lp, *yo, pull through 2 lps* twice.
tr (treble crochet) – yo twice, insert hook in indicated st, yo, draw up a lp, *yo, pull through 2 lps* three times.
sc inc (single crochet increase) – make 2 sc in same st of previous rnd.
dc inc (double crochet increase) – make 2 dc in same st of previous rnd.

Important notes

I suggest that you join new yarn by simply pulling it in indicated stitch and making one or two chain stitches (which will count as the 1st sc or dc accordingly). All rounds are with a "needle join", which will help to make joining sections invisible! You can read detailed information about these two aspects HERE. If you are not sure how to find front and back loops of the stitches, please, read THIS post. And HERE you can find a TIP on how to crochet in back loops without the visible holes.

Copyright LillaBjornCrochet 2015. All rights reserved. This pattern is for unlimited personal use only. Do not reproduce or sell the pattern. The pattern may not be copied in any way (print or digitally), in part or in full. Items may be sold that are made from this pattern as long as the designer is credited. Shop owners, if you wish to make a kit with yarn using this pattern, please request permission and copyright details from me before offering any kits for sale. Please, read Copyright page for more information.

Instructions

Add this Pattern to your Ravelry Queue

Rnd 1. Start with yarn C1.
Make magic ring, ch2 (counts as 1st dc) and 15 dc in magic ring; NJ in the 1st dc of the rnd after ch2. (= 16 dc)

Rnd 2. Change to yarn C2. Attach yarn in any st of rnd 1. Work this rnd in BL!
Note: the 1st dc of this rnd will be ch2.

*1 dc inc* 16 times; NJ in the 1st dc after ch2. (= 32 dc)

Rnd 3. Change to yarn C3. Attach yarn in 2nd dc of any dc inc of rnd 2. Work this rnd in BL.
Note: there will be always 1 st skipped on rnd rnd 1 between two tr’s.

*4 sc (1st sc of the rnd will be ch1), 1 tr (FL) in directly underlying st of rnd 1, sk no sts on rnd 2* 8 times; NJ in 1st sc of the rnd after ch1. (= 40 sts)

Rnd 4. Change to yarn C1. attach yarn in any tr (BL) of rnd 3. Work this rnd in BL.

*2 sc (1st sc of the rnd will be ch1), 1 sc inc, 2 sc* 8 times; NJ in 1st sc of the rnd after ch1. (= 48 sc)

Your dandelion is now finished! And you can also decorate it with one or two rounds of surface slip stitches (please, see tutorial HERE).

If you crochet two dandelions together and stuff – you will get a nice small pincushion, which can also be used as an ornament for gift wrapping :)

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