Stitchfinder: Crochet Flower: European Rose
European Rose
Skill Level: Intermediate
Materials and Tools
3 colors of LB Collection Cotton Bamboo:: center color (A) Gardenia #170, greenery color (B) Snapdragon #174, petal color (C) Cherry Blossom #102
Hook: 4.00mm (size G-6 U.S.) or size to obtain a firm gauge
Tapestry needle
Special Abbreviations:
BPsc (Back Post single crochet): Yo, insert hook from back to front between the stitch you just finished and the next stitch. Push your hook to the back between the next stitch and the stitch after that. Yo, draw up a loop which will come around the front of the stitch, yo, draw through both loops.
Hdc2tog: Half double crochet 2 stitches together
Sl st-picot: Ch 3, sl st in base of chain.
Pattern Note:
The pattern is written for 4 colors, but you may choose to use only 2 or 3 colors. The tops of the petals, crocheted in rnds 5 and 8 are meant to bend over to the front.
Instructions
Flower:
With A, ch 6, join with sl st in first ch to form a ring.
Rnd 1: Ch 4 (counts as tr), 19 tr in ring, cut yarn and needle join to first st of rnd. (Or if you are not going to change colors, join with sl st to first st of rnd, ch 1)-20 tr.
HINT:
Rnd 1 of the European Rose is a round of treble crochet sts, as in Photo A. To make the join more beautiful for this project, I needle-joined the last st to the top of the ch-4 at the beginning of the round. Some crocheters call it the "invisible join."
For step-by-step photos of a needle-join, see Curious & Crafty Readers, photos E, F, and G.
Since the center of this European Rose is a different color from the greenery, I fastened off after Rnd 1, then wove in the ends. If you prefer, you can crochet Rnd 1 in green and use a different color button as the flower center.
Rnd 2: Join B with BPsc around the next st, BPsc around each rem st of rnd 1, including the ch-4, join with sl st to first sc of rnd.
Rnd 3: *Ch 6, sl st in 4th ch from hook, working along ch, sc and hdc, sl st in next st of rnd 2. Ch 4, sk 2 sts, sl st in next st; rep from * 4 times. Fasten off B-5 sepals and ch-4 sps and 2 skipped sts between them.
Rnd 4: Join C and *(sl st, ch 2, 5 dc, ch 2, sl st) all in next ch-4 sp, push the pointy sepal you made in rnd 3 to the front of your work and ch 1 behind it; rep from * 4 times.
HINT:
The petals of European Rose have two rounds each. For Rnd 4, the sepals stay to the front of the work, while in Rnd 5, you push them to the back and work in front of them. This holds them in place between the petals, where they belong.
When you work in the front loop only across the top of each petal as instructed in Rnd 5, you help the top of the petal to fold over to the front, creating the signature look of the European Rose. In Photo B, I have two petals left to finish in Rnd 5.
Rnd 5: *Sl st in next ch-4 sp, sc in each of 2 ch going up the side of the petal, working in front loop only across the top of the petal, (sc, hdc) in next st, hdc2tog, sl st-picot. The last st of the dec is in the 3rd dc of the petal. Hdc2tog again, placing the first st of the dec in the 3rd dc of the petal. Now the 3rd dc has 2 sts in it. (Hdc, sc) in next st, sc in each of 2 ch going down the side of the petal, sl st in ch-4 sp, leaving the yarn at the back of your work, bring hook in front of the sepal to make the next st. Rep from * 4 times. Sl st in the next ch-4 sp, fasten off C.
HINT:
The second set of the European Rose's petals are off-set from the first set. To accomplish this, you'll work Rnd 6 into the stitches of Rnd 2 that you skipped in Rnd 3. You will create the sepals and ch-spaces for the next round of petals. Photo C shows how this looks from the back or wrong side, after finishing three of the five sepals.
Rnd 6: Fold petals and sepals to the front of your work as you work this rnd. Join B with *dc in the first of the 2 skipped sts under next petal (these sts are from rnd 2). Ch 8, sl st in 4th ch from hook, working down ch, sc, 3 hdc, dc in next skipped st of rnd 2, ch 7; rep from * 4 times, join with sl st to first dc of rnd. Fasten off B.
Rnd 7: Join C and *(sl st, ch 3, 9 tr, ch 3, sl st) all in next ch-7 sp, push the pointy sepal you made in rnd 6 to the front of the work and ch 1 behind it. Rep from * 4 times.
Rnd 8: *Sl st in next ch-7 sp, sc in each of 3 ch going up side of petal, working in FL only across the top of the petal, sc, 2 hdc, hdc2tog, sl st-picot. The last st of the dec is in the 5th tr of the petal. Hdc2tog again, placing the first st of the dec in the 5th tr of the petal. Now the 5th tr has 2 sts in it. 2 hdc, sc, sc in each of 3 ch going down the side of the petal, sl st in ch-7 sp, leaving the yarn in the back of the work, bring hook in front of the sepal to make the next st. Rep from * 4 times. Sl st in next ch-7 sp, then fasten off C.
Finishing:
Weave in ends, wet block or gently steam block, stretching out the sepals and allowing the tops of the petals to bend over.
Directions reproduced from Crochet Garden: Bunches of Flowers, Leaves, and Other Delights, courtesy of Lark Publishing, 2012.