Lacy Crochet Bow with Center Flower

Can you tell I love bows? Not only are bows very pretty, they are also a very versatile accessory. They can be attached to brooch pins, hair clips or sewn on, to add instant flair to any project. Someone posted a photo  of a bow on one of the crochet Facebook pages I like. Other than a few photos and Chinese symbols, there were no directions on how to make it. I liked the lacy look of this bow and after studying the photos, I had a pretty good idea of how it was made. 

This is a very easy pattern. The body of the bow consists of chain spaces and the flower is simple. One layer with 6 pedals. I used Caron Simply Soft and a size H hook. The Chinese version was made with 2 strands of fine crochet thread. My finished bow measures 5 inches by 2 inches.  I haven't tried making this bow with bulkier worsted weight yarn. I like the dainty look of the finer yarn because it gives it more of a lacy look. 

This bow is worked in the round.

Chain 60, slip stitch to the first chain, being careful not to twist the chain. 

Rd 1: Chain 3, skip 2 chains, slip stitch into 3rd chain. Repeat till the end of round, slip stitch in to first stitch.

Rd 2: I worked the rest of this bow in one continues round, using the starting tail as my guide to the end of my rounds. You can also mark the first loop with a piece of yarn. Chain 3, slip stitch into first loop. Chain 3, slip stitch into next loop. Continue in this manner until your bow is the with you need. Mine was 2 inches without the border. Fasten off.

Border: With contrasting color, attach yarn with single crochet to any chain 3 space of the last round. If you don't now how to attach with single crochet, attach yarn into center of chain, chain 1, sc in same space.

Chain 3, double crochet into the the sc you just made.

Chain 3, single crochet into next ch 3 space. Double crochet into sc just made, chain 3, sc into next space. Continue to the end of round, slip stitch into first sc. Fasten off.

Now working on opposite side of bow (60 starting chain). Attach yarn with sc to any slip stitch of the first row. Do not crochet into the spaces. Work the same as for other side only this time you crochet into the slip stitches of the first round. Fasten off, work in ends.

I like to tri- fold my bows and stitch the center so it will hold it's shape. Fold bow in half and fold top and bottom edge of the bow to the fold in the center.

To make the center piece of the bow: Chain 16, sc in 2nd chain from hook and into each stitch to end of row. Chain 1, turn. Sc in each stitch across. Fasten off, leaving a longer tail. Attach enter to bow, slip stitch closed in center of back. 

Flower: Rd 1, for center of flower, chain 4 and slip stitch to first chain or into magic ring work 16 dc. First chain 3 + 15 dc. Slip stitch to top of chain 3. Fasten off.

Rd 2: With contrasting color attach with sc to any dc of previous round. Chain 4, skip 2 dc, sc into next, chain 4 skip next 2 dc, sc into next. Continue till end of round, slip stitch to first sc. 6 chain 4 loops. 

Rd 3: Chain 1, sc into first loop, 1 hdc, 2 dc, 1 triple crochet, 2 dc, 1 hdc, 1 sc into same loop. (first pedal made.), sc into next loop and repeat as for 1st loop. Make 4 more pedals, slip stitch to first sc. Fasten off. 

Work in ends, leaving one tail for attaching flower to bow. Center flower to center of bow and sew in place. 

The size of this bow can be easily changed by adding more sc to round 1 in multiples of 3 and adding more rounds to the bow. 

Accessorize Your Hat - How to Crochet a Bow

                                  Part 2 - How to Crochet a Bow


There are a lot of different ways to make bows. The one I am going to show you today is a simple bow made out of two crochet rectangles. The larger rectangle for the actual bow and the smaller one for the center loop. To make this type of bow, I prefer to use thicker worsted weight or bulky yarn. I also use a hook one or 2 sizes smaller than recommended for the yarn I am using. It makes the material stiffer, holds it's shape better and is less likely to curl. For the bow I made for this hat I used Sensations Rainbow Classic. It's a  bulky yarn, but very soft. I used a J crochet hook. For the finer worsted weights I usually double and work with 2 strands.

For this bow I started with a chain of 15. Worked in all single crochets. The dimensions are 14 stitches across for 11 rows. My rectangle measures about 5 inches wide by 3 inches high.

Start with chain of 15, sc in 2nd chain from hook, sc in each stitch across.
Chain 1 and turn.  11 rows.

Fold your rectangle in half lenghtwise and finder the center.Fold each long edge in meeting at the center fold. Pinch the middle and secure with a few stitches to hold the bow together.

Fold in half lenghtwise. Fold long ends to center fold 

For the smaller rectangle I started with chain 5, sc in the second chain from hook, sc in each stitch across, for 4 stitches by about 9 rows. Sorry, forgot to count my rows. I measure my work around the folded bow until it fits all the way around. Then I slip stitch the center band together in the middle of the back of the bow.  Weave in ends, leaving on long tail to attach the bow to the hat. 

This simple bow adds a little flair to the hat. Next up making and attaching braids.

How to make Pom-Poms and Braids for Your Hats

Part 1 - Pom-Poms

Pom-Poms and braids are a popular way to add flair to any hat. My grand kids love pom-poms and I made quite a few of them in the last few months. If you don't make a lot of them it wouldn't pay for you to invest in a pom-pom maker. I have to say, I am in love with mine. Making a good size pom with cardboard circles is a little time consuming. It takes me about 15 to 20 minutes to get a nice and fluffy one the old fashioned way.  With my "toy" it only takes about 2 minutes.

Assuming you don't have the luxury of a pom-pom maker, I am going to show you how to make a pom, using a cardboard template. Any stiff cardboard, such as a shoe box will suffice. Using a compass, glass or any round object the size you would like your pom-pom to be, trace 2 circles onto the cardboard. With a another smaller round, object draw a bulls-eye in the center of each circle. Cut the circles out and remove the bulls-eyes. What you are left with, are 2 identical cardboard doughnuts. 

Used a can of tuna for outer circle, bulls eye should measure about 1 inch.

As you can see, mine aren't what you would call professional but they will do the job. The goal is to wrap the doughnut with yarn, until the hole in the center fills up with yarn. For this template I used the lid of a tube of Vaseline. It measures 11/2 inches in diameter. This was actually a little to big. For this size pom, a center opening of 1 inch would have been better. I like to completely wrap my pom about 5 times. Making Poms for over 40 years, I developed a feel for it. Once my circle fills up and my disc feels nice and puffy, I know it's right. If you think you have enough yarn wrapped around the doughnut but your center isn't full, not all is lost. In this case all you need to do is to take a needle with some yarn and run it around the inside of the circle several times,pulling tight and catching all of the loops. This keeps your loops from falling through the hole when you cut your pom open. If the center if full, this step will not be necessary. The more yarn, the fluffier the pom-pom will be. Holding both pieces of cardboard together, thread the needle through the center of your doughnut. Knot the end to keep it secure. Now comes the fun part, wrapping and wrapping around the circle. When you run out of thread, join the new thread with a knot. It can be cut off later, when you trim your pom. Once your cardboard circle is full, cut the thread. 

Now it's time to cut the loops. To separate the strands, cut the yarn around the top edge of the template, all the way around. Do not cut the cardboard.

Now cut a piece of yarn about 18 inches and slide it between the center of the 2 discs. This is how you tie off your pom so you don't end up with a pile of loose strings. Wrap the yarn around the center at least 4 or 5 times. Pulling as tight as you can. Knot it several times but don't cut you string. I use it to sew my pom to the hat. Now cut the cardboard circle to remove the finished pom. You might be able to carefully pull the circles apart and save your template. Trim the pom even if you have some larger strands and carefully cut out any knots.

These colors work for both a boy and a girl. I decided to use it for a girl and accessorize it accordingly. I think a pretty crochet bow would look very nice. Bows are very easy and can be done many ways. Next up tutorial on how to crochet a bow for your hat.

Pom-Pom maker I purchased at JoAnnes. Came in a set of 2 sizes for $19.99 with 50% off coupon only about $10.00. This is the large set. Purchased the small set at Hobby Lobby for $8.00 regular price. Easy to use and a great time saver if you make a lot of Poms.