African Flower Motif

The African Flower motif is made in the granny square style but with at least five sides.

A floral pentagram if you will that allows you to create a world of patchwork critters. There are dozens of patterns on Ravelry. I will share a free one and direct you to a paid one that is absolutely worth the price. The artist in both cases is Heidi Bears. Check out her work and let her know we love her here at Fiber Magick.

First let's practice the motif itself. I have a video of me making one on my You Tube Channel. Fiber Magick. It makes a nice blanket and will eat through your scrap stash in a heartbeat...

African Flower Motif

Hook size F to make critters

Hook size H to make blanket

4-ply Yarn

Ch 4 and join with a slipstitch into the first chain to form a ring.

Round 1: Chain 3 (this is your first dc) 1dc, ch1, then 2 dc, ch1 4 more times. You will have a total of 5 clusters of 2 dc divided by 1 ch. The last ch will be connected to the 3rd chain of your chain 3 (first dc). Change color.

Round 2: Join your next color in any ch1 space of round 1. Chain 3 (this is your first dc). Make one more dc into that same space, ch1, and make 2 more dc into that same space. Move to the next ch1 space of round 1 and repeat: 2 dc, ch1, 2 dc. Repeat this in each of the ch 1 spaces of round 1. Join with a slipstitch to the first ch 3 of the round in the 3rd chain. Slipstitch once more in the second dc. This makes it easier to get to the first ch 1 space. Also slipstitch into the ch1 space.

Round 3: Now we will start making the petals of the African flower. Ch 3 (this is your first dc). Make 6 more dc into the same ch 1 space. You will have a total of 7 dc into the same space. Move to the next ch 1 space and make 7 dc into that same space. NO ch1 between the 7 dc! Go to every ch 1 space and repeat the 7dc into the same space. Join with a slipstitch into the 3rd ch of your first dc. Change color.

Round 4: Attach the new color to the slipstitch of the previous round. Yarn over and pull the yarn through, (2 loops on hook) then Yarn over and pull the yarn trough both loops. That`s your first sc. Make one sc in every dc. That will be a total of 7 sc on every petal. In between the petals you will make a long dc that will go down into round 2 (between the round 2 clusters). Sc into each dc of the petals and make one long dc in between the petals. Repeat the 7 sc and 1 long dc until you are back to the first sc. Slipstitch into this first sc. Cut the yarn.

Round 4: Join next color to the slipstitch of the previous round. Ch 3 (this will be your first dc) Make 1 dc into the next 2 dc. You will be at the middle of the petal. Here you will make a corner. Dc, ch1, dc into next sc. Then you will make 8 more dc, before getting to the middle of the next petal. Here you will make a corner again (dc, ch1,dc into same stitch). Continue this until you get to the first ch3. Slipstitch into the 3rd chain of the ch3. Note! Make sure that you have 9 dc on each side before you ch1 for the corner!

This is the explanation for the pentagon (5 petals) If you want to make a hexagon (6 petals), a heptagon (7 petals) or an octagon(8 petals), the only thing that changes is round 1. For the hexagon for example, you will make, instead of 5x(2 dc and ch1), 6x(2 dc and ch1) into the ring and of course for the heptagon 7x(2 dc and ch1) etc.

Free:

https://www.ravelry.com/projects/CindyEggleston/atuin-the-african-flower-turtle

Paid:

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/plod-the-african-flower-triceratops

Stay Crafty, Opal Luna