Sunflower & Butterfly completed earrings. (Photo courtesy of Maurita Way)

Maurita the Crochet Lady here. I hope you are excited to make some lightweight earrings with me this month. These charms can also be used hanging from a simple crocheted chain as a necklace or to add to any other project. Also, the sunflower can be made with a yellow center and white petals to look like a daisy.

Now for the supplies:1- small amounts of worsted weight yarn in your desired colors, 2- Hook size F 3.75mm, 3- milk jug rings (two for one set of sunflowers), 4- french style earring hooks, 5- small jump rings (approx. one-fourth inch) to fasten crochet to earring hooks, 6- needle-nose pliers, 7- scissors, 8- yarning or finishing needle.

STITCHES: CH= chain. SC= single crochet. SC INC= single crochet increase. BEG DC= beginning double crochet= ch2. DC= double crochet. SL ST= slip stitch. PICOT= ch3, slip stitch in 1st chain. [ … ] = repeat directions inside number of times stated.

NOTES: ALL PROJECTS: always leave 3-6 inches (longer if used for sewing pieces together) of a yarn end that I call a yarn tail to sew into the project once completed.

SUNFLOWER: the petal round will be crocheted into the stitches of RND2 and also over the plastic milk jug ring. The center of the flower will bump out a bit to make the flower 3D.

SC over plastic ring, Ch1 picot, ch1, SC over plastic ring. (Photo courtesy of Maurita Way)

BUTTERFLY: the base is a small hexagon. RND2 is worked by folding the hexagon in half working through both layers. The body is single crochets but can be replaced with sewn stitches to keep butterfly shape.

SUNFLOWER: RING: ch4, join with SL ST to form ring. RND1: BEG DC, 11DC in ring, join in top of BEG DC. RND2: ch1 (ignore when joining), SC INC in each DC (total 24sc), join, fasten off. PETALS: while holding plastic milk jug ring against backside of work (remember to work over the plastic ring), join petal yarn with SC, ch1, picot, ch1, SC in same stitch, [SC in next stitch, CH1, Picot, Ch1, SC in same stitch], repeat from [ to ] in each of the remaining 23SC of RND2, join then fasten off leaving yarn tail to sew in to hide. Attach jump ring and french style earring hook.

BUTTERFLY: RING: CH4, join with SL St to form ring. RND1: BEG DC, DC, [CH2, 2DC] 5 times, CH1, SC into top of BEG DC. Fasten off. RND2: Join border color with SC into a CH-2 space, CH3, SC in same space. Fold butterfly base in half to line up edge stitches and work through both layers, 2SC, [in CH-2 space work SC, CH3, SC, 2SC] two times, in last CH-2 space at tip of second wing work SC, CH3, SC. Fasten off. BODY: hold tip of butterfly wings together on opposite side of where your hook will be crocheting and have the belly facing up at the top. Note: leave 6-inch yarn tail before slip knot and work over it OR sew it to head to join with yarn tail when completed to have two yarn ends to create the bug antennae. SC into center of border, working over both center Dc of base of butterfly, 3SC, then working through both layers (actually over the folded center ring of RND1) SC. KNOT body yarn tails together three times, then for each end, make a knot approximately one-fourth to one-half inch away from joined knots so there will be a ball at the end, then cut off excess.

Hope you enjoy making these earrings (or charms). Until next time, Happy Crocheting.

Hexagon base underside showing the butterfly “body.” Border of SC with CH3 corners. (Photo courtesy of Maurita Way)