Branching Out

Recently I've started crocheting items other than critters. Since I live in a desert part of the year, it seemed logical to crochet some cactus. 

 

They were a great hit, so I moved to another plant. While I'm still learning how to make flowers and trees, here's my first attempt at a tulip.

My tulip is taller than any of the critters I make, so future tulips will be downsized. There were at least two challenges to overcome with a flower. The first was the stem. The flower is heavier than a cactus; and is supported on a long stem that cannot be floppy yet not so sturdy as to hurt someone should it fall down. The second problem was the stability of the vase that has to support the weight and "floppiness" of the flower. 

My first thought was a small dowel for the stem, but it was too stiff and hard and could be used as poker and I did not think that was safe. Pipe cleaners came to mind, so I folded 3 pipe cleaners in half to make the stem and crocheted over them. The weight of the flower is supported by the 6 pipe cleaners and they are safe should the tulip fall down. It took me a bit longer to figure out how to fill the vase. Normal stuffing was not sturdy enough. I tried a small rock that fit inside the vase, and while it did stabilize the complete plant, it was not the right shape and I feared it might inadvertently hurt someone. The same might occur if I used tiny pebbles. My next solution was rice. I partially filled a snack-sized baggy with rice, and put that in the vase and it worked! The rice can be shaped and molded to fit inside the vase yet did not pose a threat of hurting someone and it stabilizes the big flower. It looks good. Problems solved.

My next project is another critter (back to my comfort zone) and I've decided upon a dairy cow. I've been looking at dairy cows in the field as well as pictures of cows and pictures of crocheted cows. Not all dairy cows have horns, so my crocheted cow will not have horns. Pictures of crocheted cows have pink udders, but in real life, that is not always the case. Most dairy cows have a "crown" on their heads, and their ears are on the side of their heads not on top like a crocheted piggy. I need to figure out how to make those features look right yet cute (and somewhat cartoonish) all at the same time. 

Here is my sample dairy cow picture. As you can see, a lot of problem solving goes into crocheting a critter or a flower. Watch this space to see what happens. 

(Picture courtesy of PETA.com)