Family – Miss Sharon's Craft Cupboard

Sunflowers against a September sky. This sunflower stalk came from an envelope of seeds my husband brought home from his work. Those seeds had a late start this summer and only one sprout survived. Boy, has it grown tall! I can’t wait to see it with all the flowers blooming!

Sunflowers are one of my favorite flowers to grow and to use as decorations inside and outside in late summer and early fall. My love for this flower started when I was a kid. My dad would plant sunflower seeds along the back side fence in late spring each year. They would sprout and he would show me how to “thin” the sprouts allowing the ones left in place to grow strong, thick stalks to support their heavy flowers. His sunflowers would grow taller than the garage. I remember looking up at the huge sunflower heads against the deep blue sky and thinking how majestic they looked. Dad would cut them down before the birds ate all the seeds and would dry the sunflower heads in the garage. Then in the late fall and winter we would hang them outside for the birds to pick out the seeds. Dad would save some of the seeds for the next planting season and we would start over again with our bed of sunflowers along the fence.

I have watched an American Goldfinch every day trying to eat the seeds from this sunflower! Looks like he got about half of the seeds before I could get outside to cut the flower.

Early summer I found sunflower sprouts growing inside a flower box I keep on our patio. I didn’t plant the seeds there. It must have been the resident chipmunk storing the fallen seeds he raided from the ground below the bird feeders. He must have forgotten he had buried the seeds in the planter. I let them grow and was able to cut this bunch in August for drying. I’ll place them out with the feeders later in the fall for the birds to eat.

I’ve been thinking of my dad a lot this summer and I wanted to crochet a sunflower dishcloth to remind me of the sunflowers from my childhood backyard. I searched all the different patterns I could find and decided on making my own pattern. Below is my pattern for a sunflower dishcloth. Enjoy!

Sunflower Dishcloth Crochet Pattern by Sharon Andreani

All cotton yarn is used to makes this pretty dishcloth. To crochet rounds, I am going back to an old way taught to me by my grandmother. I learned a new way when I took a crochet course through the Craft Yarn Council of America and it has its purpose. But for something like this dishcloth, I like the definition of the rounds made by turning the piece to start the next round. I think it makes the back of the dish cloth just as interesting and pretty as the front!

This is the backside of the sunflower dishcloth. The scallops look so pretty!

Special Stitches:

This is an easy beginner pattern with increases each round to make an 8 inch across dishcloth. You will need to know the following stitches: chain, slip stitch, double crochet, and triple crochet. There is a change of color of yarn at the end of the 4th round. This is a good way to practice changing colors of yarn.

Scallop: Double Crochet x2, Triple Crochet x 1, Double Crochet x2 all in the same stitch. You will skip a stitch before and after each scallop with a single crochet stitch in between the scallops. Sounds a bit confusing, but it will make more sense as you work through the pattern.

Always read the pattern through before starting and have all of your supplies on hand ready to go!

Supplies:

Cotton Yarn in #4 weight. 1 ball in gold. 1 ball in brown.

H hook (5.0mm)

Yarn Needle

Scissors

Stitch Markers

Abbreviations:

Ch Chain

Sl St Slip Stitch

DC Double Crochet

TC Triple Crochet

Pattern:

Starting with the brown yarn.

Chain 5. Slip stitch into first chain to make a circle.

Round 1. Ch 3. (Counts as first double crochet stitch and throughout the rest of the pattern.) Double crochet 11 more times into the circle. Slip Stitch into top third chain of first stitch (first chain 3). Gently pull tail of yarn to tighten the circle. Turn.

Round 2. Ch 3. Double crochet again in the same stitch. Double crochet x 2 in each stitch around. Sl St in top chain of the Ch 3. Turn. (24 stitches)

Round 3. Ch 3. Double Crochet again into same stitch. ” Double crochet x 1 in next stitch. Double crochet x 2 in next stitch.” Repeat ” ” to complete the round. Slip Stitch into top chain of the Ch 3. Turn. (36 stitches)

Round 4. Ch3. DC into the same stitch. “DC x 1 into the next two stitches. DC x 2 into the next stitch. ” Repeat ” ” to complete the round. (48 stitches) THIS IS WHERE YOU WILL BE ADDING THE YELLOW YARN! Use the yellow yarn to pull through for the Sl St into the top chain of the Ch 3. There should be a loop of yellow yarn now on your hook. Cut the brown yarn leaving a 4-5 inch tail to weave in. (48 stitches) Turn.

The gold yarn is pulled through the brown loops on the hook to complete the slip stitch ending the round.

Round 5. With the yellow yarn Ch 3. DC again into the same stitch. “DC x 1 into the next three stitches. DC x 2 into the next stitch.” Repeat ” ” to complete the round. Sl St into the top of the Ch 3. (60 stitches) Turn.

The piece has been turned and a Chain 3 has been crocheted counting as the first double crochet for the new round.

Round 6. Ch 3. DC again into the same stitch. ” DC x 1 into the next four stitches. DC x 2 into the next stitch.” Repeat ” ” to complete the round. Sl St into the top of the Ch 3. (72 stitches) Do Not Turn.

Round 7. Ch 4 (Counts as a Triple Crochet). DC x 2 again into the same stitch. This is the start of the first scallop which will be completed at the end of the round. Skip the next stitch. SC into the following stitch. Skip the next stitch. “In the following stitch crochet the 5 stitch scallop (See instructions above). Skip the next stitch. SC into the following stitch. Skip the next stitch.” Repeat ” ” to complete the round. After the last scallop, SC into the next stitch. DC x 2 into the first stitch to complete the first scallop. Sl St into the 4th chain of the first stitch. (19 Scallops) Finish off leaving a 4-5 inch tail. Weave in ends.

Skip the stitch that is immediately to the left of the scallop (almost under the scallop) and single crochet into the next stitch. The yarn needle shows where the single crochet is placed.

Machine wash and dry. Please allow the dishcloth to dry completely between uses.

To make a hot pad, crochet two rounds consisting of the first six rounds. Pin the two rounds together with stitch markers and crochet the edges together with the scallop edging.

100% cotton may fade and shrink a bit, but it is a safer choice when placing hot pans and casserole dishes on a hot pad to protect your countertop or table.

New Sunflower dish cloths ready for my kitchen!

If you have a question about this pattern, please contact me at sharonscraftcupboard@gmail.com.

All Rights Reserved. This tutorial pattern and the images are property of Sharon Andreani at Miss Sharon’s Craft Cupboard, LLC and is for personal use only. Sales of the finished product are permitted with credit given to Miss Sharon’s Craft Cupboard www.craftcupboard.org. No part of this document may be reproduced, altered, distributed or otherwise shared in any form, or by any other means, without express written consent from Sharon Andreani. 09/13/2023

Happy Fourth of July!

A last minute decision brought our oldest home to Ohio with her husband, Shane and 3 y.o. daughter, Evie for a short visit this long holiday weekend. They spent Saturday with Shane’s family and his Uncle’s family from out of state. Evie played with her cousins, ate watermelon, and watched fireworks that night. The next day, we had them and Leigh Ann and her husband, Zach at our house for a cook-out. We spent most of the afternoon and evening outside in the beautiful weather playing, talking, and riding the golf cart around the yard. We could hear “pops”and “bangs” late into the evening from the surrounding neighborhood.

We had surprised Evie earlier in the day with a red tricycle and a matching bike helmet when she arrived. Yes, there was a tumble and a few scrapes treated with sprays of Bactine. The helmet did its job, too, getting a few scrapes on its front edge while protecting her head when she fell off the trike going too fast.

Later, we had our typical hamburgers, hotdogs, with several homemade sides- cole slaw, baked beans, and potato salad. Leigh Ann brought made-from-scratch muffins and brownies. She is an excellent baker! I had gotten down from the cupboard our old melamine plates with the lighthouses. I’ve had this set of dishes for decades! You know, the ones offered for purchase as a promotional by grocery stores where different plates, bowls, trays, were featured each week to add to your set. We’ve used these plates for every summer holiday since the girls were little.

Allie brought her current crochet project with her plus several pieces she had made using a beautiful French wool yarn. I will block these pieces, take pictures, and post them in my Etsy shop to sell for her. Her crochet skills have taken off this past year and her ability to create and design exceeds her mother’s!

Aunt Leigh Ann brought paints and I supplied the paper plates, and plain paper. Sitting at the high-top table in the kitchen we showed Evie how to paint fireworks with a paper towel tube cut and splayed on one end. She had so much fun and it gave her mom and dad a short break.

Evie painting fireworks with GiGi and Aunt Leigh Ann.

Last evening our cousin Lori who is more like an Aunt to our girls and her grown daughter, Madi (who recently graduated with her BSN and passed the NCLEX for her RN this week) stopped by to say “hello” and play “grocery store” with Evie- and push her, laughing and squealing, on her toy train. Needless to say, Miss Evie crashed for the night!

Selfies with Madi from a visit a couple weeks ago.

This morning, bright and early, Evie was outside playing on the patio. Allie and I sat, sipping coffee and watching her play and chatter in her make- believe world. Then her chattering shifted and she talked about her family. She talked about playing with her cousins at her MiMi and PaPa’s house and about her Aunt Leigh Ann and Uncle Zach and Lori and Madi. She kept saying, “my family”. It warmed my heart that she was understanding at her young age that these people are her “family”. May she grow up with many fond memories of spending summer holidays with her family.

Evie asked me to draw her “outline” while she laid on the concrete. Then we filled in her chalk outline to match her dress.

Everyone has gone home and the house is quiet. The dishwasher hums in the background washing all those lighthouse plates used this weekend. Alan is doing a couple chores outside and I’m drinking more coffee and writing this post. This evening will be the fireworks at Silver Park and we will watch for the high ones over the tree tops.

Category: Family

Sunflower Dishcloth – A Free Crochet Pattern

Family and July 4th