Love-in-a-mist

This time I was looking for a late spring/ early summer blossom. What I found is this one: 'Love-in-a-Mist', in germany it's called 'Jungfer im Grünen', means 'Virgin in the green'.

I don't know much about this flower, have to take more care next summer if I see it in the gardens nearby. So I can't show you a picture, that's a pity! My dear Ravelry friend Lettice says she knows it from her childhood, describes it as a bit old fashioned nowadays. We have to make it fashion again, it's worth! Let's start.

Size: 12“ by using aran weight yarn.

Skill level: intermediate

Material:

• yarn of your choice (aran weight for 12“)

• 5 mm hook

• scissors

• yarn needle

Abbreviations (in alphabetic order):

• ch – chain

• dc – double crochet

• dc2tog – double crochet 2 together

• FO – fasten off

• fpdc – front post double crochet

• fpsc – front post single crochet

• hdc – half double crochet

• hdcV – half double crochet V-stitch (see below)

• puff – puff stitch (see below)

• rd - round

• sc – single crochet

• scV – single crochet V-stitch (see below)

• slst – slip stitch

• sk – skip

• st – stitch

• tr – treble crochet

• trV – treble V-stitch (see below)

• V – V-stitch (see below)

Special stitches:

4- dc- cluster: 4 dc, worked together into one st/ ch- space

picot: ch 3, slst to all upper loops of the stitch below

puff: *Yarn over, Insert hook in given stitch/space, yarn over, pull up a long loop through that stitch/space (3 loops on hook)* . Repeat from *-* two more times. You should have 7 loops on the hook (same height for all loops). Yarn over and pull through all 7 loops on your hook, ch1 to close the puff stitch.

Spike dc: worked like a normal dc, but set stitch into indicated place below and pull to the normal height of the round just worked.

V: (dc, ch 1, dc) into one st

hdcV: (hdc, ch 1, hdc) into one st

scV: (sc, ch 1, sc) into one st

trV: (tr, ch 1, tr) into one st

Note: the first stitch of a round is a standing stitch, unless otherwise stated. If you don't feel comfortable with standing stitches, you can slst and work ch- stitches instead of the first st (ch 1 for sc, ch 2 for hdc, ch 3 for dc, ch 4 for tr). A standing puff (rd 2) and dc4tog (rd 6) cannot be replaced, work instead ch- 2 and the special st afterwards (the ch- st does not count in the pattern then).

Colourways:

Round	Boho Colourway	Lavendula Colourway
1	Rose wood	Dark grey
2	Rose wood	Dark grey
3	Camel	Light grey
4	Sky blue	Lavender
5	Light blue	Purple
6	Royal blue	Red purple
7	Camel	Mint green
8	Rose wood	Dark grey
9	Camel	Mint green
10	Royal blue	Dark grey
11	White	Rose wood
12	Light blue	Purple
13	White	Lavender
14	Camel	Light grey
15	White	Purple
16	Light blue	Rose wood
17	Royal blue	Dark grey
18	Sky blue	Light grey
19	White	Red purple

Pattern:

1. Note: if you normally start with a magic ring, do not so here. You will need a small space in the middle for the next rounds!

   ch 4, close to circle with slst. 5 sc into that circle. Slst to first sc. Do not FO (5 sc)

2. Note: After this round, your work will cup a little bit. Do not worry, it will flatten out!

   ch 1 (does not count as st), (puff into sc, ch 1) x5. Slst to first puff. FO (5 puff, 5 ch- 1)

3. Start in any ch- space: (sc, spike dc into centre circle [over the sc already there, around the chain], picot, sc [into same ch- space as first sc], fpsc around puff) x5. Slst to first sc, FO. (5 fpsc, 10 sc, 5 spike dc, 5 picot)

4. Work only in fpsc and spikes of the dc, sk all other st. Start in any fpsc: ([slst, ch 3, 4- dc- cluster, picot, ch 3, slst] all in fpsc, ch 2, slst around spike of the dc [on the back side], ch 2) x5. Slst to beginning (into the fpsc), FO. (10 ch- 2, 10 ch- 3, 5 4- dc- cluster, 5 picot, 15 slst)

5. Note: For the correct placement of the slst look at the detail picture (extra thanks to Lettice for it!)

   
   
   

   Work only in ch- 2, sk all other st. Start in ch- 2 before a petal: (slst around this and the next ch- 2 [the next ch-. 2 is after the petal, the slst itself is sitting just behind the petal as you work the slst into both ch- spaces], slst to ch-2 [after the petal], ch 3, dc4tog [ two legs in this ch- 2, two legs in the next ch- 2], picot, ch 3, slst to same ch- 2 [before the petal]) x5. FO. (15 slst, 10 ch- 3, 5 dc4tog, 5 picot)

6. Note: work more petals around the second slst of the 3-slst- group (just behind a rd 4 petal, there is a small gap). All other stitches are skipped.

   Start around any second slst: (slst, ch 3, dc4tog, picot, ch 3, slst, ch 2 [behind rd 5 petal]) x5. Slst to first slst, FO. (10 slst, 5 dc4tog, 10 ch- 3, 5 ch- 2, 5 picot)

7. Start in any round 6 pic. Work only in rd 6, rd 5 and rd 3 pic. Sk all other st: (sc in rd 6 pic, ch 1, tr in rd 3 picot, ch 3, sc in rd 5 pic, ch 3, tr in same rd 3 picot as before, ch 1) x5. Slst to first sc, FO (10 tr, 10 ch- 1, 10 ch- 3, 10 sc)

8. Start in any sc made into a rd 5 pic: (sc, 4 sc into ch- 3, sk tr, sc into ch- 1, sc into sc, sc into ch- 1, sk tr, 4 sc into ch- 3) x5. Slst to first sc, FO. (60 sc)

9. Note: the central flower motif is ready now. For an even more misty effect you can work this optional round. If you don't want to, just go on with round 10. You can also skip this round until the end and decide afterwards if you want to work it. You could also try to use thinner yarn for this round. It's definetely a 'playing- around'- round.

    You could also try a long chain that you pull through the picots of the last loose petals. Then you can open and close that petals with a bow. Perhaps also hiding a little love in the blossom, a heart, a second flower, some money if you give as a present, a nice note… Whatever you do...Work only in rd 3 and rd 4 picot.

   Start in a rd 3 pic (between the st already there): (slst to rd 3 picot, ch 2, slst to rd 4 picot, ch 2) x5. Slst to first slst, FO. (10 ch – 2, 10 slst).

10. Start in a sc above a rd 5 picot: (V, sk 2) all around. Slst to first V, FO (20 V)

11. Note: this is the squaring round. Mark your 4 corners with a stitch marker. Therefore place a double- layer petal on the top.  When the double layer petal is at the top, the first V is directly above the double petal. Count on from there. Put first stitch marker in the gap between the second and third V counted from there. Place further stitch markers in the gaps after every 5 Vs .

    Start at V before your first stitch marker: (V into V, trV into marked corner, V into V, hdcV into next V, scV into next V, hdc V into next V) x4. Slst to first V, FO. (per Side: 2 V, 2 hdcV, 1 scV; plus 1trV for the corner)

12. Start in corner ch- space: ([2 sc, ch 1, 2 sc] into corner, [sc between next two V, 2 sc into ch- space of next V] x5, sc between next two V) x4. Slst to first sc, FO. (20 sc per side)

13. Start in corner ch- space: ([slst, ch 3, dc2tog, picot, ch 3, slst] into corner, [ch 1, sk 1, st, sc into next st, ch 1, {slst, ch 3, dc2tog, picot, ch 3, slst} into rd 11 space between two V {over the sc already there}] x6, ch 1, sk 1 st, sc, ch 1) x4. Slst to first slst, FO. (per side: 6 petals, 7 sc, 14 ch- 1 plus 1 petal for corner)

14. Start in any corner - picot: ([sc, ch 2, sc] into pic, sc around ch 3 [of the petal], [trV into sc, sc into pic] x6, trV into sc, sc around ch 3) x4. Slst to first sc, FO. (per side: 10 sc, 7 trV)

15. Start in any corner ch- space: ([hdc, ch 2, hdc] into corner, hdc in next 2 st, [2 hdc into ch- space of the V, fpdc around sc] x6, 2 hdc into V, hdc in next two st) x4. Slst to first hdc, FO. (per side: 20 hdc, 6 fpdc)

16. Start in corner ch- space: ([2 dc, ch 1, 2 dc] into corner, sk 1 st, 25 dc into third loop) x4. Slst to first dc, FO. (29 dc per side)

17. Start in corner ch- space: ([V, ch 2, V] into corner, [sk 2 st, V] x9, sk 2 st) x4. Slst to first dc, FO (11 V per side)

17. Note: if your square is already at about 11,5“ at this point, you can work the V- stitches with hdc instead of dc. That avoids to get a slightly oversized square.

    Start in corner ch- space: ([V, ch 2, V] into corner, [V between next two V] x10 ) x4. Slst to first dc, FO. (12 V per side)

18. Start in corner ch- space: ([2 sc, ch 2, 2 sc] into corner, sk 1 st, sc in each st and ch- space) x4. Slst to first sc, FO. Weave in all ends. (39 sc per side)

Yeah! You got it! Block if necessary and have fun with it.

Round by round pictures:

Thanks to my testers Lynne, Lettice and Katrina for your help!

Copyright Feb- Mar 2023 by Loewenzahm