A Maiden's Glory
updated 5/9/06

The Fair Maid, who the first of May
Goes to the fields at break of day,
And washes in the dew from the hawthorn Tree,
Will ever after Handsome be

-Anonymous/Traditional

by Erssie Major

Difficulty

Loose Woman
Click here for definitions of difficulty levels.

Finished Measurements

Headdress: To fit Women's small (21") using 100 chains Other sizes can be obtained by adding or subtracting number of chains to go around the head in multiples of 5. This sounds complicated but it isn't. Just make a chain long enough to go around your head ending with a number of chains divisible by five.

Choker: One size fits all as it has tassel ties to adjust to size of neck.

Download

Erssie's Notes on Making Leaves (pdf format)

Materials

• 2.5mm crochet hook, 3mm crochet hook
• 1 50g ball of Rowan Cotton Glace shade 814 Shoot (Lighter Green)
• 1 50g ball of Rowan Cotton Glace shade 812 Ivy (Darker Green)
• 1 50g ball of Rowan Cotton Glace shade 725 Ecru (Off White)

A big thank you to Rowan who supplied the yarn.

There is plenty of yarn to make Headdress and Choker with yarn leftover to save in your stash.

Gauge

Not important with flowers and leaves, just make sure that when you make a long foundation chain for the head circlet and that it fits around the recipient's head.

The choker has adjustable ties so gauge is no quite so important here either.

Abbreviations

Ch chain
Ss slip stitch
Dc double crochet English (same as sc single crochet US)
Tr treble crochet English (same as double crochet US)
Dtr double treble English (same as treble crochet US)
Ttr triple treble English (same as double treble US)
3trtog 3 treble together by making half of first treble (US double), leave a loop on hook, make half of each next treble (US double) leaving loops on hook, you should now have your first loop from previous stitch plus 3 other loops from unfinished trebles (US doubles) (4 in total), yarn over hook and pull through all 4 loops

Directions - Headress

Large Leaf:

Make 10 in Shoot and 10 in Ivy.

Using a 2.5mm hook, ch 21, ss in 2nd chain from hook then ss in next 14 ch (15ss in total)

Turn and then ss to other side of stem and in the very top loop of your ss stitches continue as follows:

1dc into each of next 2ss
1tr into each of next 2ss
1dtr into each of next 2ss
ttr into each of next 2ss
1dtr into each of next 2ss
1tr into each of next 2ss
1dc into each of next 2ss
ss to end chain, 3ch and ss to same end chain again.

Now, continue down the other side of leaf but this time in the nearest bottom loop which should leave a nice stem of chains raised along the centre of the leaf.

1dc into each of next 2ss
1tr into each of next 2ss
1dtr into each of next 2ss
1ttr into each of next 2ss
1dtr into each of next 2ss
1tr into each of next 2ss
1dc into each of next 2ss
ss into each of remaining chains along stem of leaf and fasten off at the end.

Small Leaf:

Make 10 in Shoot and 10 in Ivy.

Using a 2.5mm hook Ch 15, ss in 2nd chain from hook then ss in next 10 ch (11ss in total)
Turn and then ss to other side of stem and in the very top loop of your ss stitches continue as follow
1dc into each of next 2ss
1tr into each of next 2ss
1dtr into each of next 2ss
1tr into each of next 2ss
1dc into each of next 2ss
ss to end chain ch1 and ss to same end chain again.

Now, continue down the other side of leaf but this time in the nearest bottom loop which should leave a nice stem of chains raised along the centre of the leaf.

1dc into each of next 2ss
1tr into each of next 2ss
1dtr into each of next 2ss
1tr into each of next 2ss
1dc into each of next 2ss

ss into each of remaining chains along stem of leaf and fasten off at the end

Mayflowers:

Make 15 in Ecru.

Using a 2.5mm hook ch 6 loosely and ss into first ch to make a ring
Working into the ring:
Make first petal, *ch3, 3trtog, ch3 ss to ring
Make 4 more petals (5 in total) rpt from * 4 times more

Head Circlet:

Using 3mm hook make 100 ch (or multiples of 5 to fit round your head), check to see if chains will fit around your head fairly loosely.

Carefully (without twisting chains) join to first ch with ss.

*Then ss into 5 chains, make 5 more chains to one side of main circlet.
Ss back to main circlet along 5 new chains
Then ss into 5 chains on main circlet
ss to other side of circlet and make 5 new chains the other side of the circlet.
Ss back to main circlet along 5 new chains

Rpt from * until all of the circlet has been reinforced with ss crochet with short stems alternating along its length

Making up and Finishing:

Weave in all ends except for one long strand at the end of the leaves' stems or at the back of the mayflowers. Using the one long strand of yarn left and a darning needle sew the leaves and flowers to the main circlet arranging it artistically. Wear with choker (below) *sky-clad on Beltane Eve and dance in the moonlight under the protection of a Hawthorn Tree, "And ever after handsome be".

Alternatively, make flowers and leaves to adorn other projects or just as a corsage on a brooch pin.

Directions - Choker

Choker:

Using a 2.5mm hook and colour Shoot, ch 60 fasten off leaving a long tail (about 10"). Taking a new strand of Shoot, and leaving a long tail off the first stitch of Shoot from the ball, make 1 dc into each chain then fasten off leaving a long tail as before. Repeat this for 2 more rows using Ivy and another 1 row using Shoot.

Finishing:

Knot the long strands at each end about 1" from the choker and trim the ends so that they are even (about 10" each end). Make one mayflower from instructions for Headdress and sew to the centre of the choker. Tie the choker around the neck and repeat from * above.

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