“Entomology is the study of insects and their relationship to humans, the environment and other organisms.” (Washington State University)
Anyone that knows me knows that I have a difficult relationship with insects, particularly wasps due to my being highly allergic if stung. That being said I do have the utmost respect of insects particularly those that work hard for the benefit of the human race such as bees and silkworms and any that help to pollinate or protect plants that provide food to humans and animals by devouring other ‘bugs’ that can destroy said plants. As you can tell my knowledge is basic and I’m happy to stay that way.
So how come I have ended up crocheting entomological items? Gifts, that’s it straight and simple.
I can tell you no one was more surprised than me at the enjoyment and my prolificacy with which I crocheted bees and bee related items, there was some motivation behind this though and that was my bestie. She had a BIG birthday coming up and she has a passion for bees like no one else I know so I decided to shower her with all things bee, I hasten to add not all handmade by me and many not handmade at all!
As you can see from the following pictures I had some fun making what I hope are bees full of character and a tile that can be hung on the wall.
Last year I made a honeycomb wall hanging using aran cotton yarn, last weekend I made another using the same pattern but using Scheepjes Catona 4ply 100% mercerised cotton yarn, I just need to find a suitable stick or piece of dowling to complete the piece. I love that its small and delicate I think it would look great hanging in an orangery, conservatory or kitchen and it just goes to show that by using a different weight of yarn you can upsize or down size patterns to suit.
Whilst working on the bees I realised another very good friend also had a birthday coming up and she has a love of dragonflies, so that got me thinking and scouring the internet for a suitable pattern. Who knew there were so many different types of dragonfly and a UK society! I was delighted to discover a whole entomological collection by Cyndie Birdsong which included a dragonfly. As soon as I saw it I knew I had to give it a go – well I certainly enjoyed doing the mosaic crochet for this piece. I mounted it on black card and placed it in a shadow box, the same as the bee tile, and have gifted it to my friend who very kindly said she was delighted with it. Having now investigated dragonflies I have a greater respect for them. Did you know they are some of the first winged insects to have evolved about 300 million years ago? There are more than 5000 known species that all belong to the order Odonata, which means “toothed one” in Greek and refers to the fact that dragonfly have serrated teeth! There are many more facts I could share with you but then it’d be a blog about dragonflies and not crochet.
I have certainly enjoyed my foray into mosaic crochet and will definitely be doing more in the future, as I said I have discovered a whole entomological collection so I might find myself crocheting more bugs!
I also made a couple of flower key rings, one a sunflower the other a daisy it’s great when the same pattern can be used but just by using a different colour yarn you can create a different flower.
I thought that these and the bumble bee key ring might be good sellers at my first craft fair in October, any thoughts? I have to say with the beautiful weather we are currently experiencing I cannot bring myself to make Halloween and Christmas items for the craft fairs, so bunting it is or a mandala or both, maybe a flower garland… Oh dear, sometimes I can be so indecisive but there are so many lovely designs, patterns and ideas floating around I just can’t decide what to do first. So for now I’ll have a cup of tea, watch some tennis and ponder.
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Have a great week and continue to stay safe people.
Patterns:
TikTok Bee by Craftinghappiness
Bertie Bee Key ring by Helen Smith
Dragonfly by Cyndie Birdsong
Beehive Banner by Stephanie Lewis
Yarn:
Scheepjes Catona 100% Mercerised Cotton
James C Brett Flutterby Chunky
Cygnet Chenille Chunky
Box Shadow Frames from Hobbycraft
The Crocheted Yarn 
I would think that the keyrings would be a good idea for the fair. They look lovely and I presume are quick to make.
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