Picot Love

I have a confession.  I don't really like the picot crochet stitch.  I know, it's a pretty common one in edgings and what not, but I don't really like it.  I think it's because I don't really like slip stitches.  But all that has changed.  One pattern, that's all it took - well, two really, but they are related.  Such an easy, quick little pattern.  But so satisfying, and it's all about the picot.  Such perfectly pointy little picots.  My whole world is changed.  Ok, maybe that is just slightly exaggerating.  Maybe.  I suppose you want to see?

See?  Such pretty little flowers and leaves, so nice and pointy and perfect.  The pattern for both the leaves and the flowers is from Alice over at Crochet with Raymond, and I cannot thank her enough for them.  Really, I have had a project that I have been working on for over a year and which I was feeling quite anxious over.  It was promised to a friend, you see, and I wanted it to really be something special, especially since it was taking so long.  But I just had no inspiration.  I made several false starts, but nothing was right.  As soon as I saw Alice's little leaves, though, I fell in love.  And then the next day she posted the flowers, and that was all I needed.  Everything else just fell into place from there.

I have to say, sewing all the ends in on these tiny little thread flowers took some time.  But it was worth it, they are all just gorgeous, don't you think so?  I can't share the final project yet - it's done, HOORAY, but it just wouldn't be fair to go posting it all over before my friend gets to see it herself, you know?  But I thought I would share the little flowers at least.  I did enjoy hooking them, I got quite a little rhythm going.  half double, double, half treble, PICOT! half treble, double, half double, slip.  Over and over in my head all around the flowers.

Oh, if you look closely, you may notice that the two different colors of leaves are slightly different.  The dark green ones are following the pattern exactly.  On the light green ones, I changed it just slightly to make the stitches on the second side mirror the stitches on the first side.  It just makes the second side a tiny bit rounder.  I really like it both ways.