Ask any knitter or crocheter where they learned their skills, and the vast majority will tell you from their mother or grandmother.
I remember when I first moved to Colorado, my mother flew out to visit me for a week. I was living in a studio apartment with nothing but a couch in my living room and not much to entertain us. My mom taught me how to crochet a granny square that week. (That’s all the entertainment we needed!) I really took to it, and before long I was crocheting granny blankets for everyone I knew.
My grandmother was also an avid and prolific knitter. I think she knit a sweater for every one of her grand kids. My brother got a sweater with a really cool dinosaur on it, and I got a Southwest-inspired one that I still have today. In most of my memories of her, she is knitting. Grandma even took her projects with her on all of the long, cross-country trips that she and Grandpa loved to take. I feel like she and I have so much in common. I am very thankful that I inherited her love of fiber arts as well as her abundant yarn stash.
In celebration of my mom and grandmother and all that they taught me, this Mother’s Day I thought I’d crochet a brooch out of vintage mohair yarn that once belonged to Grandma.
In keeping with the vintage motif, I designed a brooch that’s reminiscent of the filigree knot jewelry that was popular in the 1950s and 60s. I guess there is a chance that this mohair could be from that time period too!
Mother’s Day is just around the bend, but you still have time to make something for your mom. Maybe a brooch in her favorite color would do nicely. And don’t forget to thank your mom for everything she’s taught you, especially if one of those things was knitting or crochet.
Crochet Mohair Brooch
Materials
Small amount of fingering weight mohair yarn in light aqua (ArtYarns Silk Mohair in Aqua, 60% mohair, 40% silk, 0.88 oz [25 g] / 312 yds [285 m])
Small amount of fingering weight yarn in white (Bernat Baby in White, 90% acrylic, 10% nylon, 1.75 oz [50 g] / 191 yds [175 m])
C-2 (2.75 mm) crochet hook
Yarn needle
1” bar pin
Sewing needle and thread
Beads (optional)
Instructions
Wrap aqua yarn around index finger 10 times to form a ring. Insert crochet hook, yo, and pull through all the loops. Slst to secure.
Rnd 1: 24 sc into center of the ring. It’s easier if you sc a few before taking the ring off your finger.
Join with slst to 1st sc.
Rnd 2: (Ch 8, sk 3, sc) 5 times. Ch 8, sk 3, join with slst to 1st sc.
Rnd 3: Sc 11 in ea ch-8 sp. BO
Rnd 4: Hold the brooch with RS facing. Ensuring that your yarn is in front of the brooch, attach white yarn in any center sc of the 3 skipped in Rnd 2.
* Ch 12. Hold the next aqua loop forward. Working behind the loop, sc in the next center st by inserting your crochet hook from front to back.
Ch 12. Hold the next aqua loop backward. Working in front of the loop this time, sc in the next center st.
Rep from * to the end. BO. Weave in ends.
Sew on beads if desired.
Position the bar pin at the top of the center ring created in Rnd 1. Make sure that you can’t see it from the front. Sew bar pin on.
May 1, 2014 at 5:15 am
Oh that is such a touching post. I love the broach and the pattern too. 🙂
May 1, 2014 at 3:50 pm
Thank you, Sharon. You’re so sweet. 🙂
May 1, 2014 at 7:17 am
Wow, that’s really pretty! My mom taught me how to crochet chains when I was little but I wasn’t ready to learn until I was in my 20s and there she was to help me out. What a perfect gift 🙂
May 1, 2014 at 3:49 pm
Thank you so much! I had the same experience with crochet! I learned knitting as a kid but Mom had to come out and teach me crochet in person. Now that I have experience trying to teach people to crochet over the Internet, I really appreciate all the hands on teaching my mother gave me. Moms are the best!
May 1, 2014 at 7:58 am
lovely tutorial.. will try it out.. 😀 thank you so much for taking time to write this out. 😀
May 1, 2014 at 3:47 pm
You are very welcome! I’m so glad you like it. If you make a brooch, will you send me a photo? I’m working on a feature to say thanks to everyone who’s tried out my patterns. 🙂
May 1, 2014 at 10:35 am
Very nice Mother’s Day thought, brought a tear to my eye. Aunt Linda
May 1, 2014 at 3:46 pm
Thank you, Aunt Linda. I’m really glad you enjoyed it. That means so much to me. She was a truly remarkable lady.
May 1, 2014 at 12:02 pm
This is a lovely pattern! I’m saving it for future stash-busting . . . ~ Linne
May 1, 2014 at 3:44 pm
Awesome! When you bust out your stash and make a brooch, will you take a picture for me? I can add it to a feature I’m working on for those who’ve used my patterns. 🙂
May 1, 2014 at 1:03 pm
Beautiful post Jennifer, and I like your mohair brooch so much. Thank you so much for sharing the pattern with us. Might make one this weekend. Uf, wish I have same color you used 😀
May 1, 2014 at 3:42 pm
It’s a very unique color for sure. I tried to find a similar mohair in stock so crocheters could make one just like it if they want, but I had trouble finding the right shade. We’ll call it “1950s aqua.” 🙂
May 2, 2014 at 8:16 am
Great share! Thanks so much. I recently rescued some vintage mohair from a non-yarny person, (it was headed for the trash ~ barbaric I tell ya!) and had no clue what to do with it. Your brooch is perfect 🙂 Happy Mother’s Day!
May 2, 2014 at 9:32 am
That’s a great story! I’m so glad you were able to rescue it! Score! And thank you so much for letting me know you like the brooch. I just finished off the ball and ended up with 10 mohair brooches to give to the women in my family next weekend. I think they will make nice remembrances of Grandma. I really hope they like them too!
May 2, 2014 at 4:45 pm
That’s what I call a tutorial – and a beautiful broach! Thanks!
May 5, 2014 at 7:56 am
You’re welcome, Violet. I’m really glad that you enjoyed it!
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