Irish Crochet Shamrock Free Pattern

This would be useful as an applique, a decorative accent added to other projects. It could also be made into a pin or magnet.

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Pattern Directions -
Abbreviations:
ch = chain
dc = double crochet
ea = each
sc = single crochet
sl st = slip stitch
sp = space
st = stitch
sts = stitches
tr = treble crochet

How To Slip Stitch (sl st) = Insert hook in stitch, wrap thread or yarn over hook, pull thread or yarn through the stitch and through the loop on the hook, at the same time. A slip stitch does not add any height and is used to join a chain or stitch to another place in the crochet piece.

Materials: Use thread size of your choice or yarn weight of your choice. Some of the most commonly used sizes are:
Size 10 cotton thread with a size 8 steel hook
Sport weight yarn with a size F hook
Worsted weight yarn with a size G hook

Examples of Finished Sizes - I made samples with the following materials; finished sizes shown below (measured with stem curled slightly to one side, as in photo above):
Size 10 thread with a size 8 steel hook = about 1 1/2" tall x 1 5/8" wide.
Worsted weight yarn with a size G hook = about 4" tall x 4 1/4" wide.

Shamrock Starting Chain: Chain 18, sl st in the 10th ch, to form a circle with part of the chain.
First Leaf: work (3 sc, 3 dc, 6 tr, 3 dc, 3 sc) all in the ch-10 circle just made (first shamrock leaf formed).
Second Leaf: Ch 10, sl st in the 10th ch of the beginning shamrock chain (this is the same spot as the base of first leaf made), for next leaf: work (3 sc, 3 dc, 6 tr, 3 dc, 3 sc) all in the ch-10 circle just made.
Third Leaf: Ch 10, sl st in the 10th ch of the beginning shamrock chain (same spot as base of last leaf made), work (3 sc, 3 dc, 6 tr, 3 dc, 3 sc) all in the ch-10 circle just made. Sl st in base of leaf. Do not end off - continue with stem.
Stem: To form shamrock stem: sc in ea of remaining 8 chains of the beginning ch-18.
To finish: End off. Weave in ends.

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Based on an antique pattern from the year 1917 (the original pattern instructions are now old enough to be in the public domain). Originally published in the book Lady Duff-Gordon Book of Irish and Cluny Crochet, Book No. 18, published in the year 1917 by the Richardson Silk Co. Pattern instructions reworked, rewritten by and copyright 2003 by Sandi Marshall, licensed to About.com, Inc. Free for your own personal use only. Do not redistribute my rewritten pattern instructions. If others would like to have the pattern, please give them the URL of this page, so that they may come here for themselves. Thank you. Copyright Myths Explained, U.S. Government Copyright Office - http://www.loc.gov/copyright

URL of this page is http://crochet.about.com/library/blshamrock.htm

Just FYI - Per copyright laws, a person can't legally claim any copyright of their own for rewriting instructions to another designer's pattern that is currently under copyright protection, since variations of that copyrighted pattern are also protected for the copyright holder. You can read for yourself how copyright law protects variations of a copyrighted work, at the U.S. Government Copyright Office web site - http://www.loc.gov/copyright.
If a pattern (copyright before the year 1923) has fallen into the public domain, then new copyright can be applied to variations of (also called derivitive works of) that public domain pattern.

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