Birds of the Air- Lilies of the Field

Birds of the Air and Lilies of the Field are free crochet square patterns that can be used either as a 3 inch or 6 inch or combine the two to make a combination square of lilies and birds.  Also included is a devotional about how God cares for every need in our lives.

This pattern was tested and edited by three very special women, Bekah Doughty, Carmen Carpenter, and Kelly Youngblood :)  Many thanks for all that you do.

Bird Motif

Hook: H

Yarn: Caron Simply Soft , 3 colors: Color A, Color B, Color C.

Finished size: One motif=3”; with border = 6”; 4 motifs tog=6”

Abbreviations:

sl st=slip stitch

ch=chain

hdc=half double crochet

dc=double crochet

 tr=treble

beg=beginning

sp=space

sps=spaces

cl=cluster

Bird Motif: (Make one to sew to top of Base Square)

Rnd 1: With Color A, ch 4, sl st to 1^st ch to form ring, 8 sc in ring, join with sl st to 1^st sc. (8sc)

Rnd 2: Ch 1, sc in first st, 2 sc in next four sts, ch 4, sc in second ch from hook, sc in next ch, sc in next st on circle, (hdc, dc) in next st, (dc, 2 tr) in next st, (2 tr, hdc, dc) in next st. Fasten off. Sew to Base Square, and embroider wings, feet & eye.

Base Square for Bird Motif: (Make one & sew Bird Motif on top)

Row 1: With color B, ch 12, sc in 2^nd ch from hook & in each remaining ch. (11 sc)

Row 2: Ch 1, turn, sc in each sc across. (11 sc)

Row 3-11 or 12: Repeat Row 2 eight or nine times more until your square is 3 inch square. Do not fasten off– leave at this if making a 3 inch square or if making the combo square.

Loopy Ruffle Rnd (Bird) if continuing on to make border for 6 inch square: (necessary to continue to Border for 6”) Ch 3, turn square 90 degrees so you are working along the sides, sl st in next row on the side, (ch 3, sl st in next row) around, making sure you have only 8 loops/side(8=counting one side plus one corner loop; place a stitchmarker in the corner sps to aid in counting-you may have to sk a row/st on each side in order to only make 8 loops; see photo below), join with sl st in same st as beg ch-3. (32 ch-3 sps)

Pic with Loopy Ruffle Rnd-corners can be slightly off, Border will correct.

               

You may leave this as a 3” square or proceed to the Border instructions to continue making a 6” square.

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Lily Motif

Hook: H

Yarn: Caron Simply Soft , 3 colors: Color A, Color B, Color C.

Finished size: One motif=3”; with border = 6”; 4 motifs tog=6”

Abbreviations:

sl st=slip stitch

ch=chain

hdc=half double crochet

dc=double crochet

 tr=treble

beg=beginning

sp=space

sps=spaces

cl=cluster

Lily Motif: (use as a stand alone 3” square or use the border to make into a 6” square or combine with another lily and two birds for a combo square)

Rnd 1-With color A: In a magic loop  *ch 6,  sl st in 2^nd ch from hook, sc in next ch,  hdc in next ch, dc in next ch, tr in last ch,  sl st to beg ch,* Repeat from *to * 3 more times (4 petals of color A).  Fasten off color A. Do not pull loop tight yet.

 Round 2 – the strand in back of petal between hdc and dc

Rnd 2- With color B: turn over the petal, and spread the petal until you see a strand of yarn that runs between the hdc and the dc of the petal, *sl st into this strand in the back of the petal (so you can’t see from front), ch 3, sl st into the magic loop between the petal you are working on and the next one, ch 3,* Repeat from * to * in all 4 petals, sl st to beginning sl st. (8 ch-3 sps) Pull magic loop tight.

Rnd 3- Ch 1, sl st into ch-3 sp, ch 3 (counts as beg dc), 2 dc in same sp, *3 dc in next ch-3 sp, (ch 3, 3 dc) in next ch-3 sp,* Repeat from * to * three times,  3 dc in next ch-3 sp, ch 3, sl st to top of beg ch-3.  (24 dc, 4 ch-3 sps)

If leaving as either a 3 inch square, or making a combo square- Rnd 4- Ch 1, *sc in next 6 sts, (2 sc, sc inserting your hook from front to back under the top loop of the petal that is closest to that corner, 2 sc) in corner ch-3 sp.  This will tack the petals down.* Repeat 3 more times and sl st to beg sc. Now either leave this as a 3 inch square or whipstitch it to 3 others to make a combo square J

If continuing on to Border directions- Rnd 4-*(Ch 3, sl st in next st) Repeat until corner ch-3 sp, ch 3, insert hook through top of petal from Rnd 1 (there is a loop from where you turned) and also insert hook into corner space, sl st, ch 3, insert hook back into same tip of petal and into the corner sp, sl st (there will be 2 sl sts in each corner),* repeat from * to * 3 more times, ending with ch 3, sl st to beg sl st. (5 ch-3 sps/side plus 3 ch-3 sps/corner-32 ch-3 sps) Fasten off color B.

A close up of the corner during Round 4

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© Copyright June 2012 by Cynthia Boylan, all rights reserved. This pattern, in whole or part, may not be reproduced – mechanically, electronically, or by any other means, including photocopying -- without the written permission of Cynthia Boylan. Projects made from this pattern may be gifted, swapped or sold. If you use this pattern to sell items on the internet, please credit Cynthia Boylan as the designer.

Border: (by Carmen Carpenter): additional instructions to turn either 3” square (bird or lily) into a 6” square).

Hook: H

Yarn: Caron Simply Soft in 3 colors

Abbreviations:

sl st=slip stitch

ch=chain

hdc=half double crochet

dc=double crochet

 tr=treble (or trc=treble crochet)

beg=beginning

sp=space

sps=spaces

cl=cluster

Begin with 3” square (bird or lily) that has 32 ch-3 sps around it.

Rnd 1: Attach color C (or your choice of color) with sl st in any corner ch-3 sp,

Step 1: insert hook into same ch-3 sp, skip next ch-3 sp by pulling it slightly forward, and insert hook from back to front in next ch-3 sp,

Step 2:  Yo & pull through both sps,

Step3: Yo & pull through 2 loops (you have now single crocheted 2 loops tog with a bump in between created by skipping the middle ch-sp), ch 3 (easy to overlook this ch 3, make sure you do it!),

Step 4: *(insert hook into same ch-3 sp left of the bump (sharing sp with your 1^st sc), skip next ch-3 sp, and insert hook from back to front in next ch-3 sp, yo & pull through both sps, yo & pull through 2 loops (you have now single crocheted 2 loops tog (sc2loopstog) with a bump in between created by skipping the middle ch-sp), ch 3,*

Repeat from * to * around, until last 2 loops, (sc2loopstog) in the same manner as before using the same sp as your beg st, (ch 1, hdc) in beg sc2loopstog to form last ch-3 sp. (4 ch-3 sps/side = 16 ch-3 sps, 4 bumps/side = 16 bumps)

  Front & back at end of Rnd 2

Special Stiches used in Rnd 2:

Beg cl: ch 2, (yo, pull up a loop, yo & pull through 2 loops) twice, yo & pull through all 3 loops on hook.

Cluster (cl)- *yo, insert hook in next st, yo, pull up a loop, yo, pull though two loops, repeat from * twice, yo, and pull through all 4 loops on hook. (Condensed-you are making a 3-dc cluster-leave the last two loops of each dc on the hook & pull through all 4 loops-no locking chain is needed.)

Rnd 2: Ch 1, sl st into ch-sp, (beg cl, ch 2, dc) in same ch-3 sp, *cl in next sp, (dc, ch 2, cl, ch 2, dc) in next sp, cl in next sp,** corner as (dc, ch2, cl, ch 2, tr, ch 2, cl, ch 2, dc) in corner ch-2 sp,* Repeat from * to * 3 more times ending at ** on final rep, (dc, ch 2, cl, ch 2, tr, ch 2) in same sp as beg, sl st to top of beg cl. Finish off color C (or color A). (5 cl/side=20 cl, 4 tr, 4 dc/side=16 dc, 6 ch-2 sps/side=24 ch-2 sps)

Rnd 3: With color B attach with sc in any corner tr, *2 sc in next ch-2  sp, sk cl, sc in next ch-2 sp, sc in next 3 sts, sc in next ch-2 sp, sc in cluster, sc in next ch-2 sp, sc in next 3 sts, sc in next sp, sk cl, 2 sc in next sp,** 3 sc in corner tr,* Repeat from * to * 3 more times ending at ** on final rep, 2 sc in same st as beg sc, sl st to beg sc. Fasten off Color B. (18 sc/side including one corner=72 sc)

Rnd 4: With Color A, (sc in each st, with 3 sc in each corner) around. (80 sc) Fasten off, weave in ends.

© Copyright June 2012 by Carmen Carpenter, all rights reserved. This pattern, in whole or part, may not be reproduced – mechanically, electronically, or by any other means, including photocopying -- without the written permission of Carmen Carpenter. Projects made from this pattern may be gifted, swapped or sold. If you use this pattern to sell items on the internet, please credit Carmen Carpenter as the designer.

Worry L

Matthew 6:25-34 Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.  Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not much more valuable than they?  Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes?  See how the lilies of the field grow.  They do not labor or spin.  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  So do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?”  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Worry- it does us in, it affects our health- physically, mentally, and spiritually.  There is hardly a day that goes by where we don’t worry.  We worry that our kids aren’t getting enough nutrients in their meals, whether we have said the right thing, about a loved one’s illness, about the grey hair that is starting to spread on our heads, whether we are still attractive, how we are going to pay that bill, what we are going to wear for Easter, and the list gets longer and longer.  I used to worry if I didn’t have things to worry about.  Most of my worrying was about whether people liked me or not.  I am a people pleaser who is in recoveryJ.

 I used to worry myself sick- where I couldn’t sleep at night, could either hardly eat or couldn’t stop eating (neither is good!), and in turn would be cross with all of my loved ones around me.  I also liked to worry about bills. I used to also avoid praying, going to church, or reading the Bible- as I worried that the devil would come against our family in retaliation.  I since have recovered from all of that worry by keeping in the Word, keeping active in church with other Christians to lift me up when I fall- to encourage me when I am down, and I keep an open line of prayer with the Lord, but most of all trusting that the Lord always has my best interests in mind. 

When I first started recovering from my anxious thoughts that had turned destructive- I used what is called the distraction method, and would sing praise songs.  Usually, your mind can’t sing and worry at the same time.  I would sing during the day, and if I was awakened in the night (I would sing in my head in the night).  I did this constantly for weeks, and then my worrying tapered off until now it is very rare that I need the distraction method.  “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

How easy it is to worry when it is something unknown or something that we don’t have any control over- but “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” Matthew 6:27.   We don’t see the whole picture as the Lord does, we only see but a glimpse of His plan if any.  Have faith in Him, that He has control over you and your life.  “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” Romans 8:18 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose" Romans 8:28  

We are to “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” Matthew 6:33- Dig into the Word and see what the Lord has to say about whatever situation you are in, let Him convince you that He is in control of the situation.

 “The Lord reigns, He is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed in majesty and is armed with strength.  The world is firmly established long ago; You are from all eternity.” Psalm 93:1-2

“My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him.  He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken.” Psalm 62:2

 “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My load is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (NASB)

“As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him; for He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust.” Psalm 103:13-14

My carefree daughter, Raechel in the field behind our house. She is not a worrier like her mother J



Here is the link for the pdf from Ravelry :)