Crochet Your Own Terrarium (Including 7 Different Succulents)

You may not have a green thumb, but you do have some mighty handwork skills. There's no reason you can't do your own "gardening" this season. With a little help from Commonthread by DMC, along with your crafty talents, you can create a verdant homage to nature that never wilts. This nature-inspired design includes seven different patterns of gorgeous succulent plants, so you can mix and match them as you like.

Use the following patterns to make:

1. Cactus Flower
2. Burro's Tail
3. Ghost Plant
4. String of Pearls
5. Hyperbolic Cactus
6. Spoon Jade
7. Turkish Rosularia

A pattern for creating the "soil" base is included for an added dose of realism. Each plant is crocheted using DMC's Natura Just Cotton thread, which is 100% combed cotton, giving even the cactus plants a soft touch. Designed for crocheters at a medium or advanced level, each individual plant will take approximately two and a half hours to complete. The final assembly will also take about two hours. (But the sense of pride you'll feel once you're done? That will happen immediately.)

MATERIALS

• 2.5 mm Crochet hook (use a smaller hook if you see gaps in your stitches)
• Scissors
• Tapestry needle
• Polyester fiberfill stuffing
• Natura Just Cotton N48 (Chartreuse) 1 ball
• Natura Just Cotton N08 (Eucaliptus) 1 ball
• Natura Just Cotton N21 (Gauguin) 1 ball
• Natura Just Cotton N13 (Pistache) 1 ball
• Natura Just Cotton N61 (Crimson) 1 ball
• Natura Just Cotton N76 (Bamboo) 1 ball
• Natura Just Cotton N85 (Giroflée) 1 ball
• Natura Just Cotton N46 (Forêt) 1 ball
• Natura Just Cotton N14 (Green Valley) 1 ball
• Natura Just Cotton N23 (Passion) 1 ball
• Natura Just Cotton N02 (Tropic Brown) 1 ball

ABBREVIATIONS

rnd = round

ch = chain

sl st = slip stitch

st = stitch

sc = single crochet

hdc = half double crochet

dc = double crochet

trc = triple crochet

BLO = work through back loops only

sc2tog = single crochet two stitches together

Note: Ch 3 at the start of a round counts as a dc.

CACTUS PATTERN

To make the cactus plant, use Natura Just Cotton N76 (Bamboo).

Ch 35.

Row 1. Ch 1, BLO sc in each st across to end (35 st). Turn. Repeat row 1 for 34 more rows (35 rows in total). Fold piece in half, lengthwise, and sc through boths layers (35 st). Using a tapestry needle, thread the yarn around the stitches (kind of like a drawstring purse) and pull to gather opening closed. Make a couple of stitches to secure and fasten off. Fill the piece with the polyester fiberfill stuffing.

To make the cactus flower, use Natura Just Cotton N61 (Crimson).

Ch 10.

Row 1. Ch 3 (counts as 1 dc), inserting the hook into 4th chain from hook, make 2 dc into next chain stitch. Make 3 dc in every st across to end. (30 st)

Row 2. Turn the work. Ch 1, * make 3 sc into next st, 1 sl st in next st *. Repeat from * to * until end. Fasten off.

Starting at the beginning, wrap the flower in the natural way it curls. With remaining yarn, sew it down to the top of the cactus with small stitches as you go.

That's just to get you started. Want to try crocheting the other plants? Download the full set of projects here.