St. Patricks day is quickly approaching, and although it isn't normally considered a major holiday, it has always been a fun one for children and adults alike. Who doesn't remember attending school on March 17 and examining one another for signs of green. When I was in grade school, if you forgot to wear green on that day, you would get your toes stepped on.
This St. Patricks wreath has been quite a challenge for me. I couldn't find a leprechaun pattern that I liked, so I came up with one myself. I had in mind a pudgy fellow with a traditional hat. Red hair was a must, but I didn't want to spend time giving him a full head of hair, so I made him bald on top with a halo of hair around and lamb chop sideburns. I wanted him to sit inside the circle of the wreath, so I attached his legs accordingly, but he could be made as a standing doll.
He does look kind of dapper, I think!
Next, I struggled with several different rainbow patterns and ended up designing that as well. I wanted a rainbow that would arc over my leprechaun and I wanted streamers on one end to sort of represent beams of colored light flowing down.
I love the vibrant colors and the streamers give it a bit of a unique
look when it's on the wreath. Honestly, this rainbow is my forth attempt before getting it the way I envisioned it!
Next, I wanted my wreath to have a pot of gold! After all, what is St. Patricks Day without one?! Trifles and Treasures have a wonderful free pattern on their site. I did change it a bit as far as colors go, and I left off the 'feet' since I wanted my leprechaun to hold the pot of gold in his lap. I also had to add crochet gold coins of my own design.
And, of course, we must have a shamrock or two. Skip to my Lou has an awesome video tutorial on her site that just can't be beat! I made several smaller ones and then decided I needed one large one. For the large shamrock I used 4 strands of yarn and an I hook. For any of you who want to make a bunch of shamrocks for a school class or party, this is the perfect tutorial for you. Simple and quick!
Remember to attach the loopy side of velcro to your finished components to stick them to your wreath. Velcro loves to adhere to yarn! This is what makes your wreath a versatile, interchangeable decoration!
My completed wreath!
And a variation if you prefer to leave off the leprechaun.
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