WISHWOVEN CHARM by Stephanie Pokorny
Welcome my bone collectors, my shiny rock hoarders, and my “good stick” finders! While we may be in the minority, I am also very sure we are not alone, after all YOU are here. The world is a beautiful place if you stop to look. I decided to combine various good luck and protection elements together that speak to me in this piece. You can hang it in a window, or you can wear it as a necklace. Either way, I hope the magic in the world finds you, and the world sees the magic that is in you.
The wishbone has long been a token of luck and lore. In Roman times, the wishbone would be stroked while thinking of the wish. Etruscans believed a hen to be a soothsayer, or able to foresee the future, because their egg song sounds predicted the egg they were about to lay. In the British Isles, the bone was called a Merrythought. Wishbones, and the term itself, is American from around 1850, and fiber artists used them to crochet around and make small lucky thimble holders. The tradition surrounding them is rich and long in history, and now you are a part of it! ¹
Copyright/Trademark Crochetverse ®2025: This pattern is available only through Stephanie Pokorny/Crochetverse and is copyright protected intellectual property. If you have received this pattern from anywhere other than Crochetverse store on Ravelry.com or Etsy.com, it is an unauthorized copy, and I ask that you please let me know at info@crochetverse.com. You may sell finished items that you, the original pattern purchaser, make with your own two hands. No mass or contracted production permitted. You may not resell, share, or redistribute the pattern in any way, in part or in whole or by changing a little or a lot and claiming as your own. No videos, films, or shares of the pattern content or creation are permitted. Thank you for respecting the work.
Materials:
- wish bone from average chicken (I saved mine after making a beautiful pot of soup) mine measures about 2 ¾” long and about 1 5/8” wide across the widest lowest part of the open “v”. You can do what feels right to you, I sourced a free-range organic chicken and used each and every part of it; from soup, to stock, to bone, and left anything remaining to be reclaimed by the earth and bugs, thanking it. Please note you want a chicken on the larger side, smaller ones will have smaller wishbones making it difficult to complete. <3
- small amounts fingering weight cotton in 3 colors, (shown is gold, lavender, and blue) The blue and lavender are both Scheepjes Catona and the gold is (affiliate no cost to you link): https://amzn.to/3F59x6I
- random bead, bobbles, or crystals. I purchased this, it has a PERFECT size and array of pieces to use on the piece and is way cheaper than buying the elements separately: https://amzn.to/3SzrSvI
- size D (3.25mm) crochet hook
- size B (2.25mm) crochet hook
- (7) 8mm round beads
- tapestry needle, scissors
- (1) 14-16mm flat back eye. If you only have safety eyes, cut the stem off using nippers, E6000 glue or similar
Abbreviations (US Terms):
beg beginning slst slip stitch
blo back loop only sc single crochet
ch(s) chain(s) scblo single crochet back loop only
nxt next scinc single crochet increase
mr magic ring st(s) stitch(es)
rem remaining ws wrong side
rnd round
rs right side
Rated: Intermediate
Gauge: Not imperative, however I am a moderate to tight tension crocheter and if you are loose tension naturally, you may want to size down on the hook, so the stitches are neat.
1. PREPARE BONE:
Clean the bone with soap and water. Use a butter knife to gently scrape it clean if needed. Submerge the bone in hydrogen peroxide until it is white and clean. You may have to place a cup or something on top to keep it submerged; they tend to float. When the bone is sufficiently white ( I left mine about 6 hours), rinse thoroughly and set aside to dry. You can seal the bone with a clear gloss acrylic if desired, I did not. You will note the bone to be quite strong, however, do take care while working so as not to break it!
For pattern purposes, this is how the parts of the bone will be referred to:
1. The top and bottom fork notation will change based on orientation.
2. When “curve upward” is noted, that means the bone should be bowl shaped when lying flat.
3. When “curve downward” is noted, that means the bone should be rainbow shaped when laying flat.
2. CROCHET AROUND THE BONE:
Row 1 (RS of these sts facing up is the RS of the piece):
With D (3.25mm) hook until stated otherwise.
A: With curve of bone facing upward and open end of the “v” to the right, leaving a 12” beg tail, join lavender yarn by placing the slip knot on the hook, laying the hook over the top of the top fork of the “v” and wrapping the working yarn under and behind the same fork (left pic below), grab the working yarn and pull through the loop on the hook to attach the yarn to the bone (right image below).
B: Make 12 sc around and encompassing the same top fork of the “v” bone, as follows: insert hook under the bone (left image below), grab the working yarn from under and behind the bone and pull up the loop to the front so two loops are on the hook (middle image below), yarn over and pull through both loops on the hook to complete the sc. (right image below)
C: Ch2 and hold them behind the crest of the bone at the peak of the “v” (image below).
D: Rotate the bone so the curve still faces upward, but the unworked fork of the “v” is now at the top and the open end of the “v” is to the left. Insert the hook under the bone just below the crest and catch the working yarn from the other side and working around in the same manner as the 1st fork, crochet 12sc around the 2nd fork, cut the yarn leaving a 12” end tail. (24sc and 2ch) (Image below shows Row 1 complete)
Row 2: Turn the bone over so the curve faces down now, and the open end of the “v” is to the right and the last st made in row 1 is to the top right. Leaving a 12” beg tail, join gold in the last st of row 1 by inserting hook under the “v” of the last st and pulling through the gold to join, ch1 (counts as 1st slst), sk st ch-1 emerges from, slst in each sc working under the “v” of the 11sts in each st along the 1st fork, slst in the 2chs behind the crest, rotate the bone as needed and slst in each st down the 2nd fork of the bone in the same manner, cut yarn leaving a 12” end tail (image below shows row 2 complete and this is the WS of the piece). (26slst)
Row 3: turn the bone over again so the curve is facing up and the open of the “v” is facing right. Leaving a 12” beg tail, join blue yarn in the back loop of the 1st st made in lavender row 1 by pulling through a loop (left image below), ch1, scblo in same st, (if the sts are tight you can insert your tapestry needle under the blo and pull up gently to open the space), scblo in each of next 11 sc up the 1st fork of the V, sc in each of the 2chs made behind the crest, rotate the bone as needed and scblo in each of the 12sts down the 2nd fork of the “v” and cut the yarn leaving a 12” long end tail (right image shows row 3 complete). (26sc)
Row 4: (add the 7 beads for lucky 7) Switch to B (2.25mm) crochet hook.Prestring (7) 8mm round beads on the gold yarn. Position piece so the curve of the bone facing up and the open end of the “v” facing right. Leaving a 12” beg tail, join prestrung gold in the 1st st made in row 3 blue by pulling through a loop (left image below), ch1, sc in same st, slide up a bead tightly next to the hook, ch around the bead to secure it in place, sk nxt st on row 3 blue and sc in nxt 2sts, (sc in nxt st, slide up a bead, ch around it to secure, sk nxt st on row 3, sc in nxt 2sts) 2x total, sc in the nxt sc, slide up a bead, ch around the bd, sc in nxt st, this last bead worked should sit behind the crest of the bone, (sc in nxt 2sts, slide up a bead, ch around the bead, sk nxt st on row 3, sc in nxt st) 3x total, cut yarn leaving a 12” end tail (right image shows row 4 complete). (7 beads attached)
Create the 3rd Eye Cradle:
Image shows the complete piece:
Returning to D (3.25mm) hook and with lavender, make a mr, ch1:
Rnd 1: 8sc in ring, pull tail tightly to close. (8)
Rnd 2: (sc in nxt 2, scinc in nxt) 3x total. (12)
Rnd 3: sc in each around, slstblo to 1st st made making final yarn over/pull through with gold and leaving a 20” beg tail, to change color, cut lavender. (12)
Rnd 4: (ch2, slst in 2nd ch from hook, slstblo in nxt st) in each st around to create the spikes, slst to st you joined to and cut yarn leaving a 20” end tail. (12 spikes)
Weave in all ends on eye cradle except beg and end of rnd 4/gold.
Glue the flat back 14-16mm eye in the center with rnd 4 spikes pointing up and using E6000 glue or similar and allow to dry. If your eye has a stem, you can cut it off and glue it inside.
Insert the B (2.25mm) hook from rs to ws of piece and into a st right next to where one of the end tails of rnd 4 emerges from piece, yarn over with one of the end tails and ch5, pull through last ch made. Insert the hook in the in the st right next to the 2nd yarn end tail and rep. Place the eye cradle right side up in the low open point of the “v” of the bone with the curve facing up down on the table.
Using the tapestry needle take one tail end and insert the needle from the rs to the ws through the 3rd st from the end of the fork through row 1 on the side it most naturally wants to go to right or left. Sew around the bone and up through the last ch of the ch-5 in gold a few times to secure, then weave the gold end into the gold sts on the ws of the piece. Repeat with the other end tail on the opposite side of the fork in the 3rd st up, sewing it in the same manner. This suspends the eye cradle between the forks of the “v” as shown below in the completed image.
FINALIZE THE PIECE:
From here you can take any creative direction you like with the piece.
The simplest option is to use your B hook and gold yarn and chain a long strand on either side of the crest to serve as a necklace, tying the ends in a bow behind the neck for wear and weaving in the ends. You could add a single crystal bead and crochet a single strand from the crest and hang it in a window as a prism to create rainbows. Once the main piece is completed, allow your imagination to take over. Use broken jewelry, use things you find.
Here is what I have done using the elements from the suncatcher I linked in materials:
1. Hold all the long strands on one side together and using a basic overhand knot, knot them all together so the knot is close to the bottom edge of the rows, BUT do not pull the knot super tight yet. Insert the B hook from the top crest end down through a strand in the knot and grabbing one of the gold strands as the working yarn, ch5, pull end through the last ch made and tug to secure. Repeat that process with the blue strand but ch7. Attach a crystal star bead using a jump ring to the last ch made on each of these. Tug the original knot tight now to secure it. Gather all 4 tail ends and again overhand knot but this time at the last ch of the ch-7 of the blue strand. Trim the ends evenly about 1” as a small tassel treatment. Repeat the same for the other side 4 end tails.
2. Attach a crystal round faceted prism to the bottom center of the eye cradle using a jump ring.
3. I used the top finding element which is a “v” and attached one jump ring to either side of the crest just inside the topmost pearls on either side of the 3.
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Footnotes:
1. https://quintessentialantiquedolls.wordpress.com/2014/03/15/wishbones-for-luck-and-a-crocheted-sewing-kit/ Quintessential Antique Dolls – Wishbones for Luck, March 15, 2024
