Summer Poppies

The idea of knitted flowers with longer stems which would actually support them has been floating around in my head for a while now. I thought I would try it with the poppy pattern (see previous post), and I made 5 in different poppy colours.

I wasn't aiming for botanically accurate imitation flowers. What I had in mind was something that looked obviously knitted, just something whimsical to show off the texture and colour of the knitting.

For the stems I made some knitted i-cords and reinforced them with green paper-covered wire. I've seen a similar thing done using plastic drinking straws, but I wasn't keen on the idea of straws, and I thought pipe cleaners might be too bendy. The ends of the wire are bent over and hidden under the flower centres, so there's nothing sharp to catch on anything. Each poppy is about 2.25 inches across. Not too big and not too small.

The yarn is Baby Cashmerino by Debbie Bliss. I think this is my new favourite yarn. It's a bit finer than standard dk weight and comes in a wide range of beautifully flat colours. This is a peek from my stash and shows just some of the colours.

I used 2.75 mm needles, or old UK size 12's.

They were fun and interesting to make, and they make me smile every time I look at them.

Knit Bits

This blog seems to be all about knitting and crochet at the moment, doesn't it? Quilting has taken a back seat for now, although I still intend to sew from time to time!
I'm very much enjoying working with the lovely yarns that are available now. I learned to do basic knitting when I was four years old, so in a way it feels like things have come full circle and I've returned to my knitting "roots", but with a new perspective. I don't mean that as introspectively as it sounds. I've always been interested in many different crafts, and have concentrated on different ones at different times.

Everything in the photo is from this book.
I was very pleased with the leaves, I think they turned out beautifully.

One of my favourite patterns in the whole book is the garter stitch poppy. I like garter stitch anyway, and I think it's a very effective design.

I haven't finished with the poppy pattern, and I'll show you what I'm doing with it in another post.