Remember this garden-inspired basket of yarn stash? The transformation into a very different kind of flower bed has begun — one that will keep me warm and cozy while snuggling on the sofa with a good book this winter.
The Gypsy Rose Blanket made by British crafter Adaliza is constructed with crocheted squares, but I have been drawn to the flower petals in the African Flower hexagon. Here’s a link to a well-illustrated blog post with American crochet terms — thank goodness! My attempt to wade through google-translated Afrikaans was fruitless.
Each hexagon uses four colors; the predominant yarn is ” Julia” (50% wool, 25% mohair, 25% alpaca) by Nashua Handknits — recently reissued as “Colors by Kristin” by Classic Elite Yarns. As of this post, every ‘flower’ will have a final border in a natural-hue white. I may change my mind further down the line, and use red instead.
Three things to love about this project:
• each hexagon works up quickly, providing tremendous satisfaction as the stacks of luscious color grow
• frequent new color decisions! — perfect for those of us whose productivity grinds to a halt when faced with predictable repetition
• the piece-work aspect makes this a wonderful travel companion — rather than tote an entire box of full skeins, as I did for Saturday’s day trip, you could make a rainbow of small yarn balls and fit everything into a handbag
For me, summer is for working on my Secret Garden project (how private can I make my inner-city-postage-stamp-backyard?!), being outdoors for as many hours as possible each day, early morning and late afternoon reading in the garden, visiting long-distance friends, and maybe a bit of sewing. It feels great to have my hands in yarn again! To say I am enthused about my Gypsy Rose would be an understatement. Anyone else have the desire to give this project a go?
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Hi Lisa – Wow – this is going to be gorgeous! Love the hexagons. Let me know when you post again about it!
Kristin
Love the colors, but the white is a genius foil for the riot of hues! Is this pattern online? May need to round up a garden myself.
Thanks, Lori. Follow the link for the tutorial for directions on how to crochet the ‘flowers,’ and take a gander at Adaliza’s Gypsy Rose via the provided in the opening sentence. I’m calling my creation “Winter Garden.”
Love how you got the color inspiration. Also how you spend your summer days.
Thank you, Carol! We should make plans for you to come to my ‘Secret Garden’ for a bit of tea and knitting or crocheting.
It’s gorgeous, Lisa–like everything you make!
Thank you, Fran. Sweet of you to say!
LOVE this so much!
Oh, thank you Robin! So great to have you here!!! And thanks for leaving a comment, the oxygen for us bloggers.