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Bring a little of the color and fun of summer into your home any time of year with a little help from the designs and pattern suggestions in Kristin Nicholas’50 Sunflowers to Knit, Crochet and Felt.
From petite little blooms to giant, dramatic blossoms, these designs are sure to inspire you to bring a little floral flair into your life.
About the Book
- Pages: 128
- Format: paperback
- Number of patterns: 57
- Skill level: of the 31 knitting patterns, 9 are rated easy, 12 intermediate and 10 advanced; the 26 crochet patterns break down to 7 easy, 12 intermediate and 7 advances
- Illustrations: full-color photographs
- Publication date:March 2013
The Patterns
Nicholas is known for her love of color, so it makes sense that the introduction to this book includes not only information on basic knitting (and crochet) supplies and skills, it also includes a few pages on choosing colors. She advises crafters who aren’t confident about picking colors to look to nature, which is always a good idea but makes even more sense when you’re knitting something that comes from nature.
A full-color gallery shows all the patterns together so readers can see the relative size of the blooms; then the patterns are presented, first knitting, then crochet.
The patterns range from relatively simple, small blossoms to ones larger ones worked in multiple colors with embellishments like beads, bobbles and embroidery. Some of the projects are felted, others work with fuzzy novelty yarn.
Many are great little stash-busting projects that would be a lot of fun to work in colors not seen in nature.
Project Ideas
In addition to the patterns themselves, Nicholas offers project ideas that will get you thinking about different ways to use the flowers in your decor or to embellish outfits. Fifteen projects are included, with ideas such as attaching a bunch of blossoms to a bag, hat or wreath, using flowers to embellish purchased cardigans and pillows, a potholder, a washcloth and more.
Even if you don’t use any of these specific ideas, they should get you thinking about how to use the flowers beyond just having them sitting on a table or decorating your craft room.
Bottom Line
If you like embellishment –as part of your wardrobe or in your home – you’re sure to enjoy these colorful ideas. In addition to the flowers, stems and leaves there are also patterns for animals such as a butterfly, bee and robin, which are fun in their own right.
Nicholas’ patterns are always joyful, with a folk art feel and a colorful sensibility that just makes you want to knit them. Whether you’re stuck in winter and longing for spring or want to hang on to summer a bit longer, knitting and living with these flowers is sure to bring a smile to your face.
Publisher's website
Projects on Ravelry
Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.
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