Inspiration
One Thing I Saw at the Fiber Festival
Dear knitters everywhere,
Kay’s working on her recap of our time at the New York Sheep and Wool Festival this past weekend (spoiler alert: it was great). But I’m jumping in here to make note of the thing I kept seeing in the throng of knitters, all day long, wherever I cast my eyeballs.
Flowers. Pressed flowers. I saw so many knitters swanning around in their own version of Amy Christoffers’s iconic Pressed Flowers motif. Pullovers, cardigans, shawls, hats—it was an autumnal Easter Parade of folks who made and wore with pride their awesome mosaic sweaters.
Kay and I love it too (Pressed Flowers shawl and cowl veterans here), so when the time came for us to dream up pattern ideas for our new yarn, Jane, it took about two seconds to beeline for Amy’s Pressed Flowers Pullover.
This version we made using Marigold and Aubergine.
I’m having a reverie imagining what my own version would be. I saw several projects at Rhinebeck that did the rows of flowers in a series of colors, which could be sort of tonal. And several knitters reversed the light-dark game to get a dark background with light flowers.
Here’s the quantity of Jane you’ll need to do a two-color version.
Sometimes I think about the never-ending arrival of new knitting patterns, and it is certainly something to celebrate. At the same time, there’s something really beautiful in seeing a simple idea land with a splash, then continue to capture a designer’s imagination.
I’m waiting for the blanket version of Pressed Flowers. It’s just got to happen. Wouldn’t it be a dazzler?
Love,
Ann
Pressed Flowers Forever! I joined the club with the cardigan and now I can’t stop!
This will be the pattern I use to try out Jane. I had already picked Shadow as my main color and have a lovely light colored hand dyed picked out for the contrast.
Miss Babs (Southeastern Fiber Fair in Asheville was canceled as the space was needed for shelter) and Neighborhood Fibers are offering skeins that will benefit the Western North Carolina Flood Relief. There are wonderful options for the contrast color that will do good.
This goes on the needles Nov.6. Just after the election. #govote.
I was there in my Pressed Flowers vest. I was making the pullover and decided I didn’t like the way the sleeves were turning out so I made it into a vest.
I missed you since you weren’t at the bookstore when I stopped by. Maybe next year. I wish you would have your yarn, because there is nothing like touching a yarn in person.
I would love to know how you did that! I’ve never altered a pattern before.
Instead of making sleeves, just start the (sleeve) hems right at the armholes. If you’re knitting a cardigan, you get an open vest you can button or zip or leave as is (maker’s choice). If you’re knitting a pullover, you get a sleeveless tee or closed vest.
Variations: knit an inch or so of sleeve for a slight cap at the shoulder.
It was pretty amazing. I’m going to try the kerchief.
I’ve got the Pressed Flowers cardigan in my queue. Amy is one of my favorite designers. Just need to finish a few WIP’s. (and I use the word few very loosely)
My thoughts exactly – a blanket version of pressed flowers because that’s how I pictured this stitch the moment I saw it in this pullover. As for color placement I’m team dark flowers over light background. Trust me, I’ve done my research!!
I was in the grocery store last week, with my Pressed Flowers shawl (in Felted Tweed) draped around my neck. I heard someone come up close behind and murmur “Nice Pressed Flowers. It’s on my list.” I don’t wear the PF hat at the same time, seems a bit OTT. Especially because it is the in the same colors of left over Felted Tweed.
My mission this year was to find yarn for pressed flowers, and Im so happy I did. I really don’t like the muddiness and inconsistency of Spin Cycle, but was able to find similar yarns at Feederbrook Farm and Primrose. Even Miss Babs has a version now.
What struck me was the number of Halibut sweaters. It has long been a fave, but I think I need to make one.
I love my Pressed Flowers cardigan. And I will say (as someone who uses swatches for coasters for her evening tea) that my Pressed Flowers swatch is the best — lays there perfectly FLAT. I don’t want to steal any thunder or anything else from Amy Christoffers, but making a blanket, once you’ve got the Pressed Flowers pattern going, would be SO easy and would turn out so well. Just the tiniest bit of math, and away you go.
I’ve been thinking how cute Pressed Flowers would be as a baby blanket! The flowers could be a frame, an all-over motif, or they could just be sprinkled….
New twist in the temperature blanket?
Why stop at a blanket, Ann? Think big! A Pressed Flowers evening gown…a Pressed Flowers slipcover for the billiard table…a Pressed Flowers camping tent….
Be still my heart! This one is calling my name.
A couple of years ago while on a roadtrip through Utah (stunning landscapes), I knit a Pressed Flowers long version cowl for my daughter. I used white Cloudborn and a Noro wool silk variegated from my stash. It was a fun, easy pattern but took longer than I expected and I would definitely not make it again with worsted weight, which I did trying to use up stash, ha ha. It is a cool pattern.
It is so handy when you do charts like this! Jane is calling my name. I want to make the vest and so it is on my list for “someday.” It is also fun to imagine that Jane will take her place in the line of “classics” we knitters regard highly for our heirloom projects.
I made a blanket using the shawl pattern! I wanted to use up a lot of my handspun.
One way to convert triangle shawls to squares: instead of knitting *two* “half- triangles,” knitting back and forth and increasing along the center spine and side edges, you can cast on four “quarter-triangles” and knit around in circles.
Here’s a thing about the stitch count, though — think of the basic regular shawl as made up of two mirror image triangles, each with two borders – a center border and a side border, knit flat. But when you make it into a square, knit around, you now have four triangles, and since they abut, you don’t need the “side” borders.
So, to do mine, I started with eight cast on stitches and joined in the round as for the generic square shawl recipe. Then, when I started the charts, instead of thinking of them like a flat chart and going back and forth, I knitted around, ignoring the extra side sts. Those cast on stitches: four become the tips of the triangle panels, and four become the “spokes” dividing them. I made increases on either side of the spokes. The increases are ml/mr (in the pattern) or backwards loop (what I did) so there are no holes.
Very helpful blog on this general technique: https://megangoodacre.com/blogs/learn-to-knit/knit-a-blanket-from-a-shawl-pattern
@Heidi, thanks for this detailed description and very helpful link to how to convert to a blanket, fascinating!
One of my plans was getting the yarn for the pressed flowers cowl while I was in Rhinebeck this weekend. I picked a black background with a long color changing yarn of light gray, green and pink for the flowers. Can’t wait to start it. I also took the mosaic knitting workshop to get a head start on the technique.
Yes! I saw many beautiful Pressed Flowers items.. and my dear friend made me a kerchief! I just started a hat with leftover Jill Draper Mohonk yarn – it is a fun and beautiful pattern .
I’ve made a Pressed Flowers baby blanket! It was for a California baby and was inspired by the golden poppy super bloom. You can see it on Ravelry: https://www.ravelry.com/projects/mirandabennett/pressed-flowers-cowl
I’ve been on a Pressed Flowers kick since summer. Knit the shawl in a jif, and now am doing the pullover. With my wool allergy, can’t use your lovely yarn, so I’m using Garland (cotton/alpaca) and Noro Haruito. It’s looking gorgeous!
It was great to meet you at the show…. truly overwhelming and everything I imagined it would be……
Suzanne