Knitting

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Giveaway: Floral Blocks to Knit and Crochet

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floral blocks to knit

Congratulations to Donna.

They say that April showers bring May flowers, but where I live the May flowers have been getting rained on quite a bit lately. So I thought it would be fun to share some flowers of the knit and crocheted variety this week.

75 Floral Blocks to Knit by Lesley Stanfield features pinwheels, hexagons, circles and squares with floral motifs in lace, colorwork and embroidery. Some flowers are applied to the blocks while others are integral to the block and still more are flower or leaf shaped themselves. These projects offer lots of ideas for afghan blocks, pillow fronts, washcloths and more.

Likewise 75 Floral Blocks to Crochet by Betty Barnden has a bunch of fun designs of different shapes, sizes and techniques using crochet. This book includes a directory of blocks showing collections of blocks in different colors that you might combine for a project.

The giveaway this week is for both books; there will be one winner.

For a chance to win leave a comment on this post before the end of the day Sunday, May 17. Why don’t you tell me what your favorite flower is? I usually say zinnias, but I love sunflowers, too. And roses.

Thanks for visiting, commenting and sharing, and good luck!

Next Pattern:

Comments

  1. I’d be hard pressed to choose a favourite but red poppies and sunflowers are certainly at the top of my list.

  4. I adore just about all flowers! On Mother’s Day I was lucky enough to pick out some favorites from a local shop. I filled my pots with Lantana, a miniature petunia “million bells” (hummingbirds love them), marigolds, geraniums, and heliotrope.

  5. My favorite flower is so hard to say, they are all so beautiful. But I really do enjoy Azelas.

  7. Some of my favorites are lilacs, iris, orchid, roses, carnations, orange blossoms, okay I admit it I love all flowers!!!!!

  8. My favorite flower is the carnation. I’ve loved them since I was a little girl.

  13. My Favourite flower is a Gerbera …. I would love to make blocks and join them altogether to form a beautiful rug !! Imagine combining every flower .. merging them all into one massive rug …. how beautiful would this be ? And all because of these two gorgeous books…my needles and hooks are crossed that I am the winner 🙂

  14. Oh my– sometimes it’s tulips, sometimes it’s hyacinths, sometimes it’s peonies! They’re all so pretty!

Have you read?

Book Review: Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit & Crochet Blankets

Blankets are a great blank slate project that you can change up in a million different ways. From color to stitch pattern to size, the possibilities are almost endless.

Jared Flood, the designer behind Brooklyn Tweed, was inspired by a log cabin quilt his mother made in 1995 to re-create that design in knitting, which led to more blankets and ultimate Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit and Crochet Blankets, which includes 25 patterns from an array of designers using different skills and techniques to make cozy, pretty blankets.

The patterns are divided into three aesthetic themes: traditions, minimalism and colorplay. The patterns are rated on a scale of one to five, with one being the easiest, and there aren’t any pieces rated five. Two blankets are rated one, 14 are two, eight are three and one is four. 

In addition, three of the 25 patterns are crocheted, but they either use single crochet or granny stitch, so they are pretty easy even if you don’t do a lot of crochet. You can see all the patterns on Ravelry.

Some of my favorites include Rattan by Rastus Hsu, a chunky blanket worked in knits and purls with simple crossing stitches to make a raised woven look; Homewood by Seth Richardson, covers in dramatic, loopy cables; Ainur Berkimbayeva’s Tessellate, one of the beginner projects that doesn’t really look beginner but is totally worked in knit and purl stitches; Warp + Weft by Aist? Butkevi?ien?, which is mostly knits and purls but makes a fun woven look fabric that blew my mind a little bit; and the same designer’s Canyonland, a multicolored blanket with wavy stripes.

The patterns tell you how to resize them for different dimensions and include information on pattern repeats where it is possible to make a totally custom size.

Many different techniques are included here such as cables, lace, shadow knitting, intarsia and other colorwork techniques, as well as modular knitting and lots of sewing pieces together. The patterns are all presented with charts, but there are line by line written instructions available on the Brooklyn Tweed website if you need them.

The book ends with a deep dive into log cabin knitting, telling the story of the quilt Jared’s mom made and how he made it in knitting, as well as the multitude of variations you can make if you want your own log cabin style design.

The back of the book includes a little written information about some of the special techniques needed, but there are no photos.

This is a lovely book full of inspiration for knitting and crochet blankets for any skill level. If you like to make blankets as gifts or aspire to have a handmade blanket in every room of the house, these designs would be a great place to start.

About the book: 192 pages, paperback, 25 patterns. Published 2024 by Abrams Books, suggested retail price $24.99.

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