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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!

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Comments

  2. My favorite flower is one with purple in it! Thank you for the opportunity to win the books.

  3. Oh where to start, here on the coast of Vancouver island Canada ,choosing one flower is the most difficult questions ever !!! Lilacs are out ,they count as first right now as they are loaded with childhood memories. The pink bloosems with snow fall petals fill our streets, most are finished now but oh the early days of spring are so sweet.

  4. I would absolutely love to win these books! I adore flowers, as well as knitting and crocheting…what a perfect combination! Flowers have such a deep meaning for me. Ever since I was a child I would spend hours wandering through the pages of my great grandmother’s Language of Flowers books! I learned so very much about botany. I learned to love flowers and the meaning behind them. I not only enjoyed reading about them, but reproducing them as well. I started drawing flowers, painting them, sculpting them, and sewing them! So many beautiful flowers, it’s hard to pick just one favorite! As a teenager I went through a sunflower stage, and decorated my room floor to ceiling with sunflowers! I’ve also always enjoyed the delicate beauty of the many varieties of orchids. Then of course there’s the classic rose. I have so many favorite varieties of roses, but one that has a special place in my heart is the sterling rose; a pale purple, almost silver rose. Dinner plate dahlias have also been a favorite in my garden. And who could forget the lotus? Teaching us that the most beautiful of creations can come from the mud. And then there’s the beautiful songs, poetry, and prose about flowers. The song about lilies of the valley my mother sang to me as a child, and my favorite, a poem about a garden and many flowers, called Maud, by Alfred Tennyson. One of my favorite lines goes, “Beginning to faint on the light that she loves, on a bed of daffodil sky…” Isn’t that beautiful? But then again, aren’t all flowers beautiful? Well, I’ve gone on and on, but I wanted to share my love of flowers with everyone, and hope that I might win these beautiful books and continue my collection of all things floral! Good luck to everyone, and take time to stop and smell the roses!

  6. I forgot my favorite flower, which is the iris. I do love purple flowers.

  7. My favorite flower is Peonies, and luckily I’ll soon have 9 blooming plants in my back yard!

  8. My favorite flower is a Sunflower. But there are so many that are a close second.
    Fushia, bleeding hearts. Coneflowers…

  9. wow pretty book! i love so many kinds of flowers; gardenia, calla lily, rose, orchid, bird of paradise, …i really could go on lol 😀 thanks for the chance 🙂

  10. Daisies. They are always happy. They always remind me of Sunshine and Spring,my favorite season.????

  12. Favourite flower has to be Fuchsia as there are so many varieties, colours & shape. Would love to win these as I am new to crochet & loving it

  14. My favorite flower….I have three, the lilac…carnation and the rose.
    Thanks for the awesome giveaway.

  18. The crochet books looks brilliant but I think my favourite is the blue ‘thistle’ int he knit book. Really hope I’m lucky enough to win – thank you for the chance!

  27. Daisies always make me happy. And they go so well with almost every other flower, so they’re versitile.

  28. My favorite flower is the buttercup (daffadil) because it is the first sign of spring to me.

  32. Thanks for this wonderful giveaway! My favorite flower is the pansy. But I like violas, violets, lilac & peonies too!

  36. Bleeding hearts -fascinated me as a child exploring in my Nanny’s garden.

  37. I like all flowers, but I’d have to say sunflowers are my favorite. Since I don’t have a green thumb, I’d love these books to create my own blooms 🙂 Thanks for this wonderful giveaway!!

  39. I live in the desert in Botswana so ANY flower is a blessing……. even the weeds 🙂

  40. How do you pick just one? Lol
    Tuberose for smell and Passion Flower for beauty.
    Thank you for the chance to win the books!

  42. Its really hard to narrow it down to just one. A rose would be my number one choice but I love them all. Great giveaway. Thank you

  43. Roses have always been my favorite flower, I currently had 7 bushes in my garden.

  44. One of my first goals since I retired is to create a wreath for the door of my new house. I have been trying to save up enough different flower patterns I find here and there on the internet, but these books would really make it possible to begin knitting and crocheting flowers right away! I REALLY would love to have these two books!

  50. So many flowers that I love—lilacs for the scent, lily of the valley for its delicacy. I love the flowers that attract my butterflies and hummingbirds. Thank you for the chance to win such fabulous books.

Have you read?

Knit a Garter Stitch Blanket with a Twist

When I first started knitting again after a long absence from the craft (which has now been almost 25 years ago!) I really didn’t like garter stitch that much. I found it super boring, somehow even more boring than knitting stockinette stitch in the round, even though it’s exactly the same thing.

Over the years I’ve softened my opinion, and even grown to like garter stitch. There’s nothing wrong with being plain, and actually the texture of garter stitch is more interesting than stockinette.

Also there are fun things you can do with garter stitch to make it more interesting if you want to, such as adding stripes, working on the bias, or doing fun effects to change the look.

That’s the way with the Bernat Twist My Way Garter Knit Blanket. Using combinations of casting on and binding off creates what they call a Swiss cheese effect along two sides of the blanket. This is a lot of fun in the self-striping ombre yarn they chose for the pattern, but it would also be fun in a solid color or making your own stripes.

Despite the dramatic effect, this pattern is rated easy. It’s worked from side to side (if you consider the “cheesy” edges the top and bottom) and has an eight-row repeat that involves binding off and then casting on again to make the holes. They’re kind of like giant buttonholes.

Once you get the hang of it it’s a pretty easy repeat to remember, and it will be smooth knitting as big as you want to make it.

You can download this pattern from the Yarnspirations website for free, or you can buy a kit direct from them that includes the yarn you need (and knitting needles if you need those, too). Bernat Sport Ombre Twist, which is what is used in the pattern, comes in 12 self patterning colors and is a DK weight acrylic yarn.

[Photo: Yarnspirations]