Tuesday 26 August 2014

Maybelle Flower Crochet Garlands

Hello all!

Hope you had a good start to your new week - the last week of August! It seems like this summer has simply flown by and that Autumn is almost here! This has inspired me in various ways:

Summer's last Glow

I made a pretty Autumn Treasury List (Rust) here on Etsy!
I bought some new yarn in Autumn colours - Veritas Laura in Ochre, Terracotta and Olive Green. 

Veritas Laura (80% Acrylic, 20% Wool)
I fell in love with this pretty Scarf that I saw in Zara...
Zara - printed Scarf

And also last weekend I've been busy making more* crochet flowers, and then laid them out like this:

Autumn - My initial colour sequence
A Rainbow of Flowers
My Autumn Garland on the Balcony
Here is what the wall to the kitchen looked like before!

Before: My Neon Pompom Garland
And this is what it looks like now!
My Autumn Maybelle Flower Garland
My Blue Eyed Boy Maybelle Flower Garland


Both Garlands next to each other
You can find the free pattern here! And there is also a detailed tutorial on this blog!

I have been making these flowers for quite a while, especially with Scheepjeswol Stone Washed!
Crocheting Maybelle Flowers whilst driving in England this Summer
Recently, whilst in England, I made 2 special Garlands for friends who commissioned me.
Purple Flower Garland (Commission 1)
Pink and Yellow Garland (Commission 2)
Making the flowers for this Garland on the way from England back to Belgium
*I've been making Maybelles all summer long, in various incarnations! Some were made as little coasters and given as presents, this one (also given as a present!) was large enough to fit under a big vase.

This is a Maybelle Doily made from thick Zpagetti T-Shirt yarn
I think below were the very first Maybelles I must have made, starting in June!
I decided that I liked them so much I embarked on making a whole bunch (64) and then went through the prolonged agony of sewing them to one another (also made with Ezra yarn which is really pretty). This is still a WIP, because then suddenly at that time I happened upon a great pattern, the South Bay Shawlette! The rest was history as I developed a great enthusiasm for this new pattern (as you can read in a previous blog post). So sometime timing can play a crucial role, too!

WIP alert! A Maybelle Shawl started in beginning of June 14 (so far 64 flowers + some tiny leaves designed by me!)
I leave you with a glimpse of my table today:

On my table this morning (including some new 2 coloured Maybelles)
Yesterday afternoon I started knitting a scarf with Schachenmayer original Boston (more of that another time), approx. half way through now, I have been doodling with the Maybelle by making 2 coloured versions...
Learning something new! Trying out the V-Stitch and a Finnish Granny Square
And due to my calling to try out/learn something new, this morning I have been practising the crochet V-Stitch which looks even better in contrasting colours and a Finnish Granny Square (Dutch instructions!) which I'm starting to love!

I'm hoping for a few more sunny days. Wishing you all a productive week and looking forward to your comments!

20 comments:

  1. All those Maybelle flowers in so many colour combinations are really beautiful. Especially the autumn colours. These flowers are very versatile. If only I had more hours in the day there is so much I would make!

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  2. Thank you, Gillian! I agree, I'm feeling very inspired by the Autumn colours, I love them! I would love a variegated yarn like that, with all the changing shades! And: so true, there is not enough time. I tend to make some flowers on short car journeys or trips on the bus, they don't take so long to make. That Scheepjeswol Stone Washed comes in 16 shades, so I got enough combinations to play with. I came up with the idea of the 2 coloured version because I wanted to make Maybelle Sunflowers! :) I bet you got some pretty yarn over from another project, say 3-5 shades! You could do a mini garland with that! Take care! xx

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  3. What a long post about flowers.
    I love flowers. And I love to create flowers garlands. My little miss' bedroom has 4 flowers garlands.
    It makes the room alive with colours..
    Nice to read you and discover a new blog.
    Miss.

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    1. Hi! Wow, that was a quick response! :) Thanks for your kind comments, I love colours, too! xx

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  4. It looks like I should try to get my hands on some of that scheepjeswol stone washed! I have heard good things about it several places now!
    I love the look of garlands, but I can never seem to finish them. I have tried several times. Maybe thats because I have very limited space to call my own!

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  5. Hi Rebecca, Thanks for your visit and comments! I would definitely recommend it to you (and I believe you might be able to order it through deramores, if you can't find it locally)! Well, I reckon there is space for a garland in even the smallest spaces, it doesn't have to be very big or long! You could make one with mini flowers!! xx

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  6. Die Girlanden sehen echt toll aus! Liebe Grüße, Didi

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    1. Hallo Didi, Toll, dass du mich gefunden hast und danke fuer deinen lieben Kommentar! Was macht deine Haekeltasche (CAL)?
      Ingrid xx

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  7. The garland is a real delight with some beautiful coloured yarn.

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    1. Hello, Thanks for your visit! Yes, the pattern gives endless possibilities for different looks! xx

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  8. Hi Ingrid, thank you very much for your sweet comment!
    Really like your blog, so I am a new follower :-).
    Good luck with the crochet mandala, love from Mirjam.

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  9. Hello Mirjam, thank you and welcome! :)
    I will let you know once I have made it! xx

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  10. Hi Ingrid, your crochet flowers are just lovely, especially in a garland display. Hope you have fun with the V stitch-I did an epic fail with it so just did a stabby with crochet hook around a random post effort in the end-it looked...well different!.

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  11. Hey! Thanks! I love looking at the garlands hanging here! :)
    Sorry to hear about your V-stitch problems, I didn't find it too hard once I got the rhythm going after the first few rows, but this was only a little test patch to try it out, might have to make a blanket with it! I think it doesn't matter so much if things don't always go according to plan, at least you gave it a go! There are lots more things I want to try with crochet, but I know that not everything will suit me!
    Made some more of that Finnish Granny Square today whilst on a hot bus! Yes, hooray, the sun came out today, total blue sky, no clouds!!! So I went into Antwerp! I think we might get a few more summer days yet.... fingers crossed!
    What have you been making recently? xx

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  12. Thanks Ingrid,will probably give it another bash at some point-conquer that v stitch! ha ha. The weather here has slightly improved today but no crochet in the car journey down impossibly bendy roads-can you imagine?
    Love your enthusiasm for our craft, keep promoting crochet and sharing, we need this little area of craft to be popular for a long while don't you agree?.

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    1. Hi Helen! You go, girl! Beat that V-stitch until it does what you tell it to do! That's it!!! Hehehe! You live in Wales, don't you? I lived in West Wales for a bit (it's beautiful!), so I do know about the roads... yeah, I think it might be tricky!!!

      Thanks, I do my little bit. Sometimes I sow little seeds of crochet or crafting - when I make something on the bus, I often see little girls (or boys) remarking about it, nudging their mum and watching me wide eyed. Sometimes I say to them, if you want to do this (crochet), ask your mum to teach you!!! (I know, wicked, right?) I think anyone could learn, it just needs a starting point somewhere! xx

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  13. I love your garland and choice of colors. I made a garland of these myself once, I had the inside of the flower a different color that the outside. It is such a great pattern. Love all of your flowery projects.
    Hugs,
    Meredith

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    1. Thanks, Meredith! Yes, I was trying that out (in the photo with the 2 coloured version). I bet yours are beautiful, too!!! (Take a pic, if you still got them!)
      It's strange how quickly I slipped back into knitting, I thought it would be harder after a long summer of crocheting! In truth, I think I like to do both at the same time, it challenges me in different ways!! Hugs, xx

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  14. Oh, I adore this pattern! I made tons of the flowers earlier this year. Never got around to make them into a garland though - really need to do that at some point!

    If made with t-shirt-yarn, they make they lovely pot holders too (the ones where you leave the pot on when it's to hot to put on the table).

    Take care
    Anne
    http://crochetbetweentwoworlds.blogspot.de

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  15. Hi Anne, Yes, I made one too - look at the 4th photo from the end! (the grey one)! Glad you also love the pattern! :) xx

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