This week, I am so happy to introduce you to a new square and to the start of a new series featuring Alpine Blooms. The Hellebore 8 inch square with instructions to make a mini-scatter cushion has been released exclusively on Love Crafts as a premium pattern.
As we all know, traveling has been difficult for most of us this year and I have found myself remembering past holidays and thinking about where I would like to go again once restrictions are eased. One of my all time favourite places is the Alps: the crisp fresh air, the healthy mountain walks and the beautiful Alpine flowers on the edge of the tracks. I have never seen such a variety of pretty flowers in nature.
This Alpine Wanderlust of mine has translated into my crochet. I am making a series of 8inch squares featuring Alpine blooms. The first Alpine square features the Hellebore – the mainstay of our Winter gardens here in Britain. I have to say then when I went to the Alps in spring I was surprised to see this beautiful white flower on the waysides. Firstly because I associate with winter (but to be fair, the snow was still melting in the Alps, even in April) and secondly because it looked exactly like its cultivated garden cousins. And since I have some hellebores in bloom in my garden, I though I should stay seasonal and make the hellebore square first..
In order to get the stamen to look realistic, I decided to use the loop stitch. As this is a more unusual crochet stitch, I asked crochet friend Hannah from HanJan crochet if she would mind sharing her tutorial for you – you can find the tutorial including a video here.
I received yarn support from LoveCrafts to design this square. I chose to work with Paintbox Yarns Cotton DKbecause it had a wide range of colours to choose from and I was curious about designing with cotton rather than acrylic yarns. The Paintbox Cotton DK certainly did not disappoint, the gentle colours play well together to get the hellebore look right and the cotton is just soft enough to feel nice and just stiff enough to give the extra definition that you hope for from cotton yarns.
Good Morning, Cat.
Am asking if you will have these Alpine Flowes available in an e-book later.
Or do you have a Ravelry page? I dont see anything other than the F/B and I/G and a few others I dont know about. The reason for asking for the e-book, I am at the moment waiting for my Granny Flat being built, and my Son is waiting to connect my comp with his provider when I move in.
I wont have my comp every day for the next 2-3months, and dont want to miss these flowers.
This Hellebore takes me “home” to my childhood in Europe, and would love this memento for my last stage of this life. I have lived here in AU since I was a child of 8, but I still remember our snow in Germany, and as you may know, after WW2, children from a lot of the smaller places were sent to countries like Switzerland and then to Italy to places called ” Erholungs heims” , places for under nourished children, to give us a more healthy start.
I would like to be the first to put in my order if you do make a book of them, please.
All the best to you from here in AU, and I follow your web page as well as I can. Have made 3 throw rugs for our Nursing Home close by with your Winter Jewels squares, BEAUTIFUL and loved.
Thanks again,
Edith
Thank you so much for your beautiful comment. It is so nice to know that you have enjoyed the patterns and the blankets have been loved in the nursing home.
I am currently only releasing the patterns on a square by square basis and for the time being they are only available through LoveCrafts as they helped me with yarn, but there are several more in the pipeline. I will drop you a line on how to get hold of them.
I hope that you more to the Granny Flat goes well.
Thank you, Catherine, yes, the throws turned out most striking, I used up the Paint Box yarn I had purchased from U.K. about a year ago, and mixed it with something similar from here called Esther, from Lincraft Store.
I love to crochet squares and put them together like this. It is very relaxing for me, and I feel that I am also doing something worthwhile in my “old age” I am even having a go at making up squares of my own as I go along, but I think I will leave the designing to you younger , and more adventurouse people.
Am hoping to be able to keep on crocheting for a few years yet, and since I have learnt to “surf the net” there is no shortage of inspiration. This tech age we live in, is just breath taking, so much new stuff to learn.
Am looking forward to seeing more of your blooms, and thank you for sharing your talent with the world.
Stay safe and happy, and keep on BLOOMING.
Edith
Thank you, that is very kind. I love that you have also been inspired to design your own after seeing inspiration on the internet. It is definitely somethings that is worthwhile doing on so many levels. Here is to crocheting!
4 Comments
Edith Bell
Good Morning, Cat.
Am asking if you will have these Alpine Flowes available in an e-book later.
Or do you have a Ravelry page? I dont see anything other than the F/B and I/G and a few others I dont know about. The reason for asking for the e-book, I am at the moment waiting for my Granny Flat being built, and my Son is waiting to connect my comp with his provider when I move in.
I wont have my comp every day for the next 2-3months, and dont want to miss these flowers.
This Hellebore takes me “home” to my childhood in Europe, and would love this memento for my last stage of this life. I have lived here in AU since I was a child of 8, but I still remember our snow in Germany, and as you may know, after WW2, children from a lot of the smaller places were sent to countries like Switzerland and then to Italy to places called ” Erholungs heims” , places for under nourished children, to give us a more healthy start.
I would like to be the first to put in my order if you do make a book of them, please.
All the best to you from here in AU, and I follow your web page as well as I can. Have made 3 throw rugs for our Nursing Home close by with your Winter Jewels squares, BEAUTIFUL and loved.
Thanks again,
Edith
Crochet Cloudberry
Thank you so much for your beautiful comment. It is so nice to know that you have enjoyed the patterns and the blankets have been loved in the nursing home.
I am currently only releasing the patterns on a square by square basis and for the time being they are only available through LoveCrafts as they helped me with yarn, but there are several more in the pipeline. I will drop you a line on how to get hold of them.
I hope that you more to the Granny Flat goes well.
Cat
Edith Bell
Thank you, Catherine, yes, the throws turned out most striking, I used up the Paint Box yarn I had purchased from U.K. about a year ago, and mixed it with something similar from here called Esther, from Lincraft Store.
I love to crochet squares and put them together like this. It is very relaxing for me, and I feel that I am also doing something worthwhile in my “old age” I am even having a go at making up squares of my own as I go along, but I think I will leave the designing to you younger , and more adventurouse people.
Am hoping to be able to keep on crocheting for a few years yet, and since I have learnt to “surf the net” there is no shortage of inspiration. This tech age we live in, is just breath taking, so much new stuff to learn.
Am looking forward to seeing more of your blooms, and thank you for sharing your talent with the world.
Stay safe and happy, and keep on BLOOMING.
Edith
Crochet Cloudberry
Thank you, that is very kind. I love that you have also been inspired to design your own after seeing inspiration on the internet. It is definitely somethings that is worthwhile doing on so many levels. Here is to crocheting!