books, etc. - 100 flowers to knit & crochet

I don't own many crafting books. I usually turn to blogs, Ravelry, and Pinterest for inspiration and new patterns. So when I saw 100 Flowers to Knit & Crochet: A Collection of Beautiful Blooms for Embellishing Garments, Accessories, and More at Michaels, I hesitated to buy it. But since I have long wanted to make a set of tea cozies inspired by different flowers, I thought it would be a worth while purchase for me. 

While the book does not include specific yarn or needle size suggestions for each pattern, I am hoping that the detailed pictures will be enough to help choose the right materials. From browsing the book, some of my favorite flowers include the crocheted pansies and knit filed poppies. The carrots or radishes would be an adorable accessory to a reusable grocery bag. 

It is still definitely winter here in Boston, but that won't stop me from bringing a little bit of spring into my (knitting) life! 

flowers, etc. - summer in the boston public garden

Summer is winding down, but in the Boston Public Garden flowers are out in full force. Every few weeks there are changes in the arrangements, but I particularly like the bright colors dominating the flower beds this season. I am so lucky to get to walk through the Garden on my way to work each morning! <3 Boston. 

Follow me on Instagram to see more! - @annaknitsetc 

flowers, etc. - rose garden

On Friday I visited Boston's James P Kelleher Rose Garden during my lunch break. The garden is in full bloom, and there are so many different types of roses to see. While there is a full range of color - purple, yellow, and a really cool pink/yellow/white variety called the Chihuly - I particularly liked all the pink roses. Here are some of my favorites:

Inspired to crochet a rose? It is easier than you think! Learn how here.

flowers, etc. - effortless arranging

I love this floral arrangement featured on the blog {frolic!}. It is organic without looking messy, and the colors go great together.

This particular composition is actually from an online floral arranging class taught by Chelsea Fuss. I think floral arranging is a great skill to have, as flowers bring life to any setting. Maybe I'll find the time to take a class on it one of these days!

anna crochets - boston love blanket

I read about the Boston Love Blanket on the blog One Sheepish Girl, and knew I had to send in a square! The squares are going to be sewn together to create a blanket for relatives of one of the victims of the Boston bombing.

As some of you know, I've been working on my own flower blanket, so I decided to use some of the flowers I had already made for it in my 8x8 square.

There are so many beautiful flowers out in Boston this week. I snapped a pic of some tulips in the Public Garden that reminded me of my crochet squares:

Happy spring!

anna crochets - cotton perle update 3

After finishing my first crochet garland, I quickly started on another using the same cotton perle. (Read about my materials for this project here.)

This time I tried a new pattern (originally by Yvonne Eijkenduijn of one of my favorite blogs, Yvestown) for the crochet flowers, but modified it so that the flowers have six pedals. I also made a few crochet circles, using this basic pattern. 

I am getting faster, and hope to have a few more elements done for this garland soon!

anna crochets - flower garland

Sorry about the delay in posts! It has been a crazy week here in Boston.

I did get a chance to finish my first flower garland!

Here is a pic of me assembling the garland strand:

I used size 8 DMC cotton perle for the garland, and size 5 DMC cotton perle for the flowers. It is based on a pattern my Emma Lamb published in an issue 24 of Mollie Makes. See my progress here and here. 

anna crochets - cotton perle update 2

I finished some more cotton perle flowers during jury duty today. (Don't worry, I wasn't put on a trial!)

I'm getting closer to having enough flowers to make my garland. Learn more about my project here.

anna crochets - cotton perle

With the weather warming up, I decided to start a spring project in cotton perle 5, rather than wool. I got the cotton perle at Michaels, which had a great color selection. It is just one size bigger than the embroidery floss I used to make friendship bracelets out of.

I'm using a tiny size 1.5mm crochet hook - much smaller than anything I have ever crocheted with before. At first it was hard to grab the loops without letting them slip, but soon my hand adjusted to the size of the needle and it felt more natural.

I'm planning to use the flowers I make in a garland, much like the Emilia Flower Garland
by Emma Lamb.

anna crochets - cotton coaster

I bought some cotton yarn yesterday to make crochet garlands (see my Pinterest board on crochet garlands here!), but I decided to start with a crochet coaster instead.

It turned out a bit larger than I expected, but it is still sweet. Not sure if I will make three more for a set of four. I got the pattern for free from KRW Knitwear Studio. What do you think?

happy easter 2013

Get the crochet pattern here. 

anna crochets - flower granny squares 2

I just got back from a week in Europe. It was a wonderfully relaxing trip, filled with great food, art, and company. While I do tend to get stressed from the actual travel part of travelling, I have learned to enjoy airport and plane time as a chance to sit down and do some knitting/crocheting.

This trip, I brought along my flower granny square project. I packed a little yarn bag for the flight equipped with yarn, a crochet hook, a tapestry needle, and carry-on approved scissors. (You can read a post I wrote about travelling with knitting here.)

By the end of two long plane flights, I had amassed eleven squares.

Only 77 more - or so - to go before I can stitch up my blanket.

See my progress, and get the pattern I used to make the flower granny squares here.

anna crochets - flower granny squares

Despite the snow here in Boston yesterday, I am ready for spring! On that note, I finally started on my flower granny square blanket:

I used a pattern from the blog Rose Hip. In case you want to try it too, I took pictures of each step in the pattern to help you visualize it:

I also used this video to help me figure out the pattern. Once you get the hang of it, it is pretty easy!

For the inside of the flower, I used a Cascade 220 yarn in a dark gray/black, which I had left over from another project. For the pedals and border, I used ella rae classic, colors 47 (rose) + 104 (silver heather). I used a size H/8 crochet hook.

See my inspiration here.

crochet, etc. - flower squares

After finishing some big knitting projects (see my mittens, tea cosies, and bulldog), I am excited to start a big crochet project! I decided to make a blanket, and found this lovely flower squares pattern from the blog Rose Hip.

photo by Zandif

I crocheted a flower a few months ago, and was really happy with the result. I have some pretty colors of yarn left over from tea cosies, so I plan to use that for the squares. This is a long-term project, but hopefully I can finish it before next winter :). 

anna crochets - fleur de lis cup cosy

This weekend I made a fleur de lis cup cosy for an LSU fan:

You can find the free pattern for the cosy itself here. I free-styled the fleur de lis, and will try to write out the pattern for this blog soon!

I made the packaging out of a white piece of cardboard.

PS: Made a bit smaller, this pattern would work well as a wrist band for an LSU football fan!

anna crochets - pink rose

I have not crocheted in a very long time, but after seeing this post for a crochet tea cosy with rose adornments on the blog Why Didn't Anyone Tell Me?, I decided to give it a try. I started with a rose, and it was actually much easier than I was expecting. I finished the project all in one sitting, even with reteaching myself how to crochet.

I got the pattern from the blog The Dark Knit via Pom Pom Emporium, which has some great illustrated instructions. I don't think I will attach this rose to the yellow + pink tea cosy I just finished, but I'm sure I will make a tea cosy in the future that it can adorn. Or perhaps a headband?

anna knits - yellow + pink tea cosy

I finished a medium sized yellow + pink tea cosy today. It is a variation on the spiral top tea cosy pattern I posted for free here.

Here is me finishing up the top with four double pointed needles:

And here is the finished product:

Now I want to make a flower to adorn the top of the tea cosy. I like the looks of these crochet roses from blog Pom Pom Emporium.

There are great illustrated instructions here.

gardens, etc.

About a week ago, I went on a Hidden Gardens Tour sponsored by the Beacon Hill Garden Club. I wanted to share some pictures I took on the tour.

It was a gorgeous day. Check out this view down Acorn Street:

Lots of great sculptures:

Bulldog! (Yalies?)

This one reminds me of my parents' black pug, Maeby:

I love this panoramic wallpaper inside one of the houses, which reflects the foliage outside. 

The tour made me want to start my own hidden garden. I saw some amazing flowers at the Beacon Hill shop Rouvalis Flowers. Since I live in a tiny apartment, perhaps I'll invest in a succulent garden.

anna knits - spiral top tea cosy

Yesterday I shared one of my favorite knitting patterns: Spiral Top Tea Cosy. Today I wanted to share some pictures of the finished product. I was recently commissioned to knit three of them so I have some new pics. If you'd like to buy a Spiral Top Tea Cosy, check out my Etsy store, or email me at annaknitsetc(at)gmail(dot)com.

My color choices were inspired by spring. I particularly liked these flower arrangements found at the Women's Leadership Conference held at Brown University last weekend. Simple and beautiful!