Hearts and Flowers bunting, just in time for Easter

I took a little break from The Boy's very grey blanket (it is so grey and so square, not a flower or pink tone in sight) to make this little bunt.  That's a word, right, bunt?  And lots of bunts make bunting.

So, I have a pile of these lovely colours left over from making the Hearts and Flowers blanket, very easy to play with some yarn and the idea of hearts and flowers to come up with this.  I used Stylecraft Special DK in lipstick, pomegranate, fondant, white, lemon, pistachio and duck egg, but it's perfect for using up scraps in any colour combination that makes you smile.

The pattern is below and is the perfect introduction to the Hearts and Flowers blanket pattern (here on Ravelry or here on Etsy) as it uses some of the same stitches and techniques that I am fond of using.  If you make any bunts (or you are adventurous and decide to make the blanket) please share them with me on Instagram or other social media with #veraandbessmaker.

On to the pattern.  You will need your chosen yarn with appropriate hook (I used Stylecraft Special DK and a 4mm hook) plus a needle to darn all the ends in.  It is written in UK standard terms.

In lipstick, chain 4 and join with a slip stitch.  Do not fasten off.

R1: Work 1 double crochet into the ring chain 1, work (1 double crochet, chain 1) 5 times and slip stitch to the first double crochet.  Fasten off.

R2: In pomegranate, join with a double crochet in any space, chain 2, then work (1 double crochet, ch2) in each space, slip stitch to first double crochet and fasten off.

R3: Join with a slip stitch in any space.  Work 1 double crochet, 3 treble crochet, 1 double crochet and slip stitch in same space.  Work slip stitch, 1 double crochet, 3 treble crochet, 1 double crochet, slip stitch in each 2 chain space.  Do not join.  Fasten off.

R4: In fondant, work a front post double crochet around each of the 6 double crochet stitches from round 2.  Slip stitch to first stitch and fasten off.  You can just see these stitches in the photo below, at the base of each petal between the white spike stitches.

R5: In white, working into the centre ring and between each petal, work spike double crochet, chain 3 6 times.  Slip stitch to first stitch to join and fasten off.  Ease each petal through the chain 3 space and tweak as necessary to make them sit neatly.

R6: In pistachio, and starting with a starting treble (simply a treble stitch worked as the first stitch, rather than a chain 3, which you can of course use if you prefer), work 2 treble together, the first treble in one white 3 chain space and the second treble in the next space, so that the leaves appear between each petal.  Chain 3.  Work 2 treble together, the first treble in the same space as the last treble and the second in the next space.  Chain 3.  Continue around with 2 treble together, chain 3 and slip stitch to the first stitch of the round.  Fasten off.

R7: In white, working in the 3 chain spaces, work 3 double crochet, chain 1 in each space.  Slip stitch to second stitch of round (this creates a neater, almost invisible join as the slip stitch sits in front of the first stitch).  Fasten off.

R8: This round creates the heart shape.  Join with a double crochet in any chain 1 space.  Work 1 treble in the next stitch, 2 double trebles in the next stitch, 3 double trebles in the next stitch and 2 trebles in the chain space.  Work 1 double crochet in each of the next 3 stitches, 1 double crochet in the space and 1 double crochet in each of the next 3 stitches.  Work treble, chain 2, treble in the space (point of heart).  Work 1 double crochet in the each of the next 3 stitches, the space and the next 3 stitches.  Work 2 trebles in the next space, 3 double trebles in the next stitch, 2 double trebles in the next stitch, 1 treble in the next stitch.  Slip stitch to the first stitch and fasten off.

R9: In fondant, join with a double crochet worked under the double crochet from round 8, to exaggerate the centre top of the heart.  Work double crochet, chain 1 in each stitch to the point of the heart.  Work double crochet, chain 2, double crochet in the point.  Work chain 1, double crochet in each stitch to the beginning of the round.  Slip stitch to first stitch and fasten off.

R10: In pistachio, join with a double crochet in the stitch at the centre top.  Work (double crochet in ch1 space, ch2) in next 7 spaces.  Work (double crochet, chain 1) in next 9 spaces.  In point work double crochet, chain 2, double crochet.  Work (chain 1, double crochet) in 9 spaces then (chain 2, double crochet) in 7 spaces.  Double crochet next to the first double crochet of the round, in the same stitch.  Fasten off.

R11: This round shapes the bunt.  In white, join with a starting treble in the last stitch of round 10 and work 1 treble in the next stitch.  Then working in the chain spaces, work 2 double crochet in space, 1 double crochet and 1 half treble crochet in the next space, (2 treble, chain 2, 2 treble) in the next space, 1half treble and 1 double crochet in the next space, 2 double crochet in the next space and the 1 double in each of the next 9 spaces to the point.  Work 1 treble, chain 2, 1 treble in the point.  Work 1 double crochet in each of the next 9 spaces, 2 double crochet in the next space, 1 double and 1 half treble in the next space, (2 treble, chain 2, 2 treble) in the next space, 1 half treble and 1 double in the next space, 2 double in the next space.  Slip stitch to second stitch of round to join and fasten off.

R12: Starting in the last stitch of round 11, join with a starting treble and work 1 treble crochet in each stitch around with 1 treble, 2 chain, 1 treble in each corner.  Slip stitch to second stitch of round and fasten off.

R13: In duck egg, work 1 front post double crochet around each stitch, starting in the middle of the top section, with chain 2 at each corner.  Slip stitch to join.

R14: Working in the back loop only of the white trebles from round 12 and both loops of the stitches from round 13, work 1 double crochet in each stitch, with 1 treble, chain 2, 1 treble at each corner (encasing all chain stitches from previous rounds).  Slip stitch to second stitch of round and fasten off.

Make as many as you find pleasing and join with a simple chain, working double crochet stitches across the top of each bunt.

Don't forget to share photos if you make your own bunting.  Happy hooking and Happy Easter!

My design process

I should be starting on my next blanket later this week.  My first two designs were blankets that I wanted to make.  This third blanket is something that my 11 year old son has asked for.  He loves all things snuggly, squishy and comfortable (of my three children, he has the most cushions) but he also has an aversion to pretty and floral and has suggested that I make something more boy-friendly.

Why doesn't he love this as much as I do?

I've really been struggling with this and it's made me think about my design process.

Hearts and Flowers, well, I knew exactly what I wanted.  I wanted a beautiful floral theme, definitely working with hexagons, more realistic than stylised flowers and lots of white space to show them off.  Duck egg is one of my favourite colours, so that was a no brainer for the edging and I knew it would be the perfect balance to the bright shades in the flowers.

I started off with just four flowers and the heart, but when I started to put it together, I felt that it needed two more flowers to be perfect.  I didn't have a specific plan for the layout.  I started with a heart at the centre and worked outwards, trying not to repeat flowers in each circle of hexagons.  (I made one little mistake with that, but perfection is for gods and I am a mere mortal.)

Old Romance was a little different.  I started by choosing my colours - my local haberdashery has a a huge wall of Stylecraft Special DK in all the colours - and then came home to play with them.  My original colours included cream, which looked completely off when I started working on the design.  I also added plum at a later stage and changed how I used the raspberry, which was going to be little highlights, but ended up being a fully fledged member of my final colour cast.

Pattern should be published later this week

I was very much inspired by the colours and style of vintage tapestries, carpet bags and rugs and my colour palette really seemed to echo that vibe, so I knew that the design would end up being quite detailed and would probably include surface crochet, but it didn't really come to life for me until I added the simple embroidery.  I didn't have a specific plan for the size or shape of the motifs, but once I had the lime spokes embroidered in the flower centres, I knew where I was going.

This next blanket is a different animal.  I couldn't make the colours work, no matter how long I loitered in front of the yarn wall.  Nothing called out to me.  I couldn't settle on a design.  I had a vague idea about creating a tartan style with crochet, but it was all very vague and unexciting.  Since I started designing, I've begun to see pattern and colour palettes everywhere and it was seeing a woman carrying a white, grey and black bag with little pops of red on it that settled me on a colour theme.  The Boy seemed happy (or at least not unhappy) with the choice, so then it just came down to design.

I'm not much further along on that just now, although I have some ideas about angles and I definitely want to work this one from the centre out in one piece, rather than making up squares or hexies and joining them later.  I've spent a lot of time down a rabbit hole on Pinterest looking at patchwork quilts, which as an occasional patchworker and the daughter of a patchworker I love and I think it will help me take this blanket down a completely different path to my earlier, girlier blankets.

Watch this space.

This week

First of all, happy Mother's Day to any mummy readers in the UK. I hope you're having a lovely day with lots of cuddles and cups of tea (the cuddles are the best bit for me, and Little Miss Pink has taken it upon herself to keep 'em coming).  How lovely would it be if all those cups of tea arrived in something as pretty as this?

Sadly sold, but MariasFarmhouse has lots
more lovely teacups to choose from.

Doing: This week I've been decluttering.  I read about the 40 bags in 40 days challenge, although I've managed to lose the link to the blog I found it on.  The idea is that for the 40 days of Lent you remove one bag of clutter each day.  I think real devotees focus on specific areas and have checklists and so on.  I've just taken the idea and moulded it to suit me, so it's more a motivation to get rid some of the stuff that really I don't need any more, and I can give myself a pat on the back each time something else leaves the house.

Reading: I'm hugely inspired by the Little Pincushion Studio.  Annabel Wrigley teaches children to sew and is converting a camper van into a mobile sewing studio.  Jealous?  Me?  Absolutely!  I'm wondering how I can persuade Mr V&B that a caravan on the driveway would be the answer to the sewing clutter loveliness that spreads itself, completely unassisted, throughout the house.

Watching: I watched The Great British Sewing Bee final.  I love seeing sewing on mainstream television, but it seemed to be a very short series and, watching with the Sewster (she's 12), they seemed to start with more difficult garments than in the past, skipping the more basic stuff that she would have grasped more easily.  That said, it has totally inspired her and I need to keep up the decluttering to make room for all the newly sewn goodness she's creating.

More reading: I picked up a copy of Simply Sewing, the latest sewing magazine here.  Sewster and I both liked it enough to subscribe - Oh Boy has a Beano subscription and Little Miss Pink has Toucan boxes, so I was on the lookout for something for Sewster and this is perfect (especially as I can read it too).  It has the usual mix of pattern reviews, new fabrics and lots of things to make, from simple bags to a dress by Lauren Guthrie.  My only criticism is that they suggest that "Transforming a T-shirt is a great place to start if you're new to dressmaking."  They do qualify that with "Jersey fabric can stretch on the machine, so practise on old tops to get the hang of it" but I don't think stretch fabrics are the place to start and it might well be a huge put off for some people.  Much better to start with a woven cotton, at least in my humble opinion.

Eating: I tried out a recipe for peanut cookies, made with just peanut butter, honey and an egg, which I found, of course, on Pinterest.  I'm not convinced they're the cookies for me, but I'm going to use it as a starting point for a healthier than average cookie.  Watch this space.  The basic recipe was a cup of peanut butter, 1/3 cup of honey and 1 egg, mixed well and baked by the tablespoon at 180 for 8 minutes.

That was my week.  How was yours?