flower girl

Posted on annePosted in interviews

say what you will about the month of march; so far, it’s been beautiful here—no lions in sight. yes, it’s still cold (mostly in the 20s still), but we’ve had sun and luminous blue skies and breezes instead of wind. breezes carrying that particular softness which tells me spring is approaching.

while we are far from the day when actual flowers might appear—there is still a great deal of snow cover in the yard—this change in temperament does make my mind turn to gardening and my fingers itch for soil.

without the actual cooperation of the season, one must look elsewhere to satisfy the urge to cultivate garden color and, as luck would have it, the solution landed on my doorstep in the form of a new paperback book release from sixth&spring books

nicky epstein’s knitted flowers reads like a very beautiful garden catalog.

the creations within represent a wide range of floral shapes and varieties which are surprisingly delicate and lifelike, with a good dose of whimsy added for fun.

nicky has also used a variety of knitting styles and constructions to produce these little lovelies; techniques such as felting, beading, lace, and i-cord are all represented.

likewise, she has made great use of a range of fibers and yarns here—small amounts of novelty yarns (don’t we all have a tub full of them somewhere?) are transformed into pieces that add a focal point to any plain project.

ribbons, fur, eyelash, ladders, and chenille—you name it, it’s in here.
nicky’s penchant for embellishment is fully realized in these pieces, with many examples showing embellishments on the embellishments with surprisingly tidy outcome.

the book is not just a catalog of flowers, however—many full-scale projects are included as well. some use a single example of floral embellishment to add interest and some are made up almost entirely of floral texture.

in many instances, the reader is led through the construction of single flower projects which are completely attractive on their own

then shown how to use them in multiples to trim a larger project

flowers and projects alike are presented at every skill level

from simple lace to more complex combinations of colorwork and structure,

though i don’t think any one of them requires very advanced knitting skills. patience and a willingness to work in a smaller stitch space are probably most important here, along with good finishing technique.

now, here’s the part you’re going to like: sixth&spring books is offering a free copy of nicky epstein’s knitted flowers to one lucky reader. to be included in the drawing for this book, please leave a comment at the end of this post by sunday, march 7, no later than 9 pm. the winner will be announced on monday morning.

many thanks to nicky epstein and sixth&spring books for sharing this publication with us today.

and hopefully, i’ll be back in business soon with my camera to resume regular blogging (the new spare battery arrived yesterday; i have high hopes that today’s mail will bring me the charger i desperately need . . .)

205 thoughts on “flower girl”

  2. I love Nicky Epstein’s creations. They are always fun and not too difficult to master. I’ll be excited to get a further look at this book!

  3. What a beautiful book.I think I enjoy spring flowers the most,such a miracle after a long cold winter.

  4. I love all of Nicky Epstein’s books, they are a wonderful source of inspiration. I’ll throw in my name and hope for the best!

  6. Pretty! Almost as good as the real thing.

    As for wind, we’re still getting pretty healthy gusts here (last weekend 101mph was clocked in my neighborhood!). But soon, soon, it will be time to dig in the dirt!

  7. What a gorgeous book. I wish you spring soon, although Nicky E’s flowers are a good substitute. Here is New Mexico sunny 60’s!

  13. I saw 2 robins a couple of weeks ago and we’re having warmer weather here in Michigan, but spring can’t come soon enough for me.

  14. I’ve got to say, the blue cardigan with the flowered edging kind of did it for me.

  15. Wow, what an amazing book. I was just trying to design a felt flower pin for my felted bag that I just finished. That little sunflower would be perfect!

  16. okay….I am crossing my toes and fingers and doing the positive karma dance that I could win this book. I love to knit flowers. 🙂

  19. How lovely. I’m getting married in September, and this book looks inspirational. 🙂

  21. I have Nicky Epstein’s Crocheted flowers and love it. I saw the knitted flowers book, but did not get a chance to purchase it yet. These are reference books to have in your collection and great embellishments to add to bags, scarves, and even jewelry.

  22. Wow, what a fabulous book! As a knitter who tends to go for the plain classic look, I’m itching to try something a little bit different, and who can do better than lots of flowers?

  24. Thanks Anne! Some of those flowers were very cool. My Grandma’s Blessing for Sprossling is on the way!! Now I just need to get the pattern! We’re to hit high 40’s this weekend and the time changes next weekend so we’ll have one more hour of sunshine–woo hoo!!

  26. Thank you for showing us inside Nicky Epstein’s book – I would love to try out some of those designs! I have a special place in my heart for knitting and for flowers – a fun chance to satisfy both fascinations.

  27. Anne, I love your blog & would love to win this book! Just saw some wonderful recycled sweater flowers in a boutique & have been fantasizing on how to knit them from scratch – should’ve known Nicky was waaaaayy ahead of me!

  28. That book looks gorgeous, and not only because of the beautiful flowers. It seems that it would be a joy to flip through for the colours, the gloss, and the layout. Plus, awesome knitted flowers!

    Thanks for sharing it!

  32. I love this book. It is one of my favorites. There are so many uses for all the designs–not the least of which is just admiring them. Yours are gorgeous!

  36. Oh my! What tempting photos. I regularly check out her other books from the library and I love love love flowers.

  38. What a wonderful opportunity! Gorgeous flowers that could grace many a fine project. fabulous

  40. Thanks, Anne, for bringing this book to my attention. There are a few lonely skeins in my stash, and I’ve been wondering for a while what they wanted to become… Well, I’ve got my answer (at least for some of them) right here! They’ll make lovely flowers! 🙂

  43. Even here in Florida we are eagerly awaiting spring and flowers this year. Many days of freezing temperatures have killed a lot of our tropical plants. Good excuse to Xeriscape!

  44. If you don’t enter, you can’t win, right!?! Thanks for holding the contest – sounds like fun. The snow is still quite deep here in southern MN… No flowers in sight!

  45. Oh Anne! What a lovely book to share and remind us that yes indeed spring is coming. I just adore those little 4 petal violet flowers.

  47. I almost thought you had made some of the flower projects already – the flowers just jump right out of the book! Still snow in VA too, hopefully will be gone in time for cherry blossoms 🙂

  48. Love how she keeps coming up with such great ways to extend knitting beyond just garmentry.

  49. I am always stunned by such creativity.
    What better way to dream of spring than with a book of beautiful flowers!

  50. I would love to add this to my Nicky Esptein collection and welcome Spring in a great way.

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