Most of you know Anne has many passions that drive her creative force. Anne appreciates beauty in every form and finds a lot of inspiration in nature. Her and David’s garden is a labor of love every year, no matter the size of crop.
Anne likes to be up early in the morning to see what the world has to offer each day. New plants, flowers, nests, insects, buds and blooms end up spiraling in her head until they produce or inspire a stitch pattern.
Often the patterns get on the knitting needles immediately, and sometimes they sit in the Anne vault for months or even years until the right yarn comes along.
Anne thought it would be fun to start a trip down memory lane and highlight shawl and scarf designs that were birthed in the garden. She started a Facebook album, which will be added to over the next few days, and started posting pattern photos on Instagram with #GardenInspiredKnits. I thought it would be fun to highlight a few more here. Come…take a walk with me…
Lacewing is a faroese shawl with allover floral and fern patterns finishing with a banded insect motif just above the hem. It’s worked top-down, with shaping at the shoulders and an applied (knitted on) lace edging at the hem border.
The shawl design was inspired by the lacewing,
a delicate insect that is a great help in pest control for your garden. The name alone easily lended itself to a lace knitting pattern. Originally knit in Knitting Notions Class Merino Lace, this would be stunning in Chebris or Mrs. Lincoln’s Lace. See Anne’s original blog post here.
Frillibet is a triangle shawl
with a mix of leaf
and petal motifs that mimic a blooming hydrangea.
I think this is one of my favorite shawls because I find hydrangeas such a beautiful explosion of color.
I love going on walks through my neighborhood in June and July, seeing all the different shades of their blooms. Frillibet was originally knit in Malabrigo Lace, but I think it would make a stunning knit in any of the natural colors of laceweight cotton or Fibre Co Meadow. For more, see Anne’s original blog post here.
Morning Glory is a wrap that pays homage to a delicate flower that only lives for a day.
Most morning glories unravel into full bloom in the early morning and they prefer bright sunlight. They definitely have an almost magical quality in their temporary beauty.
This piece is knit in a DK weight and I think it would be gorgeous in Stone Soup DK. It has such unique properties and when knit in lace it has a sophisticated rustic appeal. See Anne’s original blog post here.
Anne says Fruit of the Vine is the “essence of summer knitting—practically weightless, it takes up no space in a purse or tote. the pattern is simple to work and to memorize; with wrong side rows all in purl it is the perfect knitting for hazy, daydreamy summer evenings. come autumn, when mornings are nippy again, you’ll have a bit of sun-soaked color to wrap up with, mmm.”
The beautiful open work lace mimics a grapevine trellis, with bits of fruit poking through.
The original scarf is knit in a discontinued yarn,
but it would be suitable for several laceweights found in our online shop here. See Anne’s original blog post here.
Sonnenblume is full of delicate motifs that when all brought together in this cleverly structured semicircular shawl, it looks just like sunflowers.
To me, sunflowers are one of the happiest flowers – they’re large, hearty, come in array of gorgeous colors and resemble little smiling faces. Just this afternoon Padraig and I stumbled upon sunflowers lining a neighbor’s driveway and we froze in our tracks, smiling at their beauty.
Sonneblume was originally knit with Knitting Notions, but it would also be lovely in one of the soft organic cotton colors here or a Bare Naked Wools here. See Anne’s original blog post here. To view Anne’s entire shawl/wrap collection click here and to view the scarf collection click here.
Pop back now and then over the next few days on Facebook and Instagram and see more of Anne’s garden inspired knits. There’s an abundance of them! So I’m dying to know, which is your favorite garden inspired design of Anne’s? Tell me in the comments below by Tuesday 9 pm EST and I’ll pick two winners to receive a shawl or scarf pattern of their choice!
50 thoughts on “Garden Inspired Knits”
My vote goes to Syrah – it was fun to knit and is a delight to wear!
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I really like Fruit of the Vine for the rectangular shape and beautiful
pattern.
My favorites are bee shawl and maple wing. I guess maple wing is not too garden-y. But what’s a garden without bees?? 😃
Wasp and Rose, the first above. I bought the yarn as soon as she posted and waited over a year for the release– fortunately, since the yarn discontinued. But Sonnenblume is also stunning, and I’m so glad I’ve been in all the clubs! My favorite non-garden is Dovecote, and the one I’ve knitted more than any other is Alhambra.
Honey Baby. I was very tempted by Lacewing– just gorgeous– but I have a baby, and that is an incredibly beautiful blanket, modeled by an adorable baby. 🙂
Wasp and roses, I just love this pattern in Mrs. Lincoln’s lace. I have had the yarn for awhile now and I plan to knit this most beautiful shawl within the next year.
Love Sonneblume! Going now to put it in my queue! (and make sure I’m following Anne on Instagram, too)
There are so many that I love! But Boxleaf Wrap has been my favorite the longest.
Ha ha– “the Anne vault.” I love that!
I’m very interested in Frillibet–but I can’t find it via Ravelry? It doesn’t look like it is in the Ravelry pattern base–either by its name or under Knitspot patterns. Can you help me?
Thanks!
I’ve always loved Twig and Leaf and Budding Apple.
Of course they are all beautiful. It’s really difficult to pick a favorite:).
It is so interesting to see how much nature has inspired some of Anne’s designs. I love Frillibet, I am a huge fan of hydrangeas too!
Sonnenblume looks amazing. Wish I could start it right now!
there are too many to even choose! of course frillibet
this is a wonderful post to remind us of all your brilliance through the years!
thanks, Anne.
Fell in love w/Budding Apple the moment I saw it!
This was a lovely post, Erica, and such fun to see several of Anne’s scarves and shawls presented together in this manner. Thank you.
I love most of the garden-inspired designs, but my favorites are the ones with bees (especially Honey Baby) & Wasp and Rose.
Sonnenblume really appeals to me. I love the semicircular design, and the lace motifs blend so beautifully in this one. I particularly like the way the top of the shawl is semicircular but the bottom of it is more angular.
Anne’s ability to see something beautiful in nature, then pick up yarn and needles and translate what she sees into breathtakingly beautiful shawls leaves me in awe. It’s something that I could never do, but so appreciate the gift in someone else. Anne is a special lady. I’m so glad she shares her “gifts” with us!
I think I need to go with Wasp & Rose!
There are so many lovely designs it’s next to impossible to choose. But since I must, I choose Autumn Arbor Stole. It’s divine.
I really like Wandering thyme.
My favourite is whichever of Anne’s designs I’m currently knitting! But Wandering Thyme has definitely caught my heart for its simplicity and elegance.
I love Wasp and Rose! (but the Autumn Arbor Stole is a close, very close, second…)
Morning glory is a favorite; I’m partial to rectangular shawls
Twig and Leaf….
Fruit of the Vine.
Hard to choose, but I think Budding Apple is my favorite.
I get stuck at Mrs. Lincoln’s lace every time I see it!
But….Fruit of the Vine is looking more like a knit to do when watching soccer, TKD, etc…..
Wing ‘o the Moth. It was my first lace shawl and my first knitspot design. I took it with me to England November 2006 where it kept me warm during chilly morning bus rides. Thanks Anne!
Lacewing. I think it’d be lovely in a cream color. Beautiful design!
Thanks for adding the links to Anne’s original posts…I love re-reading her notes on the projects.
Just now my favorite is Zinfandel…it was challenging but knit up so beautifully in the club yarn that I promptly knit it again in a harvest colorway. So far, this is my proudest lace achievement!
Definitely, Lacewing. I LOVE the insect motif around the edge and it’s just generally a gorgeous shawl!
Wasp and Rose! Wait, Pea Vines! No, Sonnemblume! But then there’s Honey Baby! Oh bother. Better stop now. Wait! Wandering Thyme…..
I just don’t think I can pick a favorite.
Fruit of the Vine is perfect for our climate in south Texas, but I have a little hydrangea problem so Frillibet makes my list. Lacewing is beautiful as well. I don’t think I can pick just one! This feels like a potato chip commercial!!
One of the reasons I was first drawn to Anne’s designs, and learned to knit lace – was her use of patterns inspired by nature. Lacewing always stands out for me, and I will make it, some day!
They are all so beautiful but I love Peavines
How can one pick only one favorite? I find that it’s impossible with Anne’s designs. However, I think I keep coming back to Rosebuddie both because of the overall beauty of the design and the name! It’s perfect for babies or anyone else who needs to be wrapped up in love.
Anne is so creative. She sees nature in such a different way.
Love the Lacewing as it truely depicts the little creature. But in such a lovely way.
Oh what a wonderful and inspiring post! Makes me want to cast all the designs on 🙂
Frillier in that luscious sherbety pink is so appealing!
I don’t know if Gnarled oakwoods is exactly garden inspired, but it’s outdoors inspired and beautiful
I love lacewing. It really does look just like the insect
I think I’d have to say Sonnenblume is my favorite garden-inspired design – but they’re all so lovely!
Asking us to choose– cruel and unusual! Twig and Leaf is definitely a favorite!
Rosebuddie is one of my favorites. Such a great pattern and makes a perfect baby gift.
It’s so hard to choose just one! I loved knitting Pea Vines, and I have ALL of the others you featured in this blog post in my queue (with yarn ready – wish I had more knitting time!). I think I’ll cast on Lacewing next.
I have to go with Fernfrost. On our walks to school when I was a child, we used to pass an old purple DeSoto. In cold weather, its windows would frost up with fantastic patterns! I almost looked forward to cold mornings because of this. Fernfrost takes me right back there.
Maplewing is a beauty. Some day I will knit it.
I love Luciole! So beautiful!
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