A Snowdrop-Inspired Nordic Jumper

 

For a while now, I’ve had the idea in my head to knit a Nordic yoke-style jumper inspired by one of my favourite flowers: the snowdrop. There’s something magical about them—the way they bloom so early in the year, delicate and determined, quietly pushing up through the frost and leaf litter to announce that spring is on its way.

Where I live, wild snowdrops are everywhere in late winter. They gather in great drifts along the roadside, scatter themselves like confetti across woodland floors, and pop up in garden corners where you least expect them. I find them absolutely beautiful—they are understated, and full of quiet hope.

Despite searching, I couldn’t find a jumper pattern that featured snowdrops in the way I imagined them. So I decided to design my own.

 

This jumper is knitted with double-knit wool. The body and sleeves are worked flat, then joined together at the yoke, which is knit in the round on circular or double-pointed needles. I wanted to capture the graceful shape of snowdrop petals and the soft contrast between the greens and whites that mark their arrival in the natural world.

I have to confess—while knitting the body, I kept glancing ahead to the yoke chart, itching to start working with the colours and motifs. That’s where the design really comes to life.

The pattern contains instructions for three sizes. I'm wearing the smallest size in the photos. I wanted a cosy, slightly oversized fit—something I could wear over another layer during the chilly months. The finished chest circumference is either 42/46/50 inches, which gives a relaxed fit.

My husband asks me why I am publishing the pattern now in the middle of summer. But I think knitters know to think ahead, and may well be planning a cosy garment for next winter. 

 

It’s been such a joy to knit a piece so personal and seasonal. Snowdrops remind me to find beauty in the quiet, early moments of change—and now I have a jumper that carries that feeling with me wherever I go. The pattern is available on ravelry, Etsy and LoveKnitting.

Baby Tulip Cardigan

I have been hard at work on this new knitting pattern, which I am calling Baby Tulip Cardigan. It has taken a lot of thought, and knitting. Cardigans just seem the best sort of garment for a baby, with none of that squeezing over the head of a jumper. The tulips are smaller than those on my Tulip Hat, but knitted in a very similar way. Each flower uses two separate lengths of yarn - one for the leaves and one for the flower, which are not carried between the flowers on the reverse of the work. I love the look of the raised flowers, but put them only on the front of the cardigan, as I felt they might be a bit bumpy on the back for a lying or sitting baby.

The pattern comes with instructions for four sizes (0-3 months, 3-6 months, 6-9 months and 9-12 months). I have written sized patterns before, but this one was slightly more complicated, as the flowers had to be placed on each version. (The pattern contains a lot of brackets, and I hope will be fairly straightforward to follow.)

 

 

I have knitted Size 1, 2 and 4 - each one in a different DK wool that I had in my stash. Some of the places where I sell suggest that you will do better by recommending a specific brand of yarn, but I thought knitting with different yarns was a good way to test the pattern. The cardigan only takes 70g to 120g of main shade wool, depending on the size you knit, plus small amounts for the flowers, so it really is a good way to use up some yarn left over from another project. I used Stylecraft Sweet Dreams for Size 1, some North Ronaldsay DK for Size 2, and some Rowan Designer DK which I think came from my sister for Size 4. (Just looked this up, and apparantly it was discontinued in the 1980's, so that has been in my stash for a while!)

 

I like them all, and am rather fond of Size 4 - with each flower being a different colour, and the different coloured buttons at the front. Spent a lot of time in a haberdashery picking these out.

  

 

 

But what now to do with all these baby garments. I don't seem to know anyone with a baby, so apart from no baby models, I have ended up putting my samples in my Etsy Shop, along with my sample Tulip Hats.

The pattern is available on Ravelry, Etsy and LoveKnitting.

My resolve was to design more knitting this year, although I have been a little distracted by printing, walking, and now the gardening year is beginning! I have quite a few more ideas brewing, so time to start my next design.

Working on Tulips

Just a little teaser to show you what I am working on at the minute. My intention was to work hard on my patterns this year, and refining this tulip motif has taken me a lot of time. Devising an original design always takes much longer than you would imagine, but I think from my initial idea (in pink) to the final design you can see the improvement. (I know I should have probably run in my ends before blocking!)

I have got to a tulip version I am very happy with, and will be releasing a tulip pattern very soon. Nearly there, but still a bit of checking and photos to work on.

 

Pink Echinaecea Fairy

And finally here is the Pink Echinaecea fairy. Well done to those who identified her. Once again the only flowers I could find were in my local garden centre, although they aren't yet in bloom, the plant behind her really was a Pink Echinaecea. And below is a photo to show you want they look like at their best.

I will not be posting much for August, and might be found at the bottom of a packing case under a load of bubblewrap, but hope to be back with lots more posts in the Autumn.

Just a reminder that there is still plenty of time join in my Ginx Woolly Linx party for August. Click on the photo above or at the top of the page to find the party. I would love to see what you have been working on this month.

Black-Eyed Susan Fairy

Here is the second of my fairies, and she is called Black-eyed Susan. I've found out that there are two types of Black-eyed Susan, and the one she represents is the black-eyed susan vine (Thunbergia alata). I really like this plant, because it looks a bit like a flower drawn by a child. I was hoping that my fairy's black eyes would be a clue. Not many of these plant in my neighbourhood, so I had to take this photograph at my local garden centre. Yes, that is what the strange lady with a camera was doing between the flowerbeds. 

Just a reminder that there is still time join in my Ginx Woolly Linx party for July. Click on the photo above or at the top of the page to find the party. I would love to see what you have been working on this month.

Madame Lavender

I think it is time to reveal the first of my garden flower fairies. She is Lavender Fairy, and while making her I did think that she might be a French Lavender, so that is why I have called her Madame Lavender. 

I think she might have been difficult to spot as lavender seems to come in many shades. (I found out that apart from the blues and pinks, lavender also comes in white and yellow.) The photo at the top is what I was aiming for with her hat, and the photo at the bottom was taken in my own garden.  In a few days I will reveal the identity of the second garden flower fairy.

You can still guess who the other fairies are on my last post Garden Flower Fairies.

Just a reminder that there is still time join in my Ginx Woolly Linx party for July. Click on the photo above or at the top of the page to find the party. I would love to see what you have been working on this month.

Daffodil Fairy

This is the final of my spring wild flower fairies. I have a few more fairies in the pipeline, but they are summer garden flowers, so you will have to wait a while for them. As you can see, Daffodil is flamboyant and a lot of fun. 

None of the fairies have made it to my shop yet, as I still have to make their little bags. Can't believe that the Easter holiday has gone by and I have got to it yet. 

Just a reminder that there is still time join in my Ginx Woolly Linx party for April. Click on the photo above or at the top of the page to find the party. I would love to see what you have been working on this month.

Snowdrop Fairy

Hello Snowdrop Fairy. I am a little late in the year to find any real snowdrops to photograph her with. At first I thought she didn't need a hat, but I could see her looking at Primrose with a bit of envy, so in the end I made her one, and we had to go out again to the woods for more photos.
  

Just a reminder that there is still time join in my Ginx Woolly Linx party for April. Click on the photo above or at the top of the page to find the party. I would love to see what you have been working on this month.

Primrose Fairy

I've been making a few new fairies, using my fairy and mermaid pattern, and they will be heading to my Etsy shop, although first I have to make each one a little embroidered bag to live in. First meet Primrose - she can be a bit shy, but if you pick the right time of year you will find her in meadows, hedgerows and woodland. There will be a few more flower fairies appearing soon.

Just a reminder that there is still time join in my Ginx Woolly Linx party for April. Click on the photo above or at the top of the page to find the party. I would love to see what you have been working on this month.

Spring Flowers - Apple Blossom Baby Shoes

So many Spring flowers seem to be appearing. I love this season, but you have to make the most of it, as with some of the flowers they are here for a week or two and then they are gone. So I have been out with my camera, and then using the ideas for some inspiration for embroidery on some new baby shoes for my shop.

These shoes were inspired by Apple Blossom, but also by this lovely blue wool that I found in my stash. I love it when wool changes shade, and for these I was careful to get the colour change to match in both shoes. The pattern is my Baby Bee Shoe pattern. It is a fairly easy knit, but I love to make them individual with a bit of embroidery. These shoes are heading for my Etsy Shop, although first I will make a little drawstring bag for them. I have some more flower-inspired shoes and photographs on the way.

Just a reminder that my Ginx Woolly Linx party for May is now running. Click on the photo above or at the top of the page to find the party. I would love to see what you have been working on this month.

Daffodils

Sunflower (The Prequel)

I recently posted some photos of a sunflower and bumblebee in my garden. I forgot that I had intended to put on these photos of the sunflower a bit earlier in the year. So here they are - the prequel. I think they are quite as beautiful as the flower in full bloom.

To Saturday Snapshotters especially please feel free to enter the giveaway on my previous post Tyred of Knitting. I will announce the winner on 5th November.

Holly

So it is Day Two of my attempt to have a new fairy every day this week, and I am already slightly regretting my rash promise. Dandelion was yesterday's fairy. Holly is a much more Christmassy Fairy. She has holly leaves for wings, and some bright red berries on her hat.  

I sat up quite late last night doing the embroidery on her bag. The dupion silk has a lovely rough quality, and although once again the light is not good for photographs, I think my photos do show the real (not too brash) gold colour.

I really wanted to photograph her with a sprig of holly, and although there is a lovely holly tree with lots of berries in someone's garden in my road, I was too chicken to reach over and pick a sprig. My daughter was extremely embarrassed that I even considered doing this, so instead I hope her fluffy dressing gown gives a snowy background.

There will be no fairies on Sunday, but hopefully on Monday (light being suitable) there will be a duo.