Summer Bunting

Back in March I was thinking about the monthly column I write for Simply Crochet magazine, wondering what would be a good subject to write about for early summer. I was thinking summery thoughts, dreaming of the sea, salty sea breezes and that joyful feeling of freedom that comes with being on holiday. And then I thought of bunting. I thought of how the streets of my home town in Dorset are always strung with bunting during the summer to welcome visitors, and how the same thing also happens here in my Yorkshire home town. It is such a cheerful and nostalgic sight, and a string of homemade bunting carries those same feelings of happy cheer and childhood nostalgia for me.

So I happily wrote about crochet bunting and garlands for the magazine, and then thought how much fun it would be to make up a little bit of summer bunting in my favourite shades of coastal blues. Perhaps I might even share it with the readers of Simply Crochet magazine, inspire them to hook up a little bit of fluttery summery decoration for themselves?

To keep things simple, I chose just four colours to work with, using my favourite Stylecraft Special DK :: Petrol :: Turquoise :: Denim :: Cloud Blue

I came up with a neat little triangle worked in four quick rounds, the last round being a simple edging to pretty it up a bit. I made 12 triangles, then strung them together with three rows of crochet to make quite a thick decorative band running along the top.

To finish it off nicely, I stitched on some spotty buttons

Ta-dah!!!!! I love the simplicity of this decoration, it is unusual for me to be so minimal with my colour palette (!) but I really enjoyed immersing myself in these summer blues.

Now then, I debated long and hard about sharing this next bit with you, it is not that pretty! You have to first understand that a string of bunting is a devilishly difficult thing to photograph. It is long, and floppy, and the backdrop takes a lot of consideration. I confess that I failed miserably. Would you like to see my pitiful attempts?

I tried outside first. However, my backyard is currently looking very sad and scruffy, and not that great for a photo shoot. Plus my neighbours cat Bert insisted on coming in for a nosey and would not leave even when I asked him nicely.

I had a bit of better luck inside, hanging it across my mantel. The finished string measures 135cm, and it was actually a pretty good fit across my old fireplace, but of course it ended up right at the bottom of the picture.

Luckily, I was able to send my bunting to the lovely peeps at Simply Crochet who do things the Professional Way. I asked Tanya if she could take some "behind the scenes" pictures to show me, as I was reaaaaaaally curious to see how it would be styled. I had imagined my bunting hanging in a beautiful little white washed summer house, or maybe a cute retro beach hut? Or how about a wonderful light-filled little boys room, with blue gingham bedding and vintage wooden boats? Oh yes, my creative mind overflowed with all sorts of ideas!!!

When the pictures came back, I laughed and laughed. How fanciful I had been!

Of course, these things simply take place in a carefully staged, professionally lit photographic studio. No summer houses or beach huts or gorgeous houses.

There is also a fair amount of technical computer wizardry involved too, something else that I would fail miserably with no doubt. But the finished result? Well..................

............just gorgeous!

This is how it will appear on the printed page, and I think the team at Simply Crochet did a terrific job. My Summer Blues Bunting pattern will appear in issue 19, which will be in the UK shops on Thursday 29th May.

So. What next? Well.....when I originally designed the bunting in shades of blue, I had been thinking of the sea. But part way through making it, I realised that it would make a terrific decoration for a little boy's bedroom don't you think? It would make a great gift to welcome a new baby boy into the world, or to decorate a toddlers bedroom. I then got curious about how this pattern would turn out if it was worked up shades of pink? We can't have the boys taking over, now can we?!

So I chose fours new colours of Stylecraft Special DK ::

Clematis :: Fondant :: Magenta :: Raspberry

Oh so pretty! They took me instantly to a summer garden full of roses and clematis and raspberries and sweet peas.......

These colours were a joy to work....

... and as with the blue bunting, I finished the string off with some pretty spotty buttons.

Love how it turned out. Super pretty, and perfect for little girls (or big girls, come to think of it)

I am continuing to work with the lovely peeps at Wool Warehouse which is giving me a great deal of pleasure I have to say. The team there are so friendly and enthusiastic about all that they do, it's bloomin' marvellous to chat and plan and get all giddy with folks who love colours and yarn *almost* as much as I do! You can find all the Attic24 colour packs and buttons and things HERE on their website, it's looking very cheerful on that page I have to say!

As you know, any excuse to play with colour and yarn and I am right there in a jiffy. This week I've been in my element, faffing about with my yarn balls, planning and playing and scheming in full, glorious colour.

I wanted to have a play with other colour combinations for my bunting, to see how I could bring different sets together. I know that choosing successful colour combinations can seem like an impossible task to some, and yes it can be very hard to get it right especially if you are doing it via a computer screen. So, just for the pure pleasure of doing it, here is what I have come up with......

:: pomegranate :: spice :: petrol :: meadow ::

This is quite a feisty combo, kind of hot and spicy and rich.

 

:: pomegranate :: spice :: gold :: meadow ::

Taking out the deep petrol colour and replacing it with rich gold gives a lighter feel, but still full of rich, warm tones.

 

 

 

And here's how those two triangles came out.

Next I went for some prettier, more mellow tones..

:: pale rose :: grape :: gold :: camel ::

These colours remind me of sunshine and fragrant summer flowers.

Now taking out the gold and adding in the richness of the pomegranate..

:: pomegranate :: camel :: pale rose :: grape ::

And here's how the triangles turned out. I love these colours, they are soft and warm and mellow.

Ooooooooo! Now there's a lovely palette! I can picture a cushion coming together in those pretty summer colours :)

Some rich, earthy colours coming into play now ::

:: copper :: magenta :: mocha :: raspberry ::

Then changing out the earth colours to add some water!

:: denim :: raspberry :: petrol :: grape ::

Oh yes, I really love these ones too. The one on the right (with the blues) is maybe a touch too dark, perhaps I would lift out the petrol and put a lighter blue in there instead.

Do you like these colours all together? I think they are absolutely WoNdErFuL and the instant I looked at this photograph I wanted to go grab my hook and start making granny squares with them. I can see a big granny blanket right there in those colours, it would be so beautiful! All sort of rich and mellow and warm and spicy! Can you see it? Can you imagine it? Oh the possibilities!!!!!!!!!!!!

Aaaanyyyyyhow.....maybe there is a new blanket idea germinating there, but for now, back to the bunting. I really adore these colours, they aren't my usual palette of clear brights, but there is still a brightness there. I'd say "rich" is a more appropriate word.

I think I will make six more and string them together to add some rich, spicy colour to a little corner of my home.

I am really enjoying working with Wool Warehouse on various yarny projects and am thrilled to be earning a small commission on each sale of the blue and pink yarn packs mentioned earlier in this post. There is 400g of yarn in each of these packs, so you could make shed loads of bunting, or maybe even a small baby blanket or cushion with the leftovers!

I think the pink pack would also make a beautiful Blooming Flower cushion (like a giant rose)...

 

...and how about a ripple-stripe cushion with the blue pack? Perfect for making and gifting a little handmade goodness, or creating a little something for yourself to remind you of summer days.

You can find all Attic24 yarn packs right here.

I am also loving the designing and writing work that I'm currently doing for Simply Crochet magazine, but I would like to reassure you that the magazine doesn't in any way ask me (or pay me) to promote it here on my blog. I write about it every so often cos I love chatting about my creative journey and thought it would be fun to share some colour-love with you. I hope you might feel inspired to go grab some balls and hook yourself a little string of summer colour!

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♥...more little snippets from the Attic...♥

Yarndale 2013 :: The Yarn Bombing

Keeping On

Mandala Wheels for Yarndale

Festive Wreath Beginnings

Comments

[Susana]

Hi Lucy!
I have just ordered a pink yarn pack to Stylecraft Special DK, I'm looking forward to start crocheting this for my coming nephew!! I'm from Spain, and I don't know if I will find Simply Crochet magazine here. Is there any option for me getting the pattern?
Hugs from Spain
Susana

[Helen]

What gorgeous bunting! And it's fascinating to see the behind-the-scenes studio shot. Thanks for all the colourful inspiration!

[Lucie Drolet]

Hy Lucy,
the colors you have chosen are totally lovely. Continue your great job. You inspire us all. Whenever I have the opportunity I procure the magazine

[Corine]

Great bunting and lovely colours, I must try that too. I never tried Stylecraft, but I love the denim colour, so I must order some balls of this yarn.

PS: Bert is cute.

[Julie Holder]

Hi Lucy, Just love the bunting and he colours you have used....I would like crochet the coastal ripple..Would you mind giving mt the colours that you used and the order in whichyou used them. tried to find the information on your blog but could'nt. Thank you so much....

[kath]

Hi Lucy! Cricket, what a gorgeous pattern! Like you say, perfect as a baby gift. Thank you for sharing the behind-the-scenes pics, too. I have a pattern in Simply Crochet for the first time in this same issue and its rather thrilling to see how my shawl (page 19) looks when someone else has styled and photographed it! Can't wait to hook up some bunting for my shed now :-) Kath xxx

[Bambi]

Lucy, have you seen these cute pinwheels with top stitching? They remind me of those huge colorful lollipops.

http://made-in-k-town.blogspot.de/2012/06/spiral-coasterpotholder-pattern.html

[Lucie Drlet]

Wow!!! Quel talent! Je vais essyer de trouver le magazine au Québec Canada. XXX
Lucie

[Tracey at yarn and pencil]

Hi Lucy :-) I do love those spicy colours
Tracey xxx

[Susan]

Love seeing and hearing about your colorful life. Happy to hear you are making a little money with it as well as you share so much with all your readers. I'm very happy for you.

[Jason Eden]

The seaside colours are looking great

[Dorothy Griffiths]

Lovely Lucy as always a fabulous post - it was amazing to see what they do with the photographs! I have finished your bag Lucy although it looks a tad bigger than yours and I wonder if I should have used a smaller hook, some people say no some say yes so I am a bit confused! Any help gratefully received, just have the straps to do now and the beautiful flowers and then stand back and admire......I am sorry that I have not been across as regularly lately but hopefully work will calm down a little now and I can visit you every post. Have a fabulous weekend Lucy. Big hugs, Dorothyxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[spinningfishwife]

The pink bunting for Big Girls? G-string knickers, lol! I used to wear bikinis made from these back in the 70's!

[Jean]

Shameless advertising and promoting of your yarn packs to make money from gullible fans.

[Beth Bentley]

Thank you Lucy for the tips on color combining! I always am amazed with the way you can put colors together and with this post, I feel more confident.

[sumona]

Wow ....Lovely work... Just amazing!!!Love the triangles, beautiful colours, all of them!!!

[Robin Elaine]

Hi Lucy, I'm back for the second day of re-reading your blog. So enjoy your writing style and the way you guide us through your choices and explain the selection of the yarn, then forward to the finished project. That, in my opinion, is the best and most fun part. Bert, the nosey neighbor, is adorable! My furry family members always try to squeeze into the shots. lol

[Jenny]

I love the blue bunting. Interesting post "behind-the-scenes" :)

[CJ]

Fantastic bunting, and a lovely pattern. How interesting to see how the professionals photograph things, it's an eye opener! I'm glad things are going so well for you, it's such a pleasure to follow your creative journey. Have a good Sunday. CJ xx

[Jenny]

Ooo! Lucy, rich and spicy colours! Yumeeee! I think you are morphing from a mum to a Goddess! xox

[Sheery]

It's completely gorgeous bunting, Lucy. Even before I saw the girly colors I was thinking it would be pretty in feminine hues for my daughters' room. So I'm going to have them choose two colors each and make them some bunting for the room they share.

[Rachael]

This was fun to read. I completely sympathise with the business of photographing bunting. My best efforts have included using the panoramic function on my camera or just giving up and lying it on the floor. It's really hard to find just the right spot to hang it that also has consistent light and a plain background. Yours look nice close up though anyway. Glad you are getting paid for your work. You deserve it.

[wendy]

Fabulous and must say I really liked your picture with Burt, got to love how cat's just have to get in the picture lol

[Eclectichomelife.blogspot.com]

Lovely Lucy. I posted my crochet bunting a few days ago. With lots of photos of the diminished bunting in the Norwegian woods. Come over and see! http://eclectichomelife.blogspot.no/2014/05/crocheted-heart-bunting-lots-of-it.html?m=1

[sew]

..... Bert liked to visit the Attic as he knew there would be sqidgy yarn to get his claws into....
He would risk one of his nine lives to be invited to Yarndale....