Creating rhythmical knitting patterns inspired by the shapes, colours and microscopic world of plants
It has always been important to me that science and art should be friends.
Through Knitting with Flora I hope to combine inspiration from both the beauty of plants and their botanical awesomeness.
Here you will unearth knitting patterns that are grounded in elegant simplicity.
This idea also informs the sizing, layout, use of language, choice of fonts, clarity of charts, use of images and the sequencing of instructions.
The shapes are often tubes like those of plant stems and roots. Travelling around in spirals as you knit you can relax into a gentle rhythm. Feel the wool moving between your fingers, allowing your thoughts to settle or to wander. Be inspired by the resilience, flexibility and strength of plants as you knit.
Microscopic beauty
Since the late 1600s and the building of the first microscopes, people have marvelled at the rhythmic, organised beauty of plants.
Etchings and drawings of their discoveries unearth a kind of bold graphical art.
I re-imagine these images as stranded colourwork or simple garter stitch and eyelet lace to produce something new that is rooted in knitting and scientific history.
Working with wool
Plants are eaten by sheep who then produce the remarkable fibre that is wool.
Just touching wool can make you feel closer to Nature.
The range of natural shades and its fuzzy quality makes wool the perfect fibre for stranded colourwork.
Natural botanical dyes
People have been using plant dyes for many hundreds of years.
In a bid to move away from using synthetic dyes that are based on coal tar and other harmful chemicals, I decided to have a go myself.
I’m an enthusiastic novice, but if you’d like to see how I get on, or even join me, I’ll be writing about my exploits and results – whatever they may be ..
Seeds that have been planted with details to follow
Stashbusting dyes from last year
