Samantha Clair 
At last! I’ve been dying to drop this blogpost series for weeks! I was very fortunate to have been invited by Samia from SamiArt to take part in a community yarn bomb project. My first one! Below I include details of the event and how you can get involved!
All the information in The Wildflower Bunting blogpost series is available as a handy PDF download on Ravelry. The pattern includes some extra charts and photo tutorials.
Initial brief and Inspiration
The initial brief was ‘fun, colourful and eye catching’. Samia also expressed a desire for the display items to have patterns so the public can get involved and make the pieces at home to add to the display. Which is such a fun idea. Details of how to add your pieces to the display are at the end of the post.
I’ve wanted an excuse to make bunting for a while so I knew straight away that’s what I would be designing. When I think of bunting I think of people. Lots of people together, at fairs, May Day events, school summer fairs, community events or children’s parties. A symbol of community and people seemed a fitting idea for my first team project since lockdown. I feel grateful to be a small part of such a wonderful community art event.
Pattern Information
This pattern is divided into three parts: 1 The Wildflowers, 2 The Bunting Triangles and 3 The Joining. The pattern includes seven wildflower motifs to make 1 Wildflower Bunting Chain. Each Wildflower Bunting Chain is 15 triangles long. Beginners can make 15 triangles using one motif if they like. I don’t include a layout because I want everyone’s bunting to be slightly different and individual. I have included suggested colour schemes inspired by the wildflowers I find on my walks in Sussex.
Colour Schemes
Using Stylecraft special DK yarn:
April Wildflowers – citron, wisteria, white, buttermilk, stone, Parma violet, pistachio, meadow and cypress.
May Bluebells – white, wisteria, Parma violet, lavender, pale rose, pistachio, meadow and cypress.
Summer Wildflowers – white, cream, stone, toy, wisteria, buttermilk, lavender, Parma violet, peach, pale rose, mushroom, violet, raspberry, pistachio, meadow and cypress.
Play around with the colours, make lots of different colour flowers using scrap yarn or devise your own colour schemes inspired by the wild flowers where you live and walk.
Check out The Wildflower Gallery for more ideas and colour inspiration.
Materials
Yarn for one Wildflower Bunting Chain.
• 50g pistachio
• 50g meadow
• 25g cypress
• Flower colours in small amounts. Hook, 4mm
Scissors
Darning needle
Special Stitches and Techniques
All the special stitches are made with double crochets or to the height of double crochets. You will need to be familiar with the following stitches and techniques. I’ve included YouTube search terms for tutorials. The patterns will assume you know how to make these stitches and start and finish a round with them. Beginners should focus on learning the double magic circle, starting stitches and clusters first. Practice making neat clusters before moving onto puffs and popcorns.
Clusters: clusters are made when you crochet stitches together. For this pattern, to make clusters double crochet two stitches together. Start your first double crochet as normal- yarn over, insert hook, yarn over, pull hook through, 3 loops on hook. Yarn over and pull through 2 loops, 2 loops on hook. Now instead of finishing this stitch start your next stitch. Yarn over, insert hook, yarn over, pull hook through, 4 loops on hook. Yarn over and pull through 2 loops, 3 loops on hook. Yarn over and pull through all 3 loops. YouTube search: ‘how to make a cluster stitch?’ and ‘how to crochet dc2tog?.’
Puff stitches: to make the puff stitches I yarn over, insert hook, yarn over, pull hook through, pull yarn to the height of a double crochet (three loops on hook) repeat the process twice more. Yarn over pull hook through all seven loops. For a puff stitch at the beginning of a round I chain 1 and pull it up to the height of a double crochet and then carry on as above. YouTube search: ‘how to make a crochet puff stitch?’ and ‘how to start round with a puff stitch?.’
Popcorn stitches: make four double crochet. Take the hook out creating a large loop as you go. Insert hook front to back through the top of the first stitch. Hook the loop from the forth stitch and pull through. Pull yarn tight. YouTube search: ‘how to make a popcorn stitch?’
Starting stitches: starting stitches are how we begin a round. To start a round with a single crochet I chain 1 and single crochet. For a starting double crochet I chain 1, single crochet and chain 1. YouTube search: ‘how to start a round with dc?’ And ‘how to start a round with a sc?’
Double Magic Circle: to make a double magic circle start the same way you would for a normal magic circle but make two loops instead of one. YouTube search: ‘how to make a double magic circle, crochet?’
To start making the Wildflower Bunting go to Wildflower Bunting Part 1.
To learn more about the project and how to take part carry on reading.
Don’t forget to bookmark this page to come back to after you’ve made your Wildflower Bunting.
How to join in!
This is the part I’m really excited about!
Who are Carlshalton Artist’s Open Streets?
“Carshalton Artists have teamed up with Sutton Council’s Cultural Services, SamiArt and Sutton Writers to deliver an exciting ‘Open Streets’ visual arts event across Carshalton, as a celebration of the arts post-lockdown from the 17th June to the 25th July.
Highlights will include:
• 17th June to 25th June. Free art exhibition by Carshalton Artists
• 17th/18th July and 24th/25th July. Free Art Fair with art to purchase and live demos by
professional artists
• Art and Literature in streets & parks.
• Live drawing events.
• Impromptu Performance Art Events.
Earlier this year Carshalton artists sadly announced that they could not go ahead with plans for their hugely popular annual open studios event. However…. they are proud to announce they have replaced the event this year with an ‘Open Streets’ event that will take place for those six weeks in June and July, funded by Arts Network Sutton and, in part, by the artists themselves and local business partners.
This exciting open-air event will see art and literature displayed on the streets, parks and windows across Carshalton and an immersive, yet to be announced, street art event. The centrepiece will be a hugely significant exhibition of current local artists work at the historic Honeywood Museum in Carshalton. Here you will be able to book to see an amazing, free to access, art exhibition of work produced in the last year by artists normally involved in Carshalton Artists Open Studios. There will also be two art fair weekends on the dates of the 17th/18th and 24th/25th July, with demonstrations, artwork on sale and a showcase of the work of local groups that have supported the community through lockdown.”
For more information about Carlshalton Artists please visit
https://www.carshaltonartists.com/ openstreets2021
SamiArt
Samia Tossio is a local artist and event organiser. Constantly brimming with creative ideas she brings people, communities and artists together.
For more information about her yarn bombing and finger knitting projects please visit
https://www.samiart.co.uk/
To check out some of the other yarn bomb crochet patterns visit Creative Caroles website for Amigurumi-style work.
Do you want to take part in #CAOS?
If you want to take part in the community yarn bomb you can send your Wildflower Bunting to the address below either by post or drop off in person and someone from the museum will hang it with the display! The yarn bomb will be running from Thursday 17th June till Sunday 25th July 2021.
All work must be at the museum ready to display by Wednesday 14th July 2021. We will not be able to return work so please only send work you are happy to leave with the museum.
If you don’t want to send work to us but still want to join in you can display your work in your window to share with your community and post a photo on social media using the following hashtags:
#WildflowerBunting
#CAOSart21
#CarlshaltonArtistsOpenStreets
#finganinja21
#SamiArtStyle
FAO: SamiArt
c/o Honeywood Museum, Honeywood Walk, Carshalton
SM5 3NX.
If you have any questions you can find me on Instagram @SamanthaClairCrochet.
Happy crocheting,
Sam 💛
