Felted Flowers
You will need
- Small amounts of Cascade 220 yarn in: light pink (9477 Tutu); medium pink (9478 Cotton Candy); dark pink (7805 Flamingo Pink); green (8903 Prima Verra); light green (8910 Citron) – alternatively, use yarns suitable for felting
- 6mm crochet hook
- Brooch pins
- Large eyed-needle
- Pillowcase
- Tennis balls or dryer balls
- Safety pins (optional)
Abbreviations
sts - stitches
ch - chain
sl st - slip stitch
dc - double crochet
htr - half treble
tr - treble
FL - front loop
BL - back loop
YO - yarn over
*s - between the asterisks.
Conversions
UK = US
dc (double crochet) = sc (single crochet)
htr (half treble) = hdc (half double crochet)
tr (treble) = dc (double crochet)
To make the Begonia
Puff stitch
(At the end of a ch) *YO, insert hook into 2nd ch from hook, YO, pull through a loop
about a height of a treble*
Repeat between *s four more times (five long loops), YO, pull through all the loops
on the hook, 1 ch at the top, 1 very tight ch into the same ch as puff stitch (shape puff
into a ball with your fingers).
Base
Make a loop or slipknot, into this work as follows:
1st round: (in light pink) 2 ch (counts as first dc), 5 dc, sl st to top of 2 ch to join
round = 6 sts
Bobbles
2nd round: into FL only: *5 ch, into 2nd ch from hook 1 puff stitch, sl st along
remaining ch of starting 5-chain and into same FL, sl st into next FL*.
Repeat 5 times = 6 bobbles on stems. Cut yarn.
3rd round: (join dark pink) Into BL only: *6 ch, into 2nd ch from hook 1 puff stitch, sl
st along remaining ch of starting 6-chain and into same BL, sl st into next BL*.
Repeat five times = six bobbles on stems. Cut yarn.
Leaves
Join green into any loop on the back of the base round.
*7 ch, sl st into 2nd ch from hook, 1 dc into next ch, 1 htr into each of next 2 ch, 1 tr
into each of next 2 ch; sl st to base*. Repeat between *s, cut yarn.
To make the Geranium
Base
Please see ‘Base’ for Begonia
Petals
2nd round: Into FL only: *7 ch, into 2nd ch from hook 9 htr, sl st to top of chain
before 1st htr to form a circle, sl st into 2nd ch from middle of circle (along starting 7-
ch stem), sl st along remaining ch of starting 7-chain and into same FL, sl st into next
FL*.
Repeat five times = six petals on stems. Cut yarn.
3rd round: (join green for leaves) Into BL only: *7 ch, sl st into 2nd ch from hook, 1
dc into next ch, 1 htr into each of next 4 ch, sl st into same BL, sl st into next BL*.
Repeat five times between *s, cut yarn.
To make the Honeysuckle
Base
Please see ‘Base’ for Begonia.
Petals
2nd round: *6 ch, into 2nd ch from hook 1 sl st, then 1 sl st into each of remaining
ch and same dc of the previous round, sl st into next dc of previous round*.
Repeat 5 times = 6 petals. Cut yarn.
Make two more flowers: one each in medium and dark pink. Arrange them and join
them with one or two sewing stitches using the tail end of the yarn.
Leaves
Please see ‘Leaves’ for Begonia
Felting
Place brooches into a pillowcase (preferably one with a zip to avoid escaping or
carefully pinned with safety pins) and put it into the washing machine together with a
pair of tennis balls or dryer balls. Add a small amount of detergent (about quarter of
a tablet) and wash on a 60º cycle without spinning, as this sets in creases that
cannot be removed afterwards. Gently squeeze the water out and pull the bobbles
and leaves into shape. (If the brooches haven’t felted properly, repeat the wash
cycle.) Place them on paper kitchen towel on a radiator to dry. After drying sew
brooch pins to the backs.
TIPS
In summer, dry brooches on a cake rack in the open air.
Caution: remember that dark colours may run at a 60°-Wash.
Credit: Flower Design by Ildiko Szabo / Photography by Jane Bolsover