Today’s Sunday Swatch is in Bamboo Pop colors 108 Lime Green, 208 Pink Joy, and 102 Cream.
Today’s swatch started as an experiment to see just how thick various i-cords were in Bamboo Pop. Bamboo Pop is one of our most popular yarns, a lightweight blend of 50% cotton and 50% bamboo.
The entire flower was knit on size 4 needles. The petals of the flower are one long 4-stitch i-cord, the stem is a 3-stitch i-cord, and the center is a 2-stitch i-cord curled around itself.
I took a picture of the back side so you can see how it’s assembled. I had hoped to put a chenille stem (pipe cleaner, for those of my generation) into the center for stability, but the i-cord was just a little too narrow to fit the jumbo-sized chenille stem that I had on hand, so instead I used some very thick floral wire for stability. The extra wire extending from the bottom lets it stand upright without causing the i-cord to push up on itself and wrinkle.
The leaves were a last-minute addition, but they’re a nice touch. Here’s the leaf pattern, done on size 4 needles:
CO 4
Row 1: k1, (kfb) twice, k1. (6 sts total)
Row 2: purl
Row 3: k2, (kfb) twice, k2 (8 sts total)
Row 4: purl
Row 5: k3, (kfb) twice, k3 (10 sts total)
Row 6: purl
Row 7: k1, k2tog, k4, ssk, k1 (8 sts total)
Row 8: purl
Row 9: k1, k2tog, k2, ssk, k1 (6 sts total)
Row 10: purl
Row 9: k1, k2tog, ssk, k1 (4 sts total)
Row 10: purl
Row 9: k2tog, ssk,(2 sts total)
Row 10: purl 2 tog (1 st total)
Pull yarn through remaining stitch to bind off.
I have some bits of Bamboo Pop in other colors, so I’m considering making an entire bouquet for an empty flowerpot. It would be a nice maintenance-free addition to the front porch.
Happy knitting – and gardening!
