Today, before I got started with my crochet, my mom and I went to see the exhibition, Collecting Matisse and Modern Masters: The Cone Sisters of Baltimore, at the Nasher Museum of Art in Durham.
It was, in a word, inspirational.
Another source of inspiration I came across recently is this image that had been posted at Facebook by one of my crochet peeps:
While this particular window treatment (and this tutorial for the half flower) is the brainchild of Robin Sanchez of Once Upon a Pink Moon, the flower itself is the creation of Suz Pinner, and she provides this excellent tutorial at her blog “The Flower Bed,” should you want to make some of these big beautiful flowers for yourself.
While I loved the flower, I was most intrigued by how it had been used as a window treatment, and I had a particular window in mind:
This is the window over the kitchen sink in my mother’s home, and I thought about how much nicer and less tiresome it would be for her when she is working in the kitchen if her kitchen window were decorated with happy, colorful flowers.
I only foresaw one problem: my mom’s window measures 29.75″ wide by 30.75″ tall. I was concerned that Suz Pinner’s large and wonderful bloom would overwhelm the space I was working with.
My mom’s window, I determined, would need a smaller, yet equally striking flower.
I briefly considered trying to design one myself, but then I remembered Sarah London’s popular Hawaiian flower, and I hot footed it over to her blog where I found that these directions for the Hawaiian Flowers in one convenient, easy to download pdf
Using Ms. London’s precise and easy to follow directions, a 4.5mm hook, and my munificent stash of worsted weight acrylic yarn, I finished the first three rounds of three Hawaiian flowers:
Because the flowers are attached using a join-as-you-go technique, I have decided to wait to work the last round of the flower (which is worked with a third and contrasting color), until I have all of the flowers ready to go so I can see the interplay of the colors as I put it together.
In the meantime, I need to get busy and make more flowers!
