In the End, it's Flowers

My Brain works in a strange way you know.  I don't know if this story is familiar to you too but it's happened to me time and time again...



You've probably seen, as I have, these flowers popping up on many a blog recently.  I originally discovered them via the ever delightful Attic24 who also found inspiration in the international pages of blogland.  Delightful aren't they?

Well, here's what happened.  I saw them, I found them to be pretty, colourful and lovely.  Did I feel the urge to make them?  No.  Admire, yes.  Make myself, not so much...





Then I found the exact yarn that Lucy used, in my local John Lewis.  I saw it a few times, I stroked it a bit but did I buy it?  No....

...until about the fourth time I saw it that is.  I had absolutely no plan for it, but I brought it.  I'm not entirely sure why.


As I wound it from hanks to gloriously usable balls, I started thinking what on earth I would do with it.





Such luxurious yarn did deserve to be made into something to be worn, maybe a shrug or shawl but not a flower scarf.  As lovely as those wraps are I wanted to do something else, something original.





That flower granny motif did look very good in that yarn though, I thought to myself.  So, I'd find a different motif and make something similar but still different.  So I opened up my new Japanese Motif book and had a nice long browse amongst it's pages and spend a few pleasurable hours testing out patterns here and there.





Many, many variations.  But, the only one that I really liked, the only one I was really drawn to was...





of course... that same flower pattern I'd seen everywhere else.  Sometimes you just can't fight these things can you!

It turns out that same motif was in my book too and although I made a few little alterations to get the exact shape I wanted, basically the flower is much the same.   So much for me and my originality!





After that slow start and no intention to make one, I am now very happy with my Japanese Flower Scarf or Etole Fleurs if you prefer!





I'll have to wait for it to be a little cooler to wear it though.  It's surprisingly warming for such a holey creation.  It can stay looking beautiful and colourful on my mirror until I need it.





Lucy was right about another thing too, it's quite a hard thing to take a picture of.  And as usual, she had absolutely the best idea of how to display it.




A fab chair shot fits the bill nicely.  Although, I'm still a bit fan of the 'detail' shot!




So is it just me?  Have you ever ended up making/buying/loving something that originally you had no plans to?

S x

Comments

  1. ooooh, it's lovely... I have no intention of making it of course, but I could make a flower or two to see how it looks...

    I did a similar thing with the Giant Granny challenge. I had no intention of making one, then I found myself buying the wool and making one!

    I wanted to ask you about your yarn winder. I want one for my birthday, but looking on the internet, I couldn't work out whether they were to make machine knitting balls, or for hand knitting. What kind is yours?

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  2. Oh, that's an interesting story - I'm still in the "I see them everywhere and altough I love to look at them, I don't feel the urge to make them myself"- phase. I wonder, if I end up with a Japanese Flowers Scarf, too. Wouldn't be the worst thing that could happen, I think :) Oh, by the way: I like the picture with the scarf hanging on your mirror best!

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  3. I just wrote you a nice long comment and then I closed the page down before I had typed in the word verication box. Duh!

    Lovely scarf... I was the exact same as yourself. I tried sooo hard to resist making the flower scarf. But after trying out a load of different flower motifs.. the japanese flower just showed off the colours of my yarn so much better!

    Ashley xxx

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  4. You have a BEAUTIFULLY designed blog and I loved this entry a LOT. I am also making a Japanese Flower shawl but it's coming along VERY slowly. You did a faboo job!
    ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  5. That scarf is so pretty, of course you could not resist making it!!!
    The story of your trying to resist made me laugh

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  6. Oooh, that looks so pretty! :) I am constantly buying new yarn and making up new projects. Unfortunately I don't have a talent for finishing things so I end up with 6 or 7 Works In Progress. ;)

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  7. Too funny! I relate.
    Inspiration is great, even when you change your mind again and again, and then go back to the original!

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  8. Wow! What a great shawl. I'm trying to resist making it, since I've just made another shawl and started the second version of that. But maybe the flowers will look great in a table cloth?

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  9. Very beautiful pictures, and lovely scarf! Well done! :-)

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  10. What a great job you have made of the flowers. I agree that it looks great
    hanging over the mirror!

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  11. Wow, that is one pretty scarf!

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  12. Oh my, that is just gorgeous! And the colours are perfect. What a happy thing to wear :D

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  13. Stunning - love the colours and the flowers just look amazing. Enjoy wearing it.

    Carina x

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  14. I have a yarn swift like that, love it!

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  15. Such beautiful colours and you can tell it's gorgeous yarn.
    The scarf is truly lovely.
    Bring on the slightly cooler evenings .. Xx

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  16. just like wendy's comment, had no intention of making agiant granny blanket and once i changed my mind, i made a beautiful one and want to make more. your scarfis soooo lovely, i really have to give this flower pattern a try. love your color choice and yarn, can you tell us what yarn you chose ?
    lovely blog, so happy to have found you!
    hugs,
    monique

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  17. Hi- which book did you find the similar flower in please?

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  18. Please tell me do, is that Baby Alpaca wool by Debbie Bliss itchy? I have very sensitive skin which hates most wools next to it! I don't want to purchase the expensive wools and find out that I can't wear them!
    Thank you for telling me!
    Zinnia

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  19. Thank you for your free patterns. I really appreciate being able to download them and try them out.
    I have ordered the Japanese Motive book through Etsy to make the flowers, but it has not arrived yet.
    Do you have the written pattern in English? If so, would you be willing to share it? I'm not sure if the book I ordered will give me enough information just by looking at the diagrams.

    I'm still hesitating about the Debbie Bliss yarns as they look hairy and I'm wary of them irritating bare skin! Maybe I can find something that is similar in a manmade fibre.

    We share the same first name, Zinnia is my blog name!

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  20. This Japanese Flower is exactly why I just fell in Love With Lucy and her blog!! I was so lucky to find the pattern in English online, as I am still a beginner and not so sure yet about reading a printed pattern. I have my yarn picked out for this lovely flower and have made a few just to see if I could do it, they are actually fairly easy to make. So that is another thing on my "to do " list. Maybe if I spent less time blog suffering and more time crocheting I would get time to get more of those "to do" things finished LOL... Not , I can't give up on my blog reading it keeps me inspired!

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  21. I have the Japanese book but being fairly new to crochet I have not plucked up the courage to try reading the patterns by eye only. Yours looks beautiful and only urges me to get hooky with it even more. It's funny how you can be so drawn to a pattern like that. Very recently I popped into a delightful little yarn store when I went away for a little break in Chipping Norton. I spied something draped in the shop and when I asked the store owner about it she said it was from a Japanese pattern - originally seen on Attic 24 - and I had to smile that here was the very pattern I had at home and daren't begin! I can feel some yarn shopping coming on right now actually.........

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  22. This is such a beautiful pattern, I think I might have the same Japanese motif book too, given to me as a gift from Hong Kong!
    Lovely pics.TY

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  23. This is such a beautiful pattern, I think I might have the same Japanese motif book too, given to me as a gift from Hong Kong!
    Lovely pics.TY

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  24. I don't know if you rec'd my comment-I just wanted to ask you about your variation to lucy's pattern or the motif in the book-would you be willing to post the variation or let me know in an email;I would be so grateful as I am just frustrated that I cannot get it to look as neat and flat as yours!
    heidihillnyc@gmail.com

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  25. I saw your shawl on Pinterest, fell in love with it, ordered the book from Etsy, and it arrived today! I have now ordered the yarn. Can't wait to start crocheting!!!!

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