Introducing my latest knitting pattern- Scandi Bloom.
This cowl was inspired by the simple beauty of Scandinavian floral designs and garden blooms.
The first home decorating book I ever purchased (back in 1997) was a Scandinavian design book that featured simple floral patterns in soft, dreamy colors. I poured over that book thinking about how I could incorporate the aesthetic into my college budget apartment. I had a sewing machine, which saved me a lot of money in those early days of independence. The first thing I made was some simple roll up curtains using the pattern in the book. We still own them today!
That book set me on a path to explore more about the design aesthetic of the "Scandi" region of Europe. Once I really got into sewing I came across the designer Marimekko and loved the playful, yet clean lines of her fabrics and home goods. I've always been pretty obsessed with gardens and floral patterns, so when I set out to design this cowl I knew I wanted a repeating botanical pattern. I started with leaves knowing that the pattern would first appear to a group of knitters in September, but the leaves just didn't work the way I had hoped they would. After multiple swatches the Scandi Bloom pattern revealed itself.
In 2020 I dyed a collection called Floriography for a holiday countdown (advent) style yarn calendar, so I had loads of minis on hand in floral inspired colors. It didn't take me long to choose these colors. Paired with my Wander colorway for the background, this cowl practically knit itself.
This project was originally knit with one full skein of Delightful DK and 6 DK mini skeins, but it works equally well with 2 full skeins of DK.
I'm currently working on a fingering weight version, so stay tuned for that! If it works well I'll release it this spring.
You can purchase the PDF knitting pattern on my website, or on Ravelry where you can also see a variety of other Scandi Bloom cowl projects. Kits for this project are available exclusively on my website.
