Bye Baby Bamboo Bunting…

I’ll let you into a little secret; a few years ago I had a Brief Encounter with a yarn I would not have even looked at normally! More recently, after using it on a major commission, this “fling” has now blossomed into a full scale romance of which even Mills and Boon would be proud! 

I admit it; “I am in love with Snuggly Baby Bamboo!” 

You may wonder why I would have normally overlooked this yummy little yarn. 

It’s simple, it’s often tucked away with all the baby yarns and unless you have a beautiful bouncing baby for which to knit, it is all too easy to ignore the “Baby Section” for more tantalising and tempting “grown up” yarns!! 

The reason I ventured forth into the pastel palace of baby yarns was that a cousin had had the cutest little girl and, worried that she would be inundated with lots of marvellous matinee jackets from her prolific Grandma, I decided that bunting would be just the thing!! As, let’s face it, one can never have too much bunting in a baby girl’s room!

The Baby Bamboo really stood out from the other yarns; it has a plush pearlescence about it that is very very alluring and it comes in a dizzying amount of colours!! It did seem perfect for my intended project. 

  

Using a standard 4mm hook, the result when crocheted was just scrumptious! The texture is slightly springy and very soft but firm. Making it an absolutely perfect yarn for beautiful blanket making too. 

The Yarn, which is made from 80% Bamboo Viscose and 20% wool, is a natural fibre which enhances its appeal even more in my humble opinion. 

  

I was recently contacted by a very lovely lady who had seen a photograph of the original bunting I designed four years ago and wanted to know if I could share the pattern as she wanted to make it for her English Country Garden themed Wedding! 

I spent most of yesterday recreating the bunting so that I could share the pattern with you. 

(This was not exactly a chore as it was blissfully sunny and I was sat in the garden with The Archers podcast for company!)

So, without further ado, here is said pattern:

Materials:

Sirdar Snuggly Baby Bamboo DK:

1 ball each of 131Cream; 116 Lemonade; 114 Candy; 119 Peony; 115 Bobbi Blue; 133 Willow. 

Method:

Using Lemonade and a 4 mm hook, make a chain of 3.

Work 11 half trebles into the last chain from the hook. 

Slip stitch into the top of the original chain. 

Cut yarn and finish off. 

 
With Cream, insert hook into a stitch and make a 4 chain. Into the same stitch work a 2 double treble cluster. (Please see below if you would like more details)

*Ch 2 

Into the next stitch, work a 3 double treble cluster. 

  
Repeat from * until you have 12 petals. Chain 2 and slip stitch into the top of the first Cream chain. 

Cut yarn and finish off. 

 

With one of the remainng colours, insert hook in to the stitch next to the chain space, and make a 3 chain (counts as a treble).

Into the next stitch (at the very top of the cluster) work a treble. Work another treble into the chain space. 

Work in this way until you have 11 trebles. 

You should now be at a chain space for the next, corner stitch: work 1 treble, 3 chain, 1 treble all into the chain space. 

*Work another 1 treble into the next 11 stitches and work a corner stitch. 

Repeat from *

  
Slip stitch to the top of the chain to form a triangle. 

  
Next round (triangle?):

Work a 3 Chain, work 1 treble into the next 12 stitches.

This should bring you to the corner. Work the corner the same way as before. 

*Work 1 treble into the next 13 stitches and then work a corner. 

Repeat from *

Slip stitch to the top of the chain to form the finished pennant.

To make the bunting “tape”:

Row 1: Make a 20 chain in Cream, *DC into each of the stitches at the top of the pennant, chain 9. Repeat from * as many times as you need (it depends on how many pennants you want!). Chain 11, turn. 

Following Rows: 1chain, 1 DC into every chain/stitch from the previous row. Turn. 

Work 3 more “following rows”. 

And you are done!!

I shall now attempt to describe the various cluster stitches for those who may need it:

A double treble crochet cluster:

1. Wrap the yarn twice around the hook
2. Insert into stitch
3. Wrap yarn around the hook and pull back through the stitch. 
4. Wrap the yarn around the hook again
5. Pull the last wrap through the first two stitches on the hook. 
6. Wrap the yarn around the hook again
7. Pull the last wrap through the first two stitches on the hook. 
8. You should now have 2 stitches on the hook
9. Repeat stages 1-7 once for a 2 double treble cluster or  twice for a 3 double treble cluster. 
10. You should have either 3 or 4 stitches on your hook. 
11. Wrap the yarn around the hook and pull through all the remaining stitches. 

  
Here is the 3 double Treble at stage 10. 

Conclusion:

I do hope you like my lovely little bunting and I really do hope that it puts in an appearance at the English Country Garden Wedding!! 

T. T. F. N!

Alitzah.