I wait for the dogwoods to start blooming. I have a pink one in my garden and in early Spring, every day I study its progress as I walk past. The grey-green balls that will one day become flowers have borne the harshness of winter, and even though early Spring days are brisk they start to unfurl. The little balls - the flowers' calyxes swell and swell until they open, miniature green dogwood flowers that increase in size and begin to turn pink as the days go by.

Soon, the woods are full of blossoms in swells and sheets of tiny dancing girls in pale glistening ball gowns, or are they flocks of white doves, or the pages from tiny books set sail on slow currents. They are ethereal and too transient for garlands. Way too quickly they are gone.

With this pattern, you can make much less transient dogwood flowers perfect for making a garland or necklace scarf that is all the jewelry you need on the days you wear it. Dress up any suit or wear it in Springtime with a spare sheet dress. Bead them with silver-lined beads and then bedeck bags small and large with them where they can float along with you wherever you go.

If you love dogwoods, look for another version of this beautiful flower and more flowers in my book, Noni Flowers.

Look at Additional Details for more information about this pattern as well as required materials.

Pattern Difficulty

Intrepid beginner to intermediate knitters: requires knitting, purling, increasing, and decreasing.

Gauge

Gauge is not important for this pattern. Nevertheless, work each felted flower with a single strand of worsted weight, feltable yarn held throughout. To make the flowers in the size pictured, use the recommended needle size(s). For smaller or larger flowers, change your gauge by going down in yarn and needle size, or up, respectively.

Yarn Requirements

250 yds (229m) of each of White, Baby Pink and Pink or Zinnia Pink with Sage centers This amount of yarn makes a pile of dogwood flowers

Each dogwood flower requires approximately 15 yards total of yarn).
To make pictured scarf, also purchase 2 yards 1/2" - 3/4" (1.5-2cm) wide double-sided velvet ribbon in the color of your choice OR 1/8th yard of velvet fabric to make ribbon cords.

Needles and Other Materials

Size 6 (4mm) double-pointed needles (set)
Locking stitch markers to use as stitch holders
Tapestry needle
Sewing needle
Seed Beads and Nylon beading thread

Pictured Samples

Pictured flowers were created with Tilli Tomas Flurries in Moss, Natural, Hope, and Bubble Gum. We regret it is no longer available; nevertheless, wonderful substitutes in Shepherd's Wool include hand-beaded Sage (or Lime), White, Baby Pink and Zinnia Pink.

These lockets really lock, so make sure you keep the key in a good place . . .

Each locket makes a charming, lovely ornament for a tiny bag. Or it can be used to lock that little box of treasures. Or a secret chest. Or the two zippers of a suitcase or bag. 

Collect them all as charms. Maybe a girl might like a little locket locked to the front belt loop of a pair of jeans. Lock some rubber band bracelets together in a bunch. Lock the front of your Ella Coat closed and wear the key on a chain around your neck. Lock the french cuffs of a blouse closed. . . Lock through the eyelet on the top of a pair of lace-up boots. 

Click on Additional Details for Locket Dimensions.

Locket Dimensions

Curvy Heart

1" (2.5cm) wide x 1/4" (7mm) deep x 1 1/2" (3.8cm) tall 

Big Heart

1 1/2" (3.8cm) wide x 1/4" (7mm) deep x 1 1/2" (3.8cm) tall

Tiny Heart

3/4" (2cm) wide x 1/4" (7mm) deep x 1" (2.5cm) tall

Big Locket

1" (2.5cm) wide x 1/4" (7mm) deep x 1 1/2" (3.8cm) tall

Bling Locket

1" (2.5cm) wide x 1/2" (1.3cm) deep x 1 1/2" (3.8cm) tall

Sleek Locket (out of stock)

3/4" (2cm) wide x 3/8" (9mm) deep x 1 1/2" (3.8cm) tall

Train Locket

7/8" (2.3cm) wide x 1/4" (7mm) deep x 1 1/4" (3.2) tall

Wee Locket

3/4" (2cm) wide x 1/4" (7mm) deep x 1 1/2" (3.8cm) tall

The Alien Skull Ornament, available in large and small sizes, adds a bit of whimsy to your bag. We chose to decorate Just the Change, Anouk, and our Lipstick and Change CITY bags with Alien Skulls: we found that the femininity of the bags made the skulls appear almost benevolent, even cute! But don't limit yourself to decorating just bags: jeans, t-shirts, boot, jackets, belts, and anything you can rivet is fair game. We've got our eye on the bottom of a pair of flared blue jeans for our next endeavor. Add the decorated Anouk to the ensemble, and we've got a statement to make!

Check the Additional Details tab for dimensions and application instructions.

Dimensions

Large Alien Skull

1" (2.54cm) tall
3/4" (1.9cm) wide
1/2" (1.27cm) deep

Small Alien Skull

9/16" (1.42cm) tall
1/2" (1.27cm) wide
1/4" (.64cm) deep

Application Instructions

We recommend setting Alien Skull rivets with Locktite Superglue Extra Time Control because the rivets are pewter and may not like the hammering of conventional rivet setting processes. To pierce fabric or leather, use an awl or leather punch, respectively. For best results, place all of the rivets where you want them and snap together. Then twist off the back of the rivet, apply glue to the receptacle in the center of the rivet back, re-snap together with the rivet front and hold for 10 - 15 seconds.

There are skull people . . . The mom of one of my girlfriends has knitting and accessory bags with skull and crossbones printed on them. I've seen people wearing skulls emblazoned across hats, the backs of leather jackets, knitted mittens.

And then there are people who don't know they are secretly skull people . . . I would be one of these. I have always been a great appreciator of the day of the dead, but not a skull person . . . until I screwed this little skull ornament onto the front flap of my Anouk bag. I love it. I want more. And because they are so easy to attach - just screw in place - it makes it easy to put them anywhere you want a little skull: a bag, a change purse, the front of a notebook cover. I can even see one screwed into the uppermost eyelet of your favorite lace-up boots. . . or sneakers. . . or. . . Have fun with these guys!

Click on the Additional Details tab for Skull Ornament dimensions and basic instructions for how to apply to bags, garments, and other things.

Dimensions of a single Skull Ornament

.5" (1.25cm) wide
1" (2.5cm) tall
.25" (6mm) deep

Skull Application Instructions

To attach, simply pierce fabric or leather with an awl or leather punch respectively, then put screw end through pierced hole and screw back in place. For an extra-secure attachment, use a dot of clear fingernail polish or fabritack or other non-permanent adhesive into the female part of the screw assembly. Screw in tight using a screw-driver.