It’s happened: there have been enough mild, sunny days now this Spring to convince me that it’s time to dust off the picnic blanket, and start planning some Summer garden gatherings. It’s hard to beat an afternoon spent enjoying your garden with friends and family, I always find this kind of entertaining wonderfully relaxing.
I think hosting a gathering in the garden allows you to be much more informal, which means you can have a little fun with your accessories. Outdoor tableware always tends to be bold and bright, an overdose of bunting is absolutely allowed, and picnic blankets certainly never come in plain, dull colours. In other words, you can really go to town in a way you wouldn’t consider doing indoors.
If you feel like flexing your crafting muscles, garden party accessories can be a great project. I particularly love the idea of creating your own home accessories using knitting and crochet; it’s just so wonderfully old-fashioned, while also catering to the modern trend for low-fi hobbies. This kind of project is also often on a smaller scale than a piece of clothing, allowing the less-skilled among us to ease ourselves in gently.
I’ve been browsing the range of knitting patterns from Deramores and have come up with my top picks to liven up any Summer garden party. See what you think.
I love the rich colours of this blanket, inspired by Persian tiles. It would give a really exotic feel to a garden party, and would be complemented perfectly by throws or cushions in plain colours from the same palette.
If you like your accessories a little plainer, you can still make them a point of interest by adding in texture. This throw pattern is wonderfully tactile, and will keep guests cosy if the clouds appear.
Keep your guests comfy with a selection of generously-sized floor cushions. You could use this pattern with your choice of wool to co-ordinate perfectly with your other accessories – or even your planting scheme!
You can’t have a garden party without bunting, and this flower-shaped design is perfect. I think it would look particularly lovely in bright, primary colours. The pattern also includes instructions for a blanket and cushion cover, so you could really co-ordinate your accessories.
If your garden party is of the tea-and-scones variety, you’re going to need a tea cosy – but it doesn’t need to be a serious one! This cute ladybird design will add a bit of fun to the proceedings, and is perfect for an outdoor gathering.
Knitting and crochet really isn’t just the realm of old ladies and baby clothes; yes, the traditional is still there if you choose to seek it out, but there are more than enough modern patterns to choose from. The Deramores website has a huge range of patterns – including almost 200 free ones to download – as well as all the supplies you’ll need for your project. If you get cracking now you’ll be ready to host a fabulously unique garden party by the time Summer arrives!
What do you think – do you like the idea of knitting your way to your own garden party?
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What gorgeous things! I’m thinking about making some bunting for the garden this summer and as I’ve recently got into crochet I might give it a go! The flower bunting is really pretty.
It’s lovely isn’t it – I think bunting would be a great project if you’re just getting started, you could make it as long or as short as you wanted and it would still look brilliant!