DIY Network

It's a Bloomin' Holiday: Knit Poinsettia Wreath Real poinsettias are long-lived flowers; knit ones are practically immortal! From "Knitty Gritty" episode DKNG-513

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Continuing the process for making the knit poinsettia, you are now ready to begin work on the fourth and final group of petals. After this group is finished, you will prep the pieces and felt them before assembling the bloom.

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Petal Group 4

Small petals:
In red, co 9 sts on size-10 straight needles (you can use a dpn if you'd like.) Use a bar increase, where you make two stitches by knitting in the front and back of one stitch.
Row 1: K1, inc 1, k 1 (4).
Stop! Place the remaining 6 sts on a holder. Now turn your work and continue in the pattern below.
*Row 2: P2, inc 1, p1 (5).
Row 3: K2, inc 1, k2 (6).
Rows 4: Purl.
Row 5: Knit.
Row6: P2, p2 tog, p2 (5).
Row 7: Knit.
Rows 8: Purl.
Row 9: K1, k2 tog, k2 (4).
Row 10: Purl.
Row 11: K1, k2 tog, k1 (3).
Row 12: Purl.
Row 13: K2 tog, k1 (2).
Row 14: P 2 tog. Break red yarn. Thread end back through last st and weave in end.*

Second petal:
Remove 3 sts from holder.
Row 1: K1, inc 1, k 1 (4).
Stop! Turn work and work pattern between *s.

Third petal:
Remove last 3 sts from holder.
Row 1: K1, inc 1, k 1 (4).
Stop! Turn work and work pattern between #s.

Weave in all ends. As you weave in the cast-on tail, sew the first and last petal together at their bases so they form a trio of petals.

Finishing

Figure C

Prepare flower stem for felting:
Working with a petal group 1 and an 18" length of thin ribbon, thread the ribbon through the center of the flower and its stem. Secure the ribbon to any petal and to the bottom of the stem (figure C).

Warning: If you skip this important step, the I-cord will fuse to itself during felting and the wire won't thread through.

Felting and drying:
Set the washer to hot, on a heavy-duty cycle with low water. Add all four flower segments after the water begins agitating. You may have to run the flower segments through more than one cycle before they're done--but don't let them go through the spin cycle. The pieces are done if all the stitches have disappeared and they are noticeably stiff to the touch. Shrink these a lot. Once they are the desired consistency, pull them out and squeeze them in a towel. Dry all segments flat on a table.

	Figure D
	Figure E
	Figure F
	Figure G

Wiring the stem of the flower:
Once the pieces are dry, remove the pins and ribbons. Thread the I-cord of petal group 1 through the center hole of petal group 2 (figure D). Push petal group 2 snugly up against group 1's petals. The more you push up the underside petals, the less floppy the flower will be. Arrange all six petals so that they are evenly staggered.

Thread the wire through the I-cord channel, leaving wire exposed on each end (figure E). Thread the wire through petal group 3's center. With a pair of needle-nose pliers, bend the top of the wire into a 1/2" eye-hook, making sure petal group 3 is caught in the middle of the hook. Pull the wire down so all three petal groups come together and the eye-hook is buried in the center of the flower. With a needle and red yarn, securely tack the eye-hook to petal group 3 (figure F). Next, tack the eye-hook from the underside of the flower at the base of the petals to keep the wire from riding up.

Work lots of French knots all over the center of the smallest petal group, piling the knots on top of each other to give them dimension (figure G). (Alternatively, you can glue-gun yellow beads to the center.) Sew the last petal grouping to the center to complete the poinsettia.

Flip the work, so the bottom of the stem is facing you. Trim the wire so it is slightly longer than the I-cord. Make another small hook so you have a surface to sew. Bury the hook within the cord, and sew to secure.

Wiring the petals:
You're going to run some light wire through the six petals of petal groups 1 and 2 so you have more flexibility in shaping. Thread a long needle with a 10" length of 26-gauge thread wire. Place a running stitch down the center and on the underside of each petal. Make sure to use a light touch so the wire doesn't show through on the top.

Make six more poinsettias, following the same method.

Attaching flowers to wire wreath:
Evenly distribute the flowers onto the indented side of a 12" wire wreath base. Secure by weaving the green stems through the base. Play with the arrangement until you like the way it looks.

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RESOURCES :

Cascade yarn
Website: www.cascadeyarns.com

GUESTS :

Maggie J. Pace
E-mail: mpace@sticksknits.com
Website: www.pickupsticksonline.com