Fresh Knitting Projects from the Garden

Anyone who knows me well, knows that the words “She was a gardener” will never appear on my tombstone. Still, I’m smitten with the adorable spate of knitted fruit patterns I’m seeing lately. Now honestly, it’s not likely you’ll find fruit or vegetables among my knitting projects, but I have to admire it anyway.

Much of this garden of goodies comes from the brilliantly quirky mind of Susie Johns. A graduate of the Slade School of Fine Art, Susie has worked as an editor, writer and illustrator for such publications as Stitches, Let’s Knit, and (believe it or not), Marvel comics.  Over the years, Susie has written several books featuring knitting patterns for fruit and vegetables, each styled and photographed beautifully. Within the covers of  “Knitted Fruit: Twenty to Make”, “Knitted Fast Food: Twenty to Make and “Knitted Pets”, you’ll find clever knitting projects that are small and easy to manage, reinforce key skills (like simple shaping) and are terrific stash busters. 

I suppose we can attribute the popularity of knitting patterns for fruit and vegetables, in part at least, to the rise of Japanese amigurumi, the art of  knitting or crocheting small animals or anthropomorphic shapes. I have a theory that the rise of amigurumi began with the popularity of Anime, but that’s another post. Suffice to say that all of the above is made possible by our desire and ability to glimpse Japanese culture in general. Susie Johns has given us her charming English slant on it. I’m going to have a salad.