Petal by Petal

“your slightest look easily will unclose me
though i have closed myself as fingers,
you open always petal by petal myself as Spring opens
(touching skilfully,mysteriously) her first rose”
—e e cummings, “somewhere i have never travelled,gladly beyond”

When I got married, my stepmother wanted to knit me something to wear in the wedding--she suggested a shawl, but I already had one underway. I wanted a flower to wear on my veil, so I wrote up this pattern for a delicate white silk-and-mohair flower trimmed with silver beads and sent it to her. She sent the flower back, I sewed it to my veil, and walked down the aisle with this wonderful little symbol of my family's love pinned into my hair. When writing up the pattern to share, I created a second variation, with white petals edged in cherry blossom pink, and fluffy yarn stamens adorning the center of the bloom instead of beads.

The five petals are worked separately in the round and sewn together. Version B utilizes some of the