Hello! Well, everything went more or less according to plan this week, so here are the lavender sachets I promised you last week. I call them Soothing Sachets, because lavender is not just known for its moth repellent qualities, but also for its soothing scent.
The ones in the basket above are still scenting our home. But they won’t be doing so for much longer, because they are meant for gifts. Let me show them one by one.
This is the first one I made, after several discarded attempts. It is very simple, from self-striping sock yarn.
It closes with a button. Because of the way the sachet is constructed, the stripes are twice as wide compared to a sock.
It was fun rummaging through my button box for just the right button.
All of the sachets use the same basic pattern. The next one is also very simple – colour blocks with a thin asymmetrically placed contrasting stripe.
The stripe is repeated in the button band.
Together with a box of calming herb tea, it’ll make a nice gift for a friend going through a stressful time. It is made from a combination of beautiful plant-dyed mini skeins.
The one below was made from some ordinary mottled sock yarn. A few stripes and garter ridges make it perfect for tucking under a sporty person’s pillow.
In this way even the smallest yarn scraps can be used.
For the next one, I again used colour blocks – this time embellished with a few tiny buttons…
… to match the mother-of-pearl button on the back.
Just the thing for someone’s lingerie drawer, I think. I made it from some of the tiny balls of yarn left over from my first ever published pattern – Tellina.
The Tellina cowl itself would also be a great project for using up some yarn remnants or mini skeins. It can be found here on Ravelry.
The Soothing Sachets have a fabric lining, sewn from small pieces of cotton fabric. No need to buy anything specially – any thin cotton will do, as long as it’s a colour that doesn’t show through the knitting. I used bits of an old pillowcase.
Making a lining sachet may be a bit of a pain for some, I thought, so I tried leaving it out and stuffing a knitted sachet with unspun wool with some lavender in the middle.
It is an option, but I don’t like the result as much as the lined version – its shape is less crisp and its scent is too faint to my liking.
So, why not knit a few first and then spend a cosy afternoon with the sewing machine on the dining table, and all other tools and notions needed at hand, to finish them all in one go?
Finally, here is my Pièce de Résistance 😉. Again made from self-striping sock yarn, but this time with a duplicate stitch heart on the front…
… and corrugated ribbing for the buttonhole band.
Won’t that make a nice gift for a beloved child? (Caution: Sew the button on very securely, or for small children leave it off and close the entire opening.)
Some of you reading this will be receiving one of these small scented gifts in the near future. My gift to the rest of you is the pattern (in English and Dutch). It contains instructions for knitting (including the corrugated ribbing) and finishing the sachet as well as a heart chart.
Click here for the free Ravelry download.
These Soothing Sachets are simple things, but with a bit of creativity they can become great little gifts. Have fun!
PS. Remember to make a few for yourself, too – to tuck under your pillow and keep the moths away from your knitting and spinning baskets.
Wat een leuk idee, bedankt voor het patroon!
Graag gedaan (met heel veel plezier, zelfs)!
How lovely!
By the way, I really like your Tellina pattern. I made it since according to the book and used the ideal with slipped stitches between color blocks for a top.
Great idea, using the slipped stitches in different ways. Thank you!
Thank you! I love this idea—a soothing project and a soothing gift. ?
Cynthia
You’re right, the knitting itself is also soothing, and filling the sachets with all that lovely lavender.
These are really cool. Yes, definitely great gifts. I would have to barter with a friend and have her make the liners and I could do the knitting. I gave my sewing machine away years ago because I never did perfect my sewing.
What a good idea to barter with a friend!
Marijke these sachets are so lovely! I love the little extra details you added with buttons, and corrugated ribbing. I will be making some of these for gifts this holiday season. Thank you for the free pattern! Julie
I’m glad you like them. There will be plenty of time to knit some before the end of December is upon us.
I really like this idea, especially since I grew lavender this summer.
Many thanks for sharing your creations with us, as well as providing the pattern. I have my mother’s button box from long ago, enough yarn, and should be good to get knitting.
Thanks again!
Lorraine
A box filled with antique buttons is a wonderful treasure! It will be great to give some of them a new life. I am honoured that they’ll grace ‘my’ sachets. Happy knitting!
Marijke – your sachets are lovely. I know your friends will enjoy receiving and using them. Thank-you for the pattern. I plan to make some and gift them too! I’m glad to be part of your knitting community. Lynn (jrlva)
I’m glad you’re here, too, Lynn! Thank you for your kind words and I hope you’ll enjoy knitting sachets for your friends.
Hello again. I always feel a deep sigh go through me when I move from the news to your blog on my phone. Your projects are so clever and lovely. Colour and detail choices are perfect. Your writing is like hearing from a friend who loves all the things I love. I read, I learn, I dream of a possible next project. Deep breath, sigh…?
I thank you as always for being such a creative haven in a very strange time in our world. Until your next blog, Kathy from Canada
Thank you so much, Kathy! It’s Saturday here today, and in between all kinds of chores, I’ve taken the time to let your (and other people’s) kind words sink in. You know, I often feel very uncertain about expressing my thoughts and showing the things I do and make here on the worldwide web. Your comment and the others I received tell me that I’m doing something right. They remind me of the essence of why I am doing what I do: sharing the joy I get from making things and providing a peaceful and creative haven. It’s a wonderful feeling that there are people, even as far as 8.000 kilometers from here, who enjoy the same kind of things I do. Wishing you a relaxing weekend, with hopefully plenty of time for creative projects!
Thanks for the pattern and your lovely blog. Agree wholeheartedly with everything that has already been said.
Thank you, Janice! It’s good to ‘see’ you again. Hope you enjoy making your own variation on the sachets.