hawthorn + rosehip

I love crocheted fruit, but if you’ve read my other posts, strawberries are just not bizarre enough for me. So I present:

The North (American) Rare Fruit Sampler Afghan!

A collection of mix-and-match crocheted afghan squares each highlighting a fruit you may have never heard of before, all of which can be grown in the extreme northern States. Make all squares for an innocuous botanical-themed afghan, or brag of your gardening prowess by crocheting the ones you’ve grown.  Each square is 12″ across, meaning a 5×5 or 6×8 layout would give you a nice sized blanket.

If you find these patterns interesting and decide to make something from them, drop me a comment –  I’d love to see photos! We can have a gallery!

Square One is Sea Buckthorn, designed for the Ravelympics. The Sea Buckthorn, or Seaberry, is a small orange berry reported to taste like orange-passionfruit juice when sweetened. Great permaculture plant as it’s got multiple outputs – it’s a nitrogen-fixer, it fruits, and the thorns make for a great hedge if you’ve got some deer to keep out. Plus it came from Siberia, which means I can grow it. Yay! Orange flavor I can grow outdoors!! Vitamin C for the winter! Pattern is here.

Sea Buckthorn

Square Two is Red Currant, which includes the red, pink and white currants in species Ribes rubrum. As well as being super cold-hardy, currants will still fruit in partial shade – a rare and valuable trait. They look like little translucent jewels hanging from a string, and are fun to pluck off and eat individually (if you camp out at the sour end of the flavor spectrum as I do.) Pattern is here.

Square Three is Sumac, a fuzzy red fall fruit that makes a delectable northern substitute for lemon juice. The branches are as plush to the touch as the fruit, and the leaves vary from the smooth ones shown here to an incredibly-ornamental cutleaf. Pattern is here. More description of the plant can be found here.

From Plant Pictures

From Crafts

Square Four is Lingonberry, a cranberry cousin that’s tastier, tinier, and makes a heckuva fruiting groundcover for your sunny sites with acidic soil. The varieties vary from a max of 12″ high to a 4″ creeper, but all are loaded with pink flowers twice a year. The berries, when dead ripe, can be eaten straight from the bush – not something I’d want to try with a cranberry!

Wikipedia Commons

From Crafts