Flower art from leftover yarn: “When painting didn’t work out, I got the floral artwork of my dreams by crocheting”
After a long break from crafting, Maarit Göös rediscovered her passion, and her freeform crocheted paintings have since charmed everyone from her local circle to social media. We asked Maarit how to create the perfect crocheted flower painting.
Could you tell us a bit about yourself, Maarit?
I’m nearly forty and live with my family in Espoo. Over the last couple of years, I’ve returned to crafting after a long break, and now I’m hooked. I mostly share my projects on my Instagram account, @nosinnepain.
How would you describe yourself as a crafter?
I’m experimental and easily excited. I’m also a bit of a doer: if I come up with a new idea, I want to dive in right away and often finish it quickly. Sometimes that means I stay up far too late, working at the expense of sleep. To keep my hobby from becoming too much of a chore, I usually have only one or at most two active projects at a time. I also think I’m pretty relaxed about crafting. I often work intuitively rather than following instructions exactly—or at all. For me, it’s fine if everything isn’t done perfectly or by the book.
What inspired you to crochet these delightful little flowers?
Flowers have been a big inspiration in my crafts lately. I’ve also dreamed of a floral painting for my wall, which I tried to paint but without much luck. Over the summer, I noticed I had loads of leftover yarn from earlier knitting projects. I didn’t want to waste them, and the scraps were starting to irritate me. So I brainstormed ways to use them. Eventually, I decided to crochet flowers from those leftover yarns and arrange them to form a painting.
How did you settle on the color combination and layout for the painting?
The color scheme came from the leftover yarn I had on hand. I’d previously made a granny square piece that left me with cotton yarn in muted shades, and I wanted to use them up. I brought in other leftover yarns that fit this palette. My child said it might have fewer colors, but I think it looks fairly harmonious.
I came up with the composition while attaching the flowers. I wanted the painting to be packed with flowers arranged close together. I’d place a few flowers on the fabric at a time, and once it looked good, I’d hot glue them in place. Sewing them on felt like too much work, so hot glue won out.
What size is your painting?
The frame measures 50×70 cm (about 20×28 in), and the flower panel is 40×50 cm (about 16×20 in).
What kind of feedback have you received about the painting?
The painting has received a lot of praise and admiration. Of course, it’s wonderful that others like my work, and positive feedback always makes me happy. Several people on social media have mentioned wanting to make a similar flower painting themselves, which is great because it shows my work is inspiring. Still, what’s most important to me is feeling like I’ve succeeded. Often, I look at a finished piece and think, “Wow, this turned out amazing.” I don’t feel that way about everything—I can be quite critical and demanding of myself in many areas. So it feels especially rewarding to experience such a sense of success through crafting.
Have you attached flowers to anything else besides this painting?
I’ve attached crocheted flowers to hair ties to create eye-catching hair accessories, especially if I include wire so the flowers don’t pull in on themselves. Recently, I used crocheted flowers for a unicorn headband I made for my goddaughter. Overall, flowers have really guided my crafting inspiration.
What tip would you give someone who is just starting to create their own painting?
Go for it and experiment fearlessly! You don’t need a pattern, and it won’t matter if a flower or leaf is a bit off. Any number of yarn types will work. If you’ve never crocheted flowers before, start with a simple design—a magic ring with chain-stitch loops for petals. It’s fine if the flowers scrunch up. You can reshape them, and hot glue helps them hold their form. If you want to save time, skip weaving in the ends and just tie a few knots. Once you glue the flowers in place, the knots and short yarn tails won’t show anyway.
What are you working on now?
I’m actually just finishing up a similar flower painting for my sister, who asked for a bolder color scheme. It’s not what I’d have chosen on my own, but it’s turning out great. I’m mainly using merino and wool yarn because those were the only scraps I had in suitable colors. I’m also working on a crocheted bag. It hasn’t been entirely smooth sailing, but that’s often the nature of freeform crafting. I’m sure it’ll turn out just fine in the end.
