I've just about finished my second crocheted scarf and I've found that working with yarn in the evening is a perfect way to finish the day. The pattern for the scarf was easy to memorize so I could work while watching TV or listening to music or even just in the quiet of the night. (Having something in my hands also keeps me from thinking...too much... about the ice cream in the freezer.)
The
afghan above is from the
Garnet Hill holiday catalog. When I saw it I caught my breath...it was the perfect throw for my living room. The colors are delicious and an extra blanket is always useful in Minnesota's winter. The price was horrendous, but after looking at it closely I realized that I could duplicate it myself pretty easily with my basic crochet skills. I went to my favorite yarn store,
The Yarnery, yesterday and their wonderful staff got me started with a skein of beautiful sport-weight alpaca yarn and a book on granny squares (the squares, or hexagons in this case, that make up the afghan). I spent a few hours back at home working on the pattern, trying a number of different combinations from the book and adding some variations of my own as I started to understand how the shapes changed as I added or deleted stitches. I was close to a pattern but I decided I didn't like how soft the alpaca was. I wanted a "harder" finish for my throw. I went back today and switched to a worsted weight yarn (Cascade 220) which comes in a spectrum of gorgeous colors. When I started up again, I could tell almost immediately that it was going to be right. I made a few more alterations in the pattern and finally arrived at the kind of square I wanted: flat and with fairly dense stitches. I love the fact that the afghan above has a folk art look to it and I don't want to detract from the colors and design with an overly lacy square. I'm really pleased with my effort to create the right pattern for this project. With knitting and crochet projects, I'm usually content just to follow the directions but I probably made and unraveled 10 different squares before I was satisfied. Even though I'm inspired by the afghan above, the pattern is my own creation (as well as the coming handwork).
This will take awhile, but I'm fine with that. I don't even have to buy all the yarn at one time. There are plenty of variations of each "square" that I can do with just a few colors in the first weeks of this project. I know it may seem like I have crafting schizophrenia or ADD, but I've put away the
soldered pendant information for now and I continue to work on some book arts projects during the day that take more thought. I haven't knit or crocheted for years until this fall, but now I know how satisfying it feels to have a project that can be picked up at any time without much thought and just as easily tucked away again.
I've just about finished my second crocheted scarf and I've found that working with yarn in the evening is a perfect way to finish the day. The pattern for the scarf was easy to memorize so I could work while watching TV or listening to music or even just in the quiet of the night. (Having something in my hands also keeps me from thinking...too much... about the ice cream in the freezer.)
The afghan above is from the Garnet Hill holiday catalog. When I saw it I caught my breath...it was the perfect throw for my living room. The colors are delicious and an extra blanket is always useful in Minnesota's winter. The price was horrendous, but after looking at it closely I realized that I could duplicate it myself pretty easily with my basic crochet skills. I went to my favorite yarn store, The Yarnery, yesterday and their wonderful staff got me started with a skein of beautiful sport-weight alpaca yarn and a book on granny squares (the squares, or hexagons in this case, that make up the afghan). I spent a few hours back at home working on the pattern, trying a number of different combinations from the book and adding some variations of my own as I started to understand how the shapes changed as I added or deleted stitches. I was close to a pattern but I decided I didn't like how soft the alpaca was. I wanted a "harder" finish for my throw. I went back today and switched to a worsted weight yarn (Cascade 220) which comes in a spectrum of gorgeous colors. When I started up again, I could tell almost immediately that it was going to be right. I made a few more alterations in the pattern and finally arrived at the kind of square I wanted: flat and with fairly dense stitches. I love the fact that the afghan above has a folk art look to it and I don't want to detract from the colors and design with an overly lacy square. I'm really pleased with my effort to create the right pattern for this project. With knitting and crochet projects, I'm usually content just to follow the directions but I probably made and unraveled 10 different squares before I was satisfied. Even though I'm inspired by the afghan above, the pattern is my own creation (as well as the coming handwork).
This will take awhile, but I'm fine with that. I don't even have to buy all the yarn at one time. There are plenty of variations of each "square" that I can do with just a few colors in the first weeks of this project. I know it may seem like I have crafting schizophrenia or ADD, but I've put away the soldered pendant information for now and I continue to work on some book arts projects during the day that take more thought. I haven't knit or crocheted for years until this fall, but now I know how satisfying it feels to have a project that can be picked up at any time without much thought and just as easily tucked away again.
5 comments:
Looks like the beginnings of a very good project. I love projects you can just pick up at will and start off, I feel funny if my hands aren't busy... As for craft ADHD, well i'm guilty of that, and I do keep meaning to learn to crochet!
Yarn crafts are so perfect for winter! That throw has beautiful colors---you must have a really interesting living room.
I think I secretly love my crafting schizophrenia....
Oh, my, this is the first time that I ever heard (or read) of anyone saying alpaca is too soft.
Thanks for the ADHD support, Sarah and Eero. And granny, I know I'm crazy...the alpaca was *so* lovely, but I do like the crisper finish of the worsted yarn for this project better.
RL, this sounds like a wonderful project, and your "square" is lovely. I think I know what you mean about how you want to piece to "feel." If we're thinking of the same result, it's not only about the softness of the alpaca, but it's also about wanting to have a throw with more weight and "substance." Enjoy the process.
Post a Comment