Twenty Fourteen

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On this cold, dreary January day, I’ve decided that 2014 is going to be my year of color.  I want to experiment with all kinds of color combinations, and get a bit out of my comfort zone.  I recently discovered http://design-seeds.com/.  Wow!  Talk about inspiration.  I have to be careful or I’ll find myself spending hours going through the different color combinations.   Another great site for inspiration is Attic 24 at http://attic24.typepad.com/.

Last year I mostly concentrated on shawls.  I crocheted and knitted them, designed them, and started one after another throughout the whole year.  This year I seem to be leaning more toward motifs resembling handmade Spanish tile.  The more color, the better.  I predict colorful shawls, scarves and blankets in my work basket.

To get my year of color started, I participated in a hexagon blanket crochet-along Ravelry.  We used a pattern called Hexagons by Julie Yeager.  You can find the pattern at http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/hexaghan.  Here’s a photo of my finished blanket.

I haven’t been keeping up with my blog like I should.  I hope to do a better job this year by adding more content, tutorials, and inspiration for all my fellow yarnies.

Hexagon Blanket

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Opera Shawl started

Opera Shawl started

So far I’m happy with my selection of yarn. I’ve switched my hook to a 3mm and like the results so far. The hook in the photo is an Addi Swing hook. If you haven’t tried these yet, I highly recommend them. They do take a little getting used to, but they are so much easier on your hands. They remind me a little of a toothbrush handle. I use a pencil hold when I crochet, but I think they would work just as well for the knife hold. They are a bit more expensive as crochet hooks go, but in my opinion, worth every penny.

1953 Opera Shawl

1953 Opera Shawl

This is a vintage pattern from 1953. I’m doing a Kal/Cal in the All Things Vintage Ravelry group.

I’ve swatched several yarns and was pretty unhappy with most of them. I tried dk, fingering, lace, thread, and some light mohair. I’m also trying to stick with stash yarn. I need two colors that work together unless I decide to do a one color shawl. I found that the pattern would work with any of the yarns, but the trick was to make something I would really wear.

I’ve finally decided on a light lace weight alpaca silk blend. It will take me forever to crochet this shawl because this is such a thin yarn, but I think it will be lovely when I’m finished. I’m planning on adding beads somewhere, and I’m not sure about the fringe. I’ll make that decision later.

This crochet/knit-along started May 1 and runs through July. That should give me plenty of time. I hope.