It's Addictive

I thought I'd nearly finished my most recent armchair project, but I keep adding "just a few more rows".

I've just used the last of the variegated pink yarn. It's one of the alpaca yarns I used for the bushfire blanket. I used them in their natural colours for that project. For this one I've brewed up some great combinations of my landscape dyes to overdye both the cream and the natural grey colours. I think that means I really am about to do the last row, but there are probably enough colours left to keep me going through this evening. Then my next challenge will be to clear off my big table and tie up the fringes. 

Armchair Progress

The latest armchair blanket it growing steadily.

I only revived it recently, but a dozen or so rows a day makes for rapid progress. It's designed to be a lap rug, but my friend D, for whom it is intended, is considerably taller than me. And I have it on good authority that enough length to tuck over your feet is a desirable feature, so I'll keep going until I run out of relevant yarns, or until it gets ridiculously long, whichever is occurs first. 

Back to Basics

I bought this yarn on impulse the other day. At 50 cents a ball I figured I couldn't go too far wrong. I thought I'd include it in a blanket I'm planning, but when I opened up the packaging I found I'd made a couple of fundamental mistakes. For starters, the yarn was thicker than I'd expected and therefore the yardage was less than I'd hoped for. Secondly, and more importantly, the fibre was tough and harsh on my fingers. I'd let the bright colours and cheap price wow me into buying without my usual checks.
I decided to go with the strengths of the situation rather than bemoan my hasty purchase. Here we have a bathmat nearly finished. The tough yarn should mean it's hard-wearing on the floor and the bright colours will give the room a lift. The thickness of the yarn means it's working up nice and quickly. A couple of balls to go and I can move on from this little glitch.

Welcome Spring

Most years I'm a bit skeptical about welcoming Spring on the 1st of September, but this is pretty convincing:

That's my Silver Princess gum tree. Look at all that beautiful new growth! There are dozens of delicate little tips like that all over the tree. And yes, the sky really is that colour blue this morning.

Now remember, this is Melbourne and the forecast is for 16 and partly cloudy, so who knows what will happen next. There was snow overnight in the mountains. I've got my heater on in the living room and crocheting a wool blanket which is draped over my legs as I work is quite comfortable, but despite all that, it does feel like spring. Maybe I'm finally getting used to what Melbourne spring feels like after more than ten years away from Sunny Queensland.

Getting Started

Here's the beginning of the new blanket: The second row is always the hardest, so I decided to get started last night so I could enjoy watching the project grow. The first row is just chain stitch--300 chain stitches to be precise--and I'm just over half way on the second row. I've divided the wool collection into three bags to help me distribute the colours and textures evenly. I work on a "regularly irregular" plan. That means I choose the wool for the next row while I'm working. It's not a set pattern and it's fun to see how it develops as I go along.

The happy couple are coming to visit in the next school holidays. I've just realised that's only just over a month away, so I'm going to have to focus on this a fair bit if I want to send it home with them. Meanwhile I've set myself the challenge of finishing the triangle sampler today. And I need to take it easy--yesterday was a big day. I think that means breakfast and another coffee should be next on my agenda.

Armchair Time

We've just had the shortest day of the year. The shortest day means the longest night. The longest night means lots of armchair time. Armchair time for me is usually the time between dark and bed-time. Add to that the time between when I get up and when the sun gets up. Right now that's a fair bit of time. So my armchair project is growing. Here's how it looks this morning.

I've just bought some new yarns to incorporate into the colour combinations.

The "armchair project" now has a queue. I'm planning another blanket for an engagement gift. I've started buying wool for it, but I need to get this one finished first. So, it's just as well there are a couple of months of longer evenings to look forward to.

Growth

If my word for the day yesterday was, "irresistible", today's word is "imperceptible". That's my word for the growth of my "bushfire blanket". I'm averaging a row a day. At 2 1/2 metres per row, that's still a fair bit of crochet, given that this is my armchair project. Some days, like today, I sit for a bit longer and get several rows done. Other days I just spare it a glance and get on with something else.

Here's how it looks today. It is growing slowly: My approach to the colours combinations is what I call, "regularly irregular". I have five colours to work with. Of those five colours, three are limited quantities and two are more than adequate. Of course, I don't have the same quantities of the three limited colours. That would make it too easy! I guess some people would calculate out a quantity of yarn per row and calculate a pattern to be sure it was all going to work out right in the end. That's not my approach to this sort of project. Instead I just keep varying the colour combinations. I keep an eye on the approximate proportions of colours, according to what I have available and I keep an overall rough pattern of colours to give a sense of unity. That way I can adjust the colour combinations as the project develops and keep my options open. At the moment I'm gradually working in more of the grey and caramel alpaca colours, because these are the ones I have most of. That will allow me to space out the chocolate alpaca and blue wool mohair in the centre of the blanket. The fifth colour is a variation on the caramel--just slightly lighter and not quite as creamy--so I'm just using enough of it to make sure it looks as if it's not an afterthought.

Armchair Project

I like to have at least one "armchair project" on the go all the time. Here's my current one:

It's going to be a sofa throw, if you want to be formal about it,--or a comfort blanket if you want to look at it a bit more emotionally. I started it a week ago and am planning to give it to a family affected by the bushfires. The yarn is mostly natural coloured alpaca. The blue contrast is a blend of wool and mohair. I love the way the different natural alpaca colours both blend and contrast with one another. The blue is for water, which we so desperately need, and it's also a bit of a signature from me, since this is one of my favourite colours.

What's makes a good "armchair project"?

• It should be simple enough that I can pick it up for a few minutes and put it down again without having to worry too much about where I'm up to.
• At the same time it should be interesting enough to hold my attention for quite a while if I just need a quiet sit.
• If it's a nice soft texture, all the better, since I'm often sitting in that armchair to pull myself together or take a break from a heavy day.
• Also an armchair project often turns out to be something big: in contrast to the "take along" projects that I carry around with me. Big also has the benefit that I don't have to keep thinking of a new project to replace one I've just finished.
• These projects usually turn out to have some personal meaning as well. I find myself thinking while I sit and work on it. While my hands are busy, I think about what I'm making and why I'm making it; and where it will live when it moves on from its life with me.