Thursday 3 September 2009

Calm horizons

Running with my landscape theme I wanted to try out a less busy pattern and have strong areas of pure colour blending in to one another. I removed the purples and concentrated solely on a monochromatic colour palette running from dark to lights. I didn't go too light though to keep the contrast from being too extreme when knitted up. So this runs from darks to mid tones of blues.

This is the blank painted, it's slightly darker than the final colours as its still wet but you can get a very good visual idea how this will knit up. If you want a long rectangular scarf, it will run from light to dark to light blue again - light blue tips and dark around the neck. If you want a narrower scarf than the width of this blank - 5ocms - then you will just get slightly longer sections of colour before it moves on to the next tone. There is something so calming about simple gradations of colour - simple, no busyness, just calm and floaty. It looks like deep blue layers in the sky as the sun is going down, before any red creeps in there.

I have seen some lovely shawls knitted up with simple colour gradations and they look just like butterfly wings - gorgeous. What a lovely way to add character and colour without killing the pattern. Or maybe a small stripey bag like this one? You can imagine the colours drifting into each other easily for this pattern - although I think fingering weight may be a little light for a tote bag:-) But it would look great!

So thinking larger bands of colour, what do you think this yarn would knit up best as?

Look forward to hearing all your suggestions and see you tomorrow for our final giveaway.

19 comments:

  1. Your scarf blank technique is wonderful. It really lets you see what it would look like and makes it much easier to imagine how it would look on a wider/narrower piece. You must be very excited about it.

    I think I bag could work if you felted and/or lined it. Otherwise I'm sure it would be too thin. But since this has 25% nylon, I'm not sure how well it would felt.

    I think I'd stick with one of the beautiful scarf ideas.

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  2. Seeing the shawl that you had a link to, I now think that this would look gorgeous as one of the lace scarfs that were posted on the earlier days. I think that's what I would knit with this.

    It's lovely by the way.

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  3. This one is very pretty too. I think that yesterday's is still my favorite though.

    I think a simple lace scarf would stand up to this gentle color shifting.

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  4. I love this idea of a scarf blank so that the user can see what the repeat looks like and judge the width of the color bands. I think that if you start marketing them, you should include a pic on the website of the blank knitted, and dimensions so the user can judge what the bands would look like in their project.

    I like the idea of a lace scarf or maybe a cowl would look nice.

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  5. I have had a really hard time resisting all your gorgeous skeins, but this blue one is out of this world. I can see it as a one row scarf, with lots of texture to show off the colours. Very long and bouie to wrap round and round on a chilly winter day. Which thankfully is very far away.

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  6. Mom and I have been working on all new cushions for her living room, and this would be great as a pillow front in entrelac.

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  7. I like the idea of an entrelac scarf for this one, and love the colors.

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  8. This is one of my (many) favorites. I like all and love most.

    I also think the idea of the scarf blanks is a great one. So I'd use it for a ... scarf. I think either and entrelac or multi-directional would show off the stripes really well.

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  9. I'm feeling lucky on this one too, but not as lucky as I was about the last one :-)

    Entrelac scarf, if I can manage it. I think that would look great.

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  10. This would be perfect for my winter jacket which is different shades of blue. So it is calling out to be my scarf! Although I've been knitting for a really long time, I've never even heard of entrelac before, but now that I've seen what it looks like, I think that would be perfect.

    The things you learn by entering contests.

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  11. And it's never too late to learn.

    I think that unless this yarn felts (elaine, do have you ever tried felting this yarn? - so many sock yarns are designed not to felt because people do wash them alot and they still want to be able to get their feet into them!), I think it is likely too fine to hold up as a pillow cover - it will just stretch out and sag unless you somehow fused it to some fabric. But, of course, that is just what I think, not what I know.

    Anyway, I would use it to make a scarf. Maybe entrelac, or maybe even my so-called scarf, or the multi-directional scarf. Any would look wonderful, I think with the soft gradations.

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  12. The supersock yarn has the nylon content to deliberately stop it from felting. I do have some 100% lambswool though which would felt a treat:-) but still in fingering weight.

    Maybe if the cushion cover was knitted at a tighter tension, more like socks, it would be more durable - but that is a LOT of knitting on, say, 2.5mm needles!!!!

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  13. Hi Sylvia, I tried entrelac at the very beginning of my knitting days:-) I managed to get the hang of it but didn't have the patience then to make anything of a decent size. I really should attempt it again - maybe my patience levels have grown..... or maybe not! I'm glad it was mentioned though as I'd forgotten all about entrelac!

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  14. Monday's prize is definitely my favorite but this one isn't far behind! This would definitely make a long beautiful scarf of shawl. Though I might be tempted to make socks out of it!

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  15. I deliberately made the colour a mirror image so if anyone wanted to make socks they could split the ball in two to get identical socks:-)

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  16. I would like to try my hand at knit lace (I'm still a new knitter) and I would like to either try this in a shawl or this scarf pattern http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEspring05/PATTbranchingout.html

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  17. Oh, this is lovely! The graduation of colour is beautifully done, you're really onto something with the scarf blanks! I know I already won one of your draws but I do love monochromatic blends, this is too good not to try again.... ;-) I think I'd use this for a fairly simple lace scarf such as the Travelling Fern Lace Scarf, or the Luscious Lace Scarf.... it would be gorgeous!

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  18. I think this would look great as a multidirectional scarf, but I so seldom wear scarves that I'd be more likely to make socks with it. Perhaps Magic Mirror socks.

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  19. The Backtus kerchief jump up my mind immediately! Springtime Bandit will also bring out the colours gradation nicely!

    Cheers,
    Agnes

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Hello and thanks for stopping by. Do stay a while and visit. Please do leave a comment - I'd love to hear from you and be inspired by all your blogs out there too:-) elaine xx

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