Sunday, September 09, 2012

Rules and Patterns

I've been crocheting and knitting since I was a little girl and that was a very long time ago (I'm 52 at the time of this posting.).  I usually craft in sections (start projects and put them down), so I always have UFOs.

I really hate rules and people who insist one must follow a pattern to the letter. The only rules I follow in knitting are the knit stitch is always done with the yarn in back and the purl stitch is always done with the yarn in front. Other than that, it's whatever I feel like doing.

Take patterns. To me, they're just guides. If I want my finished piece to look exactly like theirs then I'll follow the pattern religiously. Nine times out of ten I won't. I'll use a different yarn or color or incorporate the pattern into something the author likely never envisioned.

It's kind of putting my own signature on things, sort of like freestyle knitting without going crazy. (Though I'd like to try that freestyle one day, I just can't seem to envision anything.)

Anyway, I was reading a blog and the comments and someone had asked the author how they got all the colors in the project they were commenting on to look so nice together and the author said that she tried to keep colors that clash (like red and orange) from touching. That kind of jarred me since I don't think red and orange clash.

So, while I'm knitting up Log Cabin blocks I'm making one just from red and orange to prove my point. I have a nine patch template that I use to test out different looks and made a jigsaw look by making the center block orange, going around three sides of it with red and doing the final block in orange again. So, I have a U-shaped red piece with an orange piece that fits inside the U like a key. I'll post a picture and anyone who stumbles across this can like it or hate it as they will, it's up to the individual on what clashes/doesn't clash and I'm of the opinion that no two colors actually clash, it's all according to the tastes of the individual.

Take orange. It's merely red, watered down with yellow, so why would it clash with red? All colors are mixtures of the three primary colors (red, yellow, blue), plus white and black on occasion. Yes, some colors look better together than others, but no two colors actually clash-in my not so humble opinion.

Picture to come when I finish the block, but here's the template I did:












I call it Jigsaw. I think it looks great.

Saturday, September 08, 2012

Working on a pattern

It's based on a familiar quilt block pattern called Log Cabin. I'm trying out various configurations and writing them down, along with a few variations on each one. When I'm finished I'll try to add it to my Ravelry account as a free download (never tried that before, so thought I would with this.).

I have three different variations on the pattern, making about a 5-1/2" square (though one could make it larger by adding in a third round of rectangles.). I'm going to keep making small squares until I get enough to make a throw.

And don't you crocheters feel left out, the patterns will transfer easily to crochet and I'll have that written up too.

Don't hold your breath though, I'm notoriously slow. I may have the pattern out faster than I normally work, but the afghan will take awhile.