I'm aiming to use up a lot of the odds and ends of balls of yarn that I've got rolling about here.
I'm making it queen sized to cover the foot of our bed in the winter-time, to warm our footsies. That means it's 441 stitches long which makes it sloooooooooooow going. I'm not certain how wide it'll be just yet. I think I'll know when I get there.
And I'm trying to choose the colours randomly. Not shut my eyes and grab one random, but more like pick each colour when I have finished the last. No long term plan.
I'm not so good at the old random. I prefer to have an order mapped out before hand. I feel more comfortable when I know where I'm going, what it'll look like in the end.
So this is a challenge for me.
Late last night after I finally popped the hook down and lay in bed I decided to rip it all out and start again in the morning. To hook a blanket that graduates in colour and shade through the spectrum. I know that would look good and it would be safe.
But this morning I changed my mind. I am going to keep going with the random. It's challenging me but so far I like the results and I am hoping that when there are lots of stripes, that the colours will blend a bit and the order wont be so important.
I think I can do it.
How about you? Do you do random? Or do you like a plan? Can you paper bag piece your quit layout ie. take the cut pieces of your quilt out of a paper bag and lay them as they come? (is that right Jules?) Can you randomly choose colours as you go? Do you have the end in sight or do you just make it up as you go along?
Whatever the weather, I hope you and yours have the most marvellous weekend.
Love Kate xx
Make no mistake, it will be beautiful. Random is good with a little manouvering of logic when it comes to your colour flow xox
ReplyDeleteI'm doing the exact same thing at the moment -
ReplyDeletebut for a king size bed! aargh!
Random, choosing the colours as i go along...
Yours is looking gorgeous!!xx
It is going to look wonderful!
ReplyDeleteI'm a planner, organiser and controller ;)
x
I do random if random is picking up a ball & saying nope, then another & saying nope & then settling on the third... is that random??
ReplyDeleteI don't really know what most of the words in this post mean- I thought granny stripping might be some special thing you and Bren do when the kids are asleep. I don't know if I am much of a planner... I plan a bit but have no attachment to the actual plan. xx
ReplyDeleteI am like you. I like it ordered but I have tried the random with quilting but find it very difficult to let go. But I do love the look of your random granny stripping. Just beautiful. My opinion is to go with it. It's looking good.
ReplyDeleteI think it will look amazing and its great to use up all those left over bits of wool. I made a lot of mine into teddy jumpers recently. My favourite part of a sewing project is putting all the fabric together and often as scrappy as I can get it.
ReplyDeleteOh that would be hard for me too! There is always order in my randomness :) When making a quilt I try to do things evenly and dislike putting too many of the same pieces next to each other... same with crochet. So I made not know the next color, or the order, but it still has order.
ReplyDeleteOh I love this idea of random colour picking, I'm not sure I could do it, but I would love to give it a go! What fun. Can't wait to see your lovely blanket finished.
ReplyDeleteSophie x
random will work out, you'll see!
ReplyDeleteThe random is looking good so far!
ReplyDeleteOne of my daughters chose 6 colours for her crochet blanket, circles (of three colours) in squares, and I was determined to be random. But then my ordered inner mind thought, "I wonder how many different circles can be made with six colours? With none of the colours in the same position - centre, middle or outer? 120." Damn. That was the end of being truly random. I'm joining them together any old how to kid myself I'm free n easy.
ReplyDeleteYour blanket looks great - keep on being random!
Random is hard, but I'm getting better at it. I still like to indulge in some sorting though. I think of it like Apple's "smart shuffle". People would complain when their iPod would repeat a song or artist too close together. So Apple made an option called smart shuffle which would not be random, just appear random. Works for me! :-)
ReplyDeleteI think I like patterns more than random but I can do random if I want.
ReplyDeleteYour granny stripes are looking good. I always enjoy granny stripes.
We've git 42 tomorrow... So it will be a slow weekend! Much love to you and yours.
I have to have some sort of a plan but it's open to change along the way! One thing I don't like is making a mistake or having to start again, so you must have more patience than !.
ReplyDeleteMy favourite ever granny square blanket was the one I had as a child on my bed. It was so very random. Hundred of colours. And all the sorts of colours next to one another that only a colour blind person would actually choose! But is was gorgeous. I wish I knew where it was now!
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure your random granny is going to be gorgeous too Kate. :)
So glad you didn't pull it all out last night Kate.....the colours are wonderful, bring on Winter...
ReplyDeleteI think I'm a planner to a certain extent and the rest can be random. I have a picture of what I am aiming for, I don't like backtracking so need to put a bit of thought into it, but then no plans are set in concrete and can be subject to change ona whim.........figure that lot out, lol!!
It's hot here in the North East of the state, hoping to get some rain over the next 3 days. Have a great weekend,
Claire :}
its going to be beautiful! Im knitting a blanket the same size. I didn't intend for it to be quite so big but its just turning out that way:) I like your sort of random, I could never choose colours blind folded either!
ReplyDeleteStick with it Miss Kate, I am randomly choosing the strips for my rug...and it's hard to be random, I'm usually sassy too anal for any of that malarky. (and I think it will look grand when your finished)
ReplyDeleteYou are going to have lovely warm feet and in the most stylish way!!! I don't usually like random but having just finished a random ripple, I think I could be swayed to do it again. It's the control freak in me that likes a plan so that is certainly a hard trait to ditch! Have a fab weekend hon.
ReplyDeleteRandom is great...what a fantastic way to use up all the yarn....look forward to seeing it done. x
ReplyDeleteI do random, but the yarn (or thread) that I chose has to harmoniously melt into the work. I am blessed with a natural feeling for colour nad its shades.
ReplyDeleteHappy crocheting!
yep random rules. It generally never lets me down. I try to be otherwise, by flying by the seat of my pants obviously suits me!
ReplyDeleteI can't really do random. I think about things way too much. I would spend the whole time I'm crocheting the row, thinking about which colour I was going to use next and why one colour is better than another, etc. etc.
ReplyDeleteSpot on Kate, although its something I find hard to do.
ReplyDeletePS. Enviro or fold away shopping bags work just as effectively.
If the start is anything to go by your blanket will look beautiful once finished, I really like those colours and they work together.
ReplyDeleteSiempre sufro al elegir los colores, ya sea combinar telas, lanas, .... pero después de tu post, creo que el proximo proyecto irá al azar.
ReplyDeleteLove your blog, love your work.
Núria.
I am absolutely terrible at random!!! And I've ripped out too many things that I'd like to admit!
ReplyDeletexxx
I'm not a random-person. Although I LOVE the results of 'random colors'-blankets. I would rather pick a color scheme and make big stripes and small stripes at random. But I would be tempted to use the random-stripe-generator (http://www.biscuitsandjam.com/stripe_maker.php) to see what it looks like before I start. Especially for big things, like blankets. I want to be sure whatever it is that I'm putting a lot of time and effort in will look great. Would hate myself if it didn't. :-)
ReplyDeleteI have a hard time with random too. The last rug I made was as random as I can be. I stuck to pastels and was pleased with the result.
ReplyDeleteLove, Love, LOVE the tv cosie!!! What a crack up lol That is definately my kinda tv! In fact we dont get any reception at all here so the only tv viewing now is dvd's and they are not a regular occurance YAY!
ReplyDeleteI really love the colors so far.
ReplyDeleteI made a rainbow granny stripe for my adult daughter last year. It just fits her double bed. I used DK yarn and I crochet tightly, so it's very heavy but also very warm.
I look forward to seeing your progress and finished blanket!
I have to say I'm a planner. I could pull it all out of the bag then tweak a little couldn't I!!! :)
ReplyDeleteI must learn to crochet (said it before and will say it again!) I'm getting some books next time I'm at the library. I'm sure I could teach myself.
I love this idea. I've even done it with a few scarves, which crochets up much faster and is a smaller project when you have less random pieces!
ReplyDeleteI am a big fan of random. Have been contemplating whether to take my long-neglected, crochet 'kit' with me on our coming adventures. Reading your blog has re-kindled my love for this beautiful craft. Thank you for your inspiration!
ReplyDeleteI am a super dooper fan of just do it and see what happens. Can always do it again. I can't wait to see this finished!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you kept the colors that you had Kate, I really like them together. I sort of just pick a color as I go, bit spontaneous.
ReplyDeletex Sandi
You just made me realise, this Winter i have my husband for 6 whole weeks, home from war & in our cosy bed. I really want to make something for the bottom of our bed too, if only for the gorgeous look of layers, only i'll do it in the patchwork variety. I'm sewing very slowly these days with my dud hands, so had better get started. Yay, only 5 more months to go!! Love Posie
ReplyDeleteGiving me ideas to crochet one of my own Kate.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your win in the Explore Australia competition.
ReplyDeleteFunny. I'm struggling with exactly the same blanket colour angst. Sometimes I crochet a row of ripple and the whole way I'm connipting because I reckon the SEMI randomly selected colour choice is all wrong wrong wrong. But then I keep going and then after a few more rows I hardly notice it any more - and sometimes I notice it more because it's unexpectedly RIGHT. Sheesh. So anyway, I'm keepin' the faith.
ReplyDelete