(no subject)

[the_rck]

How much of a visual abomination will it be if, in my crusade to use up my yarn stash, I make a small blanket out of alternating rectangles of cherry red and turquoise yarn? Could it look better in two large blocks, each half of the blanket? Maybe with a border of a third color? Or with no border?

I've five skeins of each and each skein produces about six inches by twenty-one inches. I started a baby sized afghan for Delia with the red when she was a couple of months old. I'd already made her a gold and blue afghan from the same brand and weight of yarn, and I took my starting row measure from that. Of course, at that time, I could expect to match the dye lot to buy more red. After 4+ years, dye lot matching seems unlikely.

My goal is to use up all of my yarn on hand before buying more, so I'm reluctant to put this project aside in order to get, say, five skeins of another dye lot of cherry red to alternate 'stripes.' I'm just also reluctant to pair turquoise and red, even if I'm just making an afghan with no recipient in mind. Still, I want to use everything. I never said I'd make things that would be pretty.

I don't know. And I have crocheted things before that I thought were hideous only to have people pick them out from my completed projects, view them with glee and wear them.

But turquoise and cherry red?

I have to decide soon. I'm nearly done working the skein that had been sitting not quite done in the drawer for the last few years.

ETA: And JoAnn's online has it on sale. Tempting.... If you care, you can see the relative colors here.

Comments

Yeah I'm with you there.

[alessar.livejournal.com]

My thought is buy some white and black yarn. Make 2 blankets, one red+white (could be for valentine's day), one black+turquoise to look more sophisticated.

Re: Yeah I'm with you there.

[the_rck]

Those would be pretty. ::is wistful::

I'll keep them in mind for when I do buy yarn again. That won't happen for a few months as I've promised Scott that I won't buy more (except for gifts for specific people) until I've worked through what I've got.

[ceara.livejournal.com]

...it could work, but it depends so much on the specifics of the colors that I'm reluctant to offer a strong opinion without actually getting to look at the yarn in person.

One of my projects at the moment is using up all my little balls of yarn - scraps too small to make even potholder-sized projects out of - in a gloriously eye-searing afghan of doom. I just grab another at random whenever I run out and join it on. It's awesome.

Just two colors, though, is less forgiving than hundreds. Hm. Maybe a tiny narrow band of a dark gold or something between each wider strip of the other colors?

[ceara.livejournal.com]

OK, having now looked at the link, I think it could probably work. It'll be garish as anything, but I don't think it'll actually clash.

[the_rck]

I think that's my problem-- The colors aren't either really good or utterly awful together. Not to my eyes. I wouldn't buy them to go together, but they aren't so badly mismatched that they're impossible.

Especially with someone speaking up down thread to say that she likes those colors.

I love this yarn because it has nice, bright colors and is very, very soft. It's perfect for baby blankets.

[dormouse-in-tea.livejournal.com]

. . . do you have a recipient in mind for the gloriously eye-searing afghan of doom?

[the_rck]

Nope. Want it?

[ceara.livejournal.com]

I'm keeping it! I almost never keep afghans, but this one is sized for either two people at a time on the couch or for our bed, and it's all ours!

[dormouse-in-tea.livejournal.com]

Huzzah for cuddling under eye-searing doom!

[the_rck]

Oops! Misread what you were replying to. Never mind.

[the_rck]

That's a neat idea for remnant yarn. Someday, when I have a lot of remnants, maybe I'll try something similar. ::grins:: It's an excuse for keeping them, isn't it?

I know someone else who's doing something similar. She refers to it as a 'franken-afghan.'

I'm going ahead with alternating the red and turquoise since I now have someone who says she wants it.

[jss]

Without looking at specifics, it sounds at least garish if not clashing (as ceara said). I like the idea of using color-and-contrast that alessar had.

Alternatively, why limit yourself to afghans? Why not hats or mittens or scarves? The mittens might be more problematic since they're more patterned, but scarves and hats aren't too horrible.

[the_rck]

This particular type of yarn lacks the structural integrity for anything but an afghan. The scarves I've made with it have been so-so at best. A hat would be awful, I think. Besides, I'm bored with scarves. A lot of the yarn I've got in my stash can only be used for scarves (I'm currently experimenting with a tube scarf with another type of yarn).

I haven't mastered mittens yet. I have trouble following patterns and counting stitches, so I can only manage things that I can figure out and work by eyeballing things. I can't even manage granny squares yet (They're a goal for this year, but I'm going to learn on cheap yarn).

[dormouse-in-tea.livejournal.com]

I like those colours together.

[the_rck]

Want a lap throw? The yarn's very soft.

[dormouse-in-tea.livejournal.com]

OOOOH! Yes, PLEASE! *greedy!*

[thette.livejournal.com]

I think they'll look good together, in a daring, screw-traditional-"taste" way.

[the_rck]

I've now started the turquoise. I'm not sure that I'd want to display the combination in my living room, but I've got someone who says she wants it, so I'm happy.

The colors don't look wrong together. They're simply strong colors pulling in different directions. Not clashing but... something.

[booniverse.livejournal.com]

Why not do a swatch type afghan (granny square or something like that)? I have a couple colors you could "borrow" to fill out some more colors.

[the_rck]

Another time. I've got someone who wants the afghan with stripes, so I'll do that since it's easiest.

I still have to corner you or lunargeography so that you can teach me that simple granny square. Any possibility of a lady's night in with yarn?