Yarn Talk (again)

Helloooo!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm back with some more Yarn Talk folks, it's all hotting up rather beautifully here in the Attic as I'm teetering on the very brink of beginning my new blanket. As you know, I went Jaunting off last week to purchase the blanket yarn. I thought I had it all sussed then. I thought to myself, well now, the Yarn is In The Bag, I'm all set! Just need to spend a few days familiarising myself with the colours (fondling, smooching, arranging, stacking etc etc) then I can get going. Hooky hooky here I come.

But selecting colours for a blanket is quite a Big Deal and even when one has experience in these matters  (and I do think I qualify as reasonably Experienced here) it is still possible to make mistakes. Maybe not big, huge, whopping blunders, but more along the lines of Second Thoughts. Yes I had second thoughts about my colour selection and the more I stacked, arranged, re-arranged and familiarised myself with the colours I'd chosen the more certain I was that I needed to tweak it a little. At least one colour had to go. Possibly two.

And this my friends is where shopping at a Local Yarn Shop is sooooo good. Cos I was able to contact the lovely ladies in the yarn shop and tell them I made a teensy mistake. I was able to ask about a couple of different colours that hadn't been on the shelf at the time of selection. I was able to ask (very nicely) if I could return and have a second go at choosing my colours, make a few swapsies. And they were more than happy to help me out. Which of course meant I needed to make a second Jaunt With Intent, how dreadful. NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Haahaa!!! Returning to the shop yesterday was even better than the first time. And it enabled me to take a few more pics to share with you too.

This is their entire stock of Baby Cashmerino. The colour range is spectacular. Shall we take a closer look?

Top left corner. Not a huge number of colours here that float my boat, but a few balls came down. The baby pink, the golden yellow, the maroony red.

Top right corner. Ooooo hotting up here, I adore this end of the colour spectrum. Hot reds and oranges, vibrant pinks, pretty purples. They zing and sing and shout out to be included.

Bottom right corner. Blues and greens, this is my familiar territory. Turquoise, teal, aqua, leaf and grass. These are my "soul colours", the colours of the land and sea. Every single thing I make contains a mix of these colours.

Bottom left corner. This section is a bit stormy for me, I don't really tend to do greys or dark school uniform colours. I do like the vivid blue though, and yes that pale minty green is pretty.

So this was the yarn selection that ended up In The Bag.

Fifteen colours in total.

A fair balance between the hot red/orange/pink/purple colours and the cooler greens/blues I'd say.

I'm sure you remember me showing you these balls don't you?

Remember me telling you that one was being changed?

Remember me asking if you thought you could pick out the colour?

Of course you remember.

Here's the answer then.....................................................

Do you see which one is now gone?

I took out the pale baby pink and replaced it with a luscious, rich red.

Scroll up and down, check it out. Pale Pink out. Rich Red in.

Not many of you picked out the pink :: the most popular colours for the chop were the bright orange (too in yer face), the maroony red (too dark) and the mid blue (too similar to the turquoise). But to me, these are all vital colours. The dark adds drama and the bright adds zing. Drama and Zing are both essential elements in my opinion. And the blues, wellll, they are my soul colours after all, so I do tend to go heavy on this colour range. That's just my personal quirk.

I ended up having a big tussle over that unusual rather acidic green (bottom centre), but decided at the last minute to keep it in. Ditto the pale minty green. I also had a really, really good look at the other colours on the shelf and decided to add in a few more...three to be precise.

I added in a beautiful pale aqua, a vibrant leafy green and an interesting slate blue. So now there are eighteen colours in total.

This morning I took lots of yarn infested photos and I'm in the process of writing about it for you. Writing about the colours and my own personal way of selecting and playing with them. Don't be expecting theoretical stuff involving colour wheels though. It's more heart and soul stuff with me.

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Comments

[Lisa]

I didn't guess the pink. And I didn't guess the red either. But I DO love all your makes;so, I'll wait patiently for more posts :)
And, I think heart and soul is working out mighty fine!

[Lilea]

The pink didn't jump out as looking poorly with the others until you replaced it, and then I could see the wisdom of your ways! Can't wait to see what the finished product will look like.

[Shirley Flavell]

Wonderful wool and selection. I found a fantastic wool shop like the one you showed us. It is a 3 hour drive away from my home but when I want some good supplies I take the journey. It is full of english wools (Rowan and other foreign names),gorgeous angora and mohairs, silk and alpaca and merino. I have never seen such a wonderful wool shop. The lady who owns it is English. Gosh did I spend up large last visit and very keen to get back!!Shirley

[CrochetBlogger]

Beautiful yarn photos! I definitely think the rich red is better than the pink you had in before. And I like the new green that got added. You're clearly putting a lot of thought into this!

[wendy]

all the lovely colours looks wonderful . your bag looks very interesting too have you written about it before I don't remember seeing it?

happy crafting.

[Annabel]

Oohhh! Is it wrong to admit that I have been waiting eagerly for this post??!!

As for the yarn, I am –r-e-a-l-l-y- surprised.

But there you are – you obviously have better taste in yarn than I do! I know this will look fabulous like all your other blankets! Can’t wait!!!

[Darlene Garner]

Second to your lovely LYS, your yarn basket is scrumptious!!! Love to read your colorful blog entries and now awaiting the first blanket picture.

[Patricia]

Hi Lucy, Your LYS looks a very happy place.
How many balls yarn of each colour did you buy? This always intrigues me when buying for myself. I realize it is different with granny squares or hexagons, as in scraps from the stash do their job there. But a straight line, or ripple pattern, I find the decision of how many balls of each colour yarn a bit of a stumbling block. :)

[Laura]

I did pick the pink...but not out of any special color talents!! lol!!! It just didn't seem like a color you usually go for!! :) The new colors are just lovely!!! I cannot wait to see the WIP!!! :)

[amelie]

the yarn shop is gorgeous!! and i love this range of colours :o)
my son won the bet in our household.. he said the pink was pants. he gets to chose the next cakes/cookies that are baked.

[Annette]

Sooooo envious of such wonderful yarns in a store nearby! We don't have anything like that around here! Trips to the yarn store...there can NEVER be too many! I anxiously await your creation with these colors! I'm in the midst of a bobble blanket that it just too cute for words. I'm in love! Have a good week! Hugs, Annette

[Michelle]

yummm!!

I'm working on a scarf out of that very same pale aqua in your last photo. . .my local store doesn't have the color selection that yours does (which maybe isn't a bad thing considering my sash ;)).

Can't wait to see your work as it progresses.

[Kristen]

Oh swooooon! This is a delicious post. I would like to live in Baby Cashmerino, pleasethankyou, and I don't even know how you narrowed it down to eighteen colors. Each one is so gorgeous. I can not wait to see what you're plotting!

[Laura]

Oh I adore that leafy green!!! Can't wait to see how you use it!

[Sophie]

This is a great post - Thanks!! I'm looking forward to the follow up :)

What a wonderful wool shop!!!

[elizabeth]

What beautiful yarns! I love a yarn store with a good selection of colours. :)

[Steph]

I don't think I've ever ever seen such a perfect assortment of baby cashmerino!! And how fun to be able to fondle and arrange ALL those colors! (I'm lucky to find a yarn shop carrying 4-5 baby cashmerino colors.) It's going to be another gorgeous blankie!

[heidi]

well, trust your instincts! the more i look, the more i see the pink-problem... it does sort of stick out like a sore thumb. women are pink lovers so i can imagine why a man would say no-go! the color-combo the way you have it now is just so full of harmony (yes, the maroon as well as the darky ones i have to admit) and the new picks... well now since you added my absolute favorite juicy apple green i can only say it was probably the best harvest a jaunt with intent could bring! NOT TO FORGET the RED... that was the first thing i saw in the shelf - my heavens, what an eye-full that shelf is!
TO TIZABELL: yep, egads... how right you are! the german shops ARE boring. they dont realize they are there to inspire! now, a shelf like that and a few ideas added - they would wake some of those sleepy hookers out of their 100-year-snooze (not having anything against a prince) i rely on the online version as well and know the reluctant feeling of not really knowing what will show up! i try to stick to the brands i already know! (i live near frankfurt)
xoxoxs lucy, wonderful hearing from ya! keep us posted on your progress!!!

[Colette]

Looking forward to seeing what the new wool shop in Bridport will be like. They are calling it Yarn and have a web site www.bridportyarn.co.uk so trips home could become even MORE interesting.

[Rachel F]

wow - i hadnt guessed - i thought maybe the hot pink or a darker blue - i can concentrate on my work again now you have told us! Thanks :)

[Helen]

Love all your beautiful colours, Lucy! How lucky you are to have such a wonderful Local Yarn Shop too! Choosing colours for a project on instinct is definitely the best way, and the one that makes you happy while you are working on it...it's such a personal thing. Your colour choices always work sooo well together. Have a happy week!
Helen x

[Lucy]

I love your YArn Talk posts Lucy - I'm hopeless at putting colours together myself so it's interesting to see how you make your choices :)

[Janette]

woo hoo, to be honest the marrroony looks more pinky in this photo and far less school uniformy , and next to the red looks lush. I'm on my own trip out to ilkley in the next half an hour as I'm taking my mum to Betty's for a bit of a late summer treat so will be having a browse around the wool shop myself later hopefully. Can't wait. Must dash as loads to do before the school run later. tata for now. xx Janette x

[Janette]

Pants!!! just realised create is closed on a Monday!!!! gutted!! oh well will have to window shop today only and hopefully squeeze a trip in at half term .Hmmm feel me trying to book a sneaky day off work for a bit of retail therapy before then. Jx

[tanja]

WOW these colors are incredible ;) tani