I love scrap quilts. Different fabrics from different sources collected over time. When they come together, they're not perfectly matched. Well chosen, though, the eye averages them and sees colors that might not even make an individual appearance. Put the right ones next to each other and they sparkle. The variations from the average, seeming mismatches, create interest and character.
This delight in picking colors doesn't go away when I step away from my sewing machine and pick up my knitting needles. I want to pick my own colors. Yes, handpainted yarns have lots of pretty colors in them, but why let somebody else have all the fun of choosing the colors for my project? My yarn stash has mostly solids. And my projects combine yarns from different lines. Yes, they have slightly different thicknesses and textures. It's like mixing print fabrics, it just adds interest. As long as it says worsted (or has a gauge from 4 to 5 stitches per inch), I put them together:
An experiment emerging from a pile of color. Lamb's Pride, Peace Fleece, Cascade 220 and Greenland, Julia (sadly discontinued), Shepard's Wool, Berrocoo Ultra Alpaca, Valley Greenwich, Mirasol, Rowan Lima. I'm sure I've missed something, but you get the point.
The yarn world doesn't have a fat quarter equivalent. One must buy in larger quantities. I've decided that's okay. By varying the number and/or proportion of colors in any given project, I can create very different looks out of the same stash. So rather than buying by project, I buy according to what gets me excited. A little excited, I buy one skein. When my heart sings, I might buy three. Julia yarn being discontinued? As many as I can find. Anybody know where I can get my hands on some Deep Blue Sea???
Maureen
Nothing is exciting if you know what the outcome is going to be. Joseph Campbell
