If you have read my previous post, you know that I've been working with my Catona colour pack. Opening this rainbow box is one of the little things in life that make me happy. But it's not only about the box, but what you're making with the yarns inside. My last post ended with me pairing up the little Scheepjes Catona balls. You might have wondered why? Well, the idea came when I designed this motif for the opening of Creahuys 41's new shop last year.
Planning is important
When I made these sample motifs for the workshop, I picked scrap colours. I knew there and then that I was going to make this motif into a blanket. However, for a big project, I had to work more methodically.
First I combined all the colours so that the contrast between the inner colour and the outer colour was visible (but the two tints were still classified as the same colour), then wrote down all the colour combinations and digitalised them - learned that lesson the hard way long ago! I also did some basic math on how much motifs I could make with each combination, how big a motif would be and how I could distribute these motifs optimally in a blanket to obtain the right size with the colours and amounts available to me.
Second, I had a general idea of how to go about colour placement. It's always a question of how well the combinations turn out once you've made them in a motif and how they'll go together, but sometimes you just have to rely on your gut to tell you you're doing the right thing. Luckily I have a lot of gut.
After the planning was done I got to work, and made all the motifs. Current times offered me the chance to crochet a motif or two in each (virtual) morning meeting, and often a few more in the afternoon. I mostly listen anyway, and busy hands make for a good pair of ears.
After planning, there's playing
I didn't get to the joining right away so for a while, there were stacks of motifs everywhere in my craft room. I wanted to sort them by colour, but that's a fluid concept when you're working with a rainbow so I just rolled with it for a while. I had a blast putting together all possible colour combinations!
Who doesn't love a bright pop of yellow and pink?
Or an oasis of lotus flowers in green and blues?
The process
The colour schemes above gave me a direction and an idea with how I wanted to go about the colours, and which motifs looked particularly well together. The pic above was mid-process. All the motifs were laid out on a table, which was shoved against my desk because the motifs wouldn't fit otherwise. I was only slightly questioning my sanity at this point, giving myself a hernia from bending over and arranging/rea-arranging. I love playing around like this though, looking for the perfect colour layout.
I went with the same plan as to when I put together the colours of my Borealis Blanket. First, I made distinct colour groups, and at the edges of those groups, I swapped out motifs to blend the colours. You can create a very fluid rainbow this way.
In terms of placement, I stuck to one steady rule: there can't be two identical motifs next to each other. As you can see, quite a few were still in the wrong place at this point.
Although I'm working these motifs with a joining for this project, I'm determined to make this project again and design a way to join the motifs themselves in their final row. The blanket might be smaller, but the colours close together look just divine and make my heart flutter. I might have procured another Catona Colour pack in preparation already. Now I just need to schedule some more morning meetings...
Are you in need of a Catona colour pack? Check with your local Scheepjes retailer, or buy them online at:Need a colour pack in your life?
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