Tessellation Nation - Take Four?

So I have been noodling around with this one for, oh, six months now.  Trying out different designs and color combinations and just not finding anything that really got me excited, although in the process I’ve had fun and learned lots.

I started out with some of my favorite colors - teals and purples and made a couple of pentagon circles.

That really didn’t go anywhere, although I like the color combinations.

I made more progress on my next iteration, but still just wasn’t feeling it.  Then I ordered a color card for the Scheepjes Terrazzo yarn, which helped my design process immeasurably.

Next I thought I would try a gradient of pinks for my background.  But that wasn’t sparking me either.  I had printed out an asymmetric grid (no motifs) to keep track of my progress on this last go and as I was working I just became fascinated by the shapes and how they interacted.  So I went back to basics and decided to kick it old school.  I printed out another asymmetric grid and got out my colored pencils and made the design in the first picture.  No motifs, just shapes and colors.  In the end I decided on just six shapes - pentagon 1 (I love making these, they are like potato chip crochet), stars, boats, diamonds, medallions and mandalas.  No small flowers, no 5-petal flowers, no 10-petal flowers.  Instead of small flowers, I’m using pentagons in that shape.  The next challenge was the colors for those.  I had decided I wanted a central pentagon with a green frame, and then 5 petal pentagons with a blue frame.  My first attempt at the colors wasn’t quite right.

I ordered some more colors and they came yesterday and last night I started yet again.

Finally something that got me smiling and nodding “yes!”.  I’m even going to be able to use those pink pentagons that I made.  I’m not sure what to do with all those other attempts.  I suppose I could turn them in to dodecahedrons.

Pattern:  Tessellation Nation by Sue Maton

Yarn:  Scheepjes Terrazzo

Hook:  F (3.75 mm)

Tessellation Nation - Bottom Edge Pentagons Done!

I finished up the pentagons, and the boats, diamonds, and stars in the bottom edge of my Tessellation Nation.  I pulled out the 5 petal flower that I had set in because I didn’t like the color vibe that was going on.  I ordered a color card to make it easier to pick colors.  I am starting to second guess my plan for this blanket.  There are some amazing blankets in the Facebook group.   I don’t know, I’ll let it sit, and maybe play around on photopea some more.

Pattern:  Tessellation Nation by Sue Maton

Yarn:  Scheepjes Terrazzo

Hook:  3.75 mm (F) and 3.5 mm (E)

Tessellation Nation - First Five Petal Flower Inset

I’ve also been making good progress on my Tessellation Nation since my redesign effort.  I’ve made my first five petal flower and set it in, and started on the bottom right hand corner, which has a new frame color - purple!  The outlines for two Mandalas are emerging.  I also ripped out the stars that I had done and redid them, as I didn’t like the center construction on them.  The pattern has you do a round of single crochets (14 plus a slip stitch join, for 15 stitches) and then a round of 30 half-double crochets, two per single crochet, which was just unwieldy.  First I tried working twenty triple crochets in 5 sets of four with a chain between each set, and that fit, but I wasn’t crazy about the look.  I pondered the problem on our daily walk and when I came back I checked to see if the first two rounds of the pentagon 1 would work, and it did.  So now that is how I work my stars.  I did change the beginning of round 2 so I start with chain three and a double crochet into the same stitch.  That way when I finish the round I am ready to work into the chain space for the first join and the first star point.  I work a single crochet into the chain space, join and then work another single crochet into the chain space before working the star point.  I always use a magic ring for my centers, which allows me to cinch up the piece to fit the space nicely.

Pattern:  Tessellation Nation by Sue Maton 

Yarn:  Scheepjes Terrazzo

Hook:  3.75 mm (F), 3.5 mm (E)

Tessellation Nation - Progress on Bottom Left Corner

So I did a little redesign on my Tessellation Nation last week and maxed out the Medallion and Mandala flowers.  That did require me to rip out about a half dozen pentagons, but I’ve made good progress since the change.

The colors are not strictly correct - more of a suggestion, and I’m thinking of swapping the light and dark purple, but we will see what happens as I go.

Pattern:  Tessellation Nation by Sue Maton

Yarn:  Scheepjies Terrazo

Hook:  3.75 mm (F) and 3.5 mm (E)

Tessellation Nation - Bottom Left Corner Started!

Last Tuesday I finally started working on this project in earnest.  I have a design, with basic (frame) colors picked.

And I have bought a pallet of yarn in colors that I like that more or less corresponds to the colors in my design.

So last Tuesday morning I pulled out skeins and started arranging them into colorways and came up with the color scheme for the lower left corner.

I’m not sure if the first two pentagon circles that I made will make it into the blanket now, but that is okay.  So far I’ve only been working the Pentagon 1 pattern, which has double crochets for round two.  There is also a Pentagon 2 pattern that has puffs for round two and the pattern recommends that you try to use them in roughly equal proportions.  But when I made a Pentagon 2 and started to join it to one of my Pentagon 1 circles I just didn’t like it.  I’ve been putting off working the Pentagon 2 pattern because I’m just not a big fan of puffs.  I’m thinking about just not doing any of the Pentagon 2 pattern, and leaving all of the texture for the flowers.  Now that I’ve worked all the pentagons in the bottom left corner I’ve started working my way to the right, where I need to transition to the purple frame color.  So I’ve pulled out my purples and added them to my color lineup.  I’m going to keep the interior colors the same, I think, and just change the frame color.  We’ll see how it works out.  There is a lot of “figure it out as you go” with this blanket, which means that I’m taking things slow and letting ideas marinate and inspiration come as it will.

Pattern:  Tessellation Nation by Sue Maton

Yarn:  Scheepjies Terrazzo

Hook:  3.75 mm (F)

Tessellation Nation - And so it begins…

I have finally started working on Tessellation Nation.  Most of the motifs have been released, which will give my a lot of freedom in my assembly, although she does have a recommended order of construction, and I will follow it, to a certain extent.  I know that lots of folks are varying the colors in their pentagons, because the frame color is really the important one, but I like things a bit more orderly, so have not been varying mine.  I do have a layout and a general color scheme, but there are still a lot of things that I am sorting out as I go, so I am going slow, and letting the design and color decisions come naturally.  I have lots of other crafting projects that I can work on while my subconscious mind ponders the next step.  I am using the recommended yarn - Scheepjes Terrazzo.  I had ordered some colors to get me started, so that is what I’m working with for now, and ordered some more last week to help fill out my pallet.

I do think that this is going to be a grand adventure, and I’m going to savor the journey.

Pattern:  Tessellation Nation by Sue Maton of The Mercerie

Yarn:  Scheepjes Terrazzo 

Hook:  3.75 mm (F)

Festive Wrap - Finished!

I finished this up back on March 10.  I had a virtual class for two days that week and powered through the rest of the colors, but I didn’t take progress photos.  I’ve already worn it.  It blocked out fairly easily.

It is a nice size, not too big, not too small.  It is hard to get a good picture to show off the colors.

The colors are:

Color 1 - Day 2 - Waverly

Color 2 - Day 3 - Copper Pink

Color 3 - Day 5 - Mauve

Color 4 - Day 6 - Leakin Park

Color 5 - Day 8 - Barbara Deserved Better

Color 6 - Day 9 - Toffee

Color 7 - Day 11 - Butcher’s Hill

Color 8 - Day 12 - Sweet n Low

Color 9 - Day 14 - Peach

Color 10 - Day 15 - Lake Evesham

Color 11 - Day 17 - Toasted Sugar

Color 12 - Day 18 - Pink Salt

Color 13 - Day 20 - Cheswolde

Color 14 - Day 21 - Modern Fair Isle

Color 15 - Day 23 - Sunset

Color 16 - Day 24 - Dolfield

Pattern:  Festive Wrap by Ambah O’Brien

Yarn:  Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light, Neighborhood Fiber Company Rustic Fingering & Moondrake Co. Soft Fingering

Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

 

Festive Wrap - Nine Colors Done

I have also been making progress on my Festive Wrap, another Ambah O’Brien pattern.  This is a nice filler project, easy and quick to see progress.  Each chart/section is worked with the same kind of yarn, which I think is cool.  So all the Festive Waves are worked in Neighborhood Fiber Company Rustic Fingering, all the Festive Heart sections are worked with Moondrake Soft Fingering, and all the Slip Stitch sections are worked in the Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light.

The colors so far:

Color 1 - Day 2 - Waverly

Color 2 - Day 3 - Copper Pink

Color 3 - Day 5 - Mauve

Color 4 - Day 6 - Leakin Park

Color 5 - Day 8 - Barbara Deserved Better

Color 6 - Day 9 - Toffee

Color 7 - Day 11 - Butcher’s Hill

Color 8 - Day 12 - Sweet n Low

Color 9 - Day 14 Peach

Pattern:  Festive Wrap by Ambah O’Brien

Yarn:  Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light, Neighborhood Fiber Company Rustic Fingering & Moondrake Co. Soft Fingering

Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Festive Wrap - Cast On & Two Colors Done

I cast on this project on 23 January, I believe I was watching a football game at the time.  This is the 2021 Advent Calendar from Jimmy Beans Wool.  I picked the Ribbon Candy colorway.  It has not been getting a great deal of attention as I am using it as filler between some of my other projects.  Here is the second color.  The kit uses yarns from three different yarn companies, Madelinetosh (Tosh), Moondrake Company (MD), and Neighborhood Fiber Company (NFC).  They are all single ply, and all Merino.

The colors so far:

NFC Organic Rusting Fingering - Waverly

Tosh Merino Light - Copper Pink

Pattern:  Festive Wrap by Ambah O’Brien

Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Arrowhead Shawl - Finished!

I finished this shawl up on January 24.  I am very pleased with how it came out.  I used up all of the yarn and really like the design element.  Once I finished the lace chart, I picked up stitches along the cast on edge and started working with the remaining yarn, working decreases at the beginning and end of the right side rows and increases on either side of the purl column.  I did a combination of knit rows and purl rows, just making it up as I went along, and also did two rows of eyelets, just for some variety.  Blocking was a little bit of challenge, mostly just making sure (as much as possible) that lines were straight.

Pattern:  Arrowhead Shawl by ChiWei Ranck 

Yarn:  Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light + Tweed

Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Birthday Bliss - Finished!

I finished this up on 17 January, but haven’t really figured out how to get a good photo of it.  It is long.  Blocking it was a little bit of a challenge - mostly just finding a long enough stretch of floor space that was out of the way (so not in a hallway).  I did use up pretty much all of my yarn.  I had a few scraps left over, but nothing worth saving.  Here are the colors and the charts that I knit with them.  I made the shawl symmetric from a chart perspective.

Color 1:  Day 3 - Fathom - Chart 1

Color 2:  Day 4 - Charcoal - Chart 2

Color 3:  Day 6 - Medieval - Chart 3

Color 4:  Day 7 - Tart - Chart 4

Color 5:  Day 8 - Nocturne - Chart 5

Color 6:  Day 10 - Liquid Gold - Chart 6

Color 7:  Day 12 - Dirty Panther - Chart 7

Color 8:  Day 13 - Yucca - Chart 6

Color 9:  Day 15 - Phantasm - Chart 5

Color 10:  Day 16 - Ceremony - Chart 4

Color 11:  Day 18 - Esoteric - Chart 4

Color 12:  Day 19 - Madonna - Chart 5

Color 13:  Day 21 - Leopard - Chart 6

Color 14:  Day 22 - Wino Forever - Chart 7

Color 15:  Day 24 - Gilded - Chart 6

Color 16:  Day 25 - Cousteau - Chart 5

Color 17:  Day 26 - Beautiful Liar - Chart 4

Color 18:  Day 28 - Snake - Chart 3

Color 19:  Day 29 - Aura - Chart 2

Color 20:  Day 30 - The Feels - Chart 1

Pattern:  Birthday Bliss by Amy Gunderson

Yarns:  madelinetosh Euro Sock

Needle:  US 4 (3.5 mm)

Arrowhead Shawl - September, October, November & December Done!

It has been a while since I posted about this shawl, but I have been working on it, using it as filler, so to speak.  Last night I finished up with the December color, but I decided not to stop there.  I had been thinking about modifying the shawl for a while as I wanted more length and I wasn’t super crazy about the two points on the one side.  So, last night, after finishing the last row instead of binding off I cast on more stitches, the same number of stitches that I already had on my needle, plus two, and then I joined to knit in the round.  I will have a diamond with purl stitch spines on the quarters, which will give me another point on this end to mirror the point of the cast on end.  I found a nice lace pattern in Melissa Leapman’s Knitting Modular book and charted it up in Stitchmastery.  I will work the diamond using up my yarn in reverse order and, assuming I still have leftover yarn when I get done with the diamond, I will pick up stitches on my knitted cast on and knit some more rows to use up what ever is left.

January - Modern fair isle

February- Tiny House

March - Manatee

April - Birkenstick 

May - Coffee Grounds

June - Cold Drip

July - Rye Bourbon 

August - Brick Dust

September - Copper Pink

October - Filtered Day Dreams

November - Antique Lace

December - Paper

Pattern:  Arrowhead Shawl by ChiWei Ranck

Yarn:  Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light + Tweed

Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Birthday Bliss - Day 16, Color 10

This was another of the four projects that I took with me to Florida, although this one did not get worked on while I was down there.  All of this progress represents knitting done prior to the trip.  When I finished chart 7, the pattern instructions were to work the charts in reverse order until chart 1 and then work back up through them until you finish all of the different balls of yarn.  I decided to make my shawl symmetrical by working back through the charts until day 10, work the same chart with Day 11, then work back up to chart 7 and then work back through them to chart 1.  Because I am working extra rows to use up my yarn this is going to end up being a long scarf/shawl.

Color 1:  Day 3 - Fathom - Chart 1

Color 2:  Day 4 - Charcoal - Chart 2

Color 3:  Day 6 - Medieval - Chart 3

Color 4:  Day 7 - Tart - Chart 4

Color 5:  Day 8 - Nocturne - Chart 5

Color 6:  Day 10 - Liquid Gold - Chart 6

Color 7:  Day 12 - Dirty Panther - Chart 7

Color 8:  Day 13 - Yucca - Chart 6

Color 9:  Day 15 - Phantasm - Chart 5

Color 10:  Day 16 - Ceremony - Chart 4

Pattern:  Birthday Bliss by Amy Gunderson

Yarn:  madelinetosh Euro Sock

Needle:  US 4 (3.5 mm)

Birthday Bliss - Cast On

Last year Jimmy Beans Wool came out with Birthday Boxes.  They are sort of like an advent calendar but they have 31 days and they are for your birthday.  I ordered one right away and when it came I stood it in an out of the way spot to await my birthday month.  Last weekend I finally started it, ten days late.  I have to admit that I really love these sorts of set ups.  Everything that I need is right there, the knitting needles, the code for the pattern, the yarn already caked up and ready to go.  And I like opening the drawers.  This is a pretty nice box too. 

The yarn is one that I don’t think I’ve used before - madelinetosh Euro Sock.  It has a great feel and is really nice to work with.  I am working extra rows with each color to use up as much of the yarn as possible.  I have been consistently working 36 rows instead of 26.  I just restart the chart at the appropriate spot when I get to the end.  Here are the colors so far:

Day 3 - Fathom

Day 4 - Charcoal 

Day 6 - Medieval 

Day 7 - Tart

Day 8 - Nocturne 

Day 10 - Liquid Gold

Pattern:  Birthday Bliss by Amy Gunderson

Yarn:  madelinetosh Euro Sock

Needle:  US 4 (3.5 mm)

Arrowhead Shawl - June, July & August Done!

 

With my left elbow feeling better I have been able to catch up on some other things as well.  This project took a back seat to a couple of other things (Camp Loopy, chiefly).  I had finished up June but never took a picture of it and never posted about it.  Last week I quickly knit up July and August.  The colors so far:

January - Modern fair isle
February- Tiny House
March - Manatee
April - Birkenstick 
May - Coffee Grounds
June - Cold Drip
July - Rye Bourbon 
August - Brick Dust

Pattern:  Arrowhead Shawl by ChiWei Ranck

Yarn:  Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light + Tweed

Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Arrowhead Shawl - May Done

 

And here is May.  It is important not to overthink the pattern on this one.  I just do what the card says.  This one was a bit different, so for a second I wondered if it was correct, and then I reminded myself to not overthink it and just go with it.  Now I am all caught up on this project and can focus on some others that I have fallen behind on.

The colors so far:

January - Modern fair isle

February- Tiny House

March - Manatee

April - Birkenstick 

May - Coffee Grounds

Pattern:  Arrowhead Shawl by ChiWei Ranck

Yarn:  Madelintosh Tosh Merino Light + Tweed

Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Arrowhead Shawl - April Done

I did fall behind on my Arrowhead Shawl, but this past weekend I pulled it out and finished up April.  I am almost done with May.  This is some nice easy knitting, perfect after a hard day at the home office.

I’m not usually a fan of neutral colors, but I’m enjoying this.  The colors thus far:

January - Modern fair isle

February- Tiny House

March - Manatee

April - Birkenstick 

Pattern:  Arrowhead Shawl by ChiWei Ranck

Yarn:  Madelintosh Merino Light + Tweed

Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

 

Arrowhead Shawl - Month Three Done

 

I also knit up month three of my Arrowhead Shawl this past Friday.  I took off early from work, having worked late Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, so I had a nice relaxing afternoon knitting and reading.  I wasn’t sure about the color this month, it is very close to the color from last month and I wondered if there had been a mistake, but looking at the pictures on the pattern card, that is the way it is supposed to be.  I have been working my ends in as I go so I won’t have much to weave in when I’m done.

C1 - Modern fair isle

C2 - Tiny house

C3 - Manatee

Pattern:  Arrowhead Shawl by ChiWei Ranck

Yarn: Madelinetosh Merino Light + Tweed

Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Arrowhead Shawl - Month Two Done

My February yarn arrived last week, so I spent yesterday during some meetings and this morning to knit up the second section.  I don’t usually go for the more neutral colors, but I’m liking this so far.

C1 - Modern fair isle

C2 - Tiny house

Pattern:  Arrowhead Shawl by ChiWei Ranck

Yarn:  Madelinetosh Merino Light + Tweed

Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Spirits of the Season - Finished!

Well, that was a fun and surprisingly addictive knit.  I think it would be fun to knit it up in two colors.  Blocking was reasonably straightforward.

It took me several tries to get the pick up of the edging so that things lined up correctly.  The shawl wears surprisingly well also.  I wasn’t sure with the tapered design, but it actually works.  I was a little nervous knitting the last contrast color section wondering if I would have enough yarn, but I finished with almost 2 grams to spare.  Here are all the yarns used.

MC - Sunshine Yarns Classic Sock - Edwards Volvo

CC1 - Spun Right Round Merino Singles - Belly Flop

CC2 - the periwinkle sheep merino single - You Are Loved

CC3 - Hedgehog Fibres Sock - Birthday Cake

CC4 - madelinetosh Tosh Sock - Hosta Blue

CC5 - Spun Right Round Merino Singles - Moon Dance

CC6 - the periwinkle sheep merino single - Fuschia Agate

CC7 - Koigu KPPPM - P127

Pattern:  Spirits of the Season by Amy Gunderson

Yarn: Various

Needle:  US 6 (4 mm)