Background Stranding

26/2/2016

I'm going to get all metaphorical, but this month has felt a little like working a piece of stranded colour work. Everything looks nice and lovely and pretty patterned on the front, but at the back it requires good, even tension, and a lot of hidden strands.

It's been a month where I'm not entirely sure where the days have gone, there's been a couple of workshops teaching at other guilds, some dyeing for the online shop, but earlier than ever, I've made a start on the dyeing for Wonderwool Wales. I've always been an organised sort when it comes to shows, but being ill over the past 6 months has made me even more organised. I never quite know when work isn't going to be possible, so I'm trying to get ahead while I still can.

Blogging is one of the things that got neglected this month, mostly because everything has been very mundane, and just not worth sharing. Today however, I do have something to share!

Just like my metaphor, they're stranded colour work. Made from a single Bach Pack in the Shale Colourway. I made the cuffs/headband and the first colour repeat to match, but then after that just played around with colours swapping and changing them for the background, leaves, and flowers. In the end I had 26g of yarn leftover!

I've had Back Packs on my mind recently as I also came up with 3 new colourways to expand the palette a little.

Moroccan Tiles contrasts rich ultramarine blue with terracotta reds.

Firebird features jade green and turquoise together with hot oranges.

Wildflower is a more natural palette, heavy on the green, with floral accents.

To celebrate getting through February I thought a little contest would be just the ticket.
I want you to share the pattern you'd love to make most out of a Bach Pack. Remember they contain 140g, and 7 shades. You don't have to find a pattern that uses all 7 colours, but if the pattern uses more than 20g of any 1 colour you need to explain how you'd swap the colours around to make it work!

The winner will be drawn at random a week today, and will get a Back Pack in the colour way of their choice, plus the Peerie Flooers Mitten and Hat Pattern.

Entries are now closed, the random number generator picked comment number 3, which was OrganisedKnots.

Thanks for all your suggestions everyone!

josiekitten link

26/2/2016 04:56:40 pm

Having just taken a class in colourwork and started spinning again after almost a year off with tendinitis, I am really excited to see these beautiful packs. I would be a total copycat and knit Peerie Flooers as it's been in my favourites for some time. Thank you for your generous giveaway!

rachel

26/2/2016 05:01:48 pm

I think i would knit a fair isle skirt for my little girl like this onehttp://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/jenna-2 she is only little so im sure 1 bach pack would be enough. I think she would like the wildflowers colourway.

Organised Knots

26/2/2016 05:31:36 pm

Easy one, this! I'd go for the Gypsy Rose cardigan - it's been sitting in my queue since last August waiting for me to get around to spinning the right colours for it.
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/gypsy-rose-cardi

Kate

26/2/2016 05:33:53 pm

Which pattern? Easy! Has to be KD's Tea Jenny - uses 7 colours and has loads of scope for swapping around the colours - all those different shades of teapot!
Not sure I could carry off the hat, though, so it would most likely be the tea cosy version.

Louise

28/2/2016 02:06:24 pm

I'd have a go at adapting the sheepy pattern from Rams and Yowes into a cowl. Rainbow sheep!

Kate/Massachusetts

28/2/2016 02:59:12 pm

I have to agree with the first comment! I would also do Peerie Flooers or Hap for Harriet. On the hap I would simply change colors to suit my liking!

Linda

28/2/2016 05:08:55 pm

I would do a colourful version of the 'sheep heid' hat by Kate Davies - it's on Ravelry

It needs 25 yards of 9 colours so I would blend some of the Bach pack to make two additional colours/shades to make a fun version

Beastchops

2/3/2016 10:26:51 pm

I think I'd make an Alameda (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/alameda-2). The Moorish pattern would look great in the Moroccan Tile colouway, and I'd work it as three bands of colours.

Andrea link

3/3/2016 10:55:02 am

I would make this hat (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/helene-the-hat) out of the Moroccan Tiles colourway. Or maybe design my own based on some of the beautiful mosaics we saw on Marrakech last November.

MalluT

3/3/2016 11:23:19 am

Last year I bought 200 Fair isle Motifs -A Knitter´s Handbook by Mary Jane Mucklestone,
but used it only once because my yarn stash is not very good for this kind of knitting. So,picking a pattern from that book I´d love to knit pair of mittens or even gloves.

Eskimimi link

3/3/2016 11:26:24 am

I'd like to use the wildflower palette to make a hat similar to this, but without the deep single-colour brim, and with all over patterning through the crown. I'd most likely design it myself to try and get the absolute most out of the colour placement and to try and get the best balance from the beautiful shades.

Rose

3/3/2016 11:36:14 am

I would probably go for the Bavarian bag with just one pack but I'm planning to do a Heidi Bears pattern with several (most probably the hippo).

Mel

4/3/2016 12:11:28 am

I would probably do Eastern Gateway and make the most terrifying mismatched socks with this pattern: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/arendelle-socks

I would top up the two 25-35g colours with the most similar colours in the pack (so the dark bluedark purple and the yellow/orange) to make up the difference.

Katie link

4/3/2016 09:30:34 am

Entries are now closed, the random number generator picked comment number 3.

Thanks for all your suggestions everyone!

Organisedknots

5/3/2016 01:12:30 pm

Thank you so much! I'm going to choose the Surfin' colourway, please. Now time to choose a background colour to spin up to go with it. Thanks again, Katie.

Comments are closed.

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