#TheYarnAdvent progress

I’ve spoken about the yarn advent calendar from last December here before, and slowly I’ve been working to create my half and half squares, adding in two neutral colours - two because I couldn’t choose between them. This as always going to be a colourful throw, and in my mind’s eye it was always going to be random.

Last week I reached a momentous point.

I have now completed four squares of each of the twenty four days, so that’s 96 squares, and a jumble of colours. And now I have a decision ahead of me.

But first blocking. And the first proper use of one of my Christmas presents.

The biggest decision

That comes next, and is all about the layout. Now remember that in my head this is a random creation, so why oh why, did my hands come up with this:

It’s not that I dislike it, but it’s not what I intended.

My second attempt was much better, and fulfilled my ‘random’ requirement.

I thought it probably needed some tweaking and set to work.

The organised side of my head came to the fore again, this time ensuring all of the triangles have their long edge facing the same direction.

And then because I couldn’t resist, and because I wanted to try it out - the neutrals were put together. On one side the blue/green and the other the grey/pink.

That’s not quite what I envisaged either.

Even though my hands keep trying to bring some order to the proceedings, it’s the completely random layout that makes my heart sing the most.

With bobbles on

I already know how I’ll finish this throw. Once I’ve settled on a final random layout, I’ll add a couple of rounds in the neutral colours. And then, my plan is to add a round of bobbles, or pompoms from the small lengths that remain. I’m sure though, that will bring my ordered head as many challenges.

A new crochet project

Last December, for the first time in a long while, both MOH treated ourselves to an advent calendar. His was coffee, though I think he’d much have preferred whisky, or as he later discovered a port advent calendar, and mine was wool. I was more than happy.

Each morning, opening our advent calendar, became part of our new ritual. He even feigned interest in the wool, me likewise for the coffee! My original plan had been to try and use each skein close to the day I opened it, but that was way too optimistic. And so they were carefully admired and put aside for when I knew I could enjoy them properly.

And here they are. The nerd in me couldn’t resit photographing them in order, starting with day 1 in the top left corner. The nerd in me is still sticking to using them in order too, as you’ll discover later on in this post.

Clearly I had no idea what colours would be included, but I’d given some thought in advance on how I would use them, but before we get onto that I needed to wind them to use. No fancy winding tools here, so I spent an enjoyable afternoon creating these balls of wool ready for use, and thankfully not too many of them misbehaved and ended up in a muddle of knots. Though a couple did, and my patience to untangle them astounded me.

Having already given how I would use them some thought and deciding to try something slightly different for me - though still crocheted squares - I knew I would need some neutrals to make my half and half squared blanket, well, less garish.

I’ve started with day 1, and so far I’m really pleased with how they’re turning out. I chose two neutral colours, one a pinky-grey and the other (not shown) a blue-green, both of which are colours that fit our decor and I like.

So now, it like one or two other projects on the go is calling my name each evening when we sit and relax. And I’m keen to see how this one works out.

Starting another crochet project

Erm, yes - because I need another project on the go, but there’s no time like the present hey?

Remember those crochet threads I bought in Norfolk as part of a lucky dip of vintage threads, well I’m starting to put them to use. I’d run out of mini-skeins from my multi-coloured yet-to-be-decided item, but I was keen to keep the pattern going in my head. So without really planning to, I found myself starting another crochet project.

But before I tell you more about the new project, here’s the most recent additions to my rainbow squared thing. Thing, because I’m not sure what the squares will turn into yet - but at some point they will have a purpose.

My next box arrived while we were away and so I’ll be picking that up again too. I’m finding this pattern pretty addictive. And while it looks complicated, it’s actually pretty easy to remember. My challenge is coming back to it when the new mini-skeins arrive, and needing to relearn it.

What I needed was something to keep it going through the month, and that’s where the crochet threads come in. It’ll be no surprise that I’ve no plans for the resulting squares, but I’m sure inspiration will strike. Or I hope so anyway.

Not wanting, or needing, to buy anything to keep my brain working and my hands active I realised now was the time to dig out some of those crochet threads. In the end I settled on this neutral colour as there were 3 full reels, one that had been started and a small hand wound ball.

I couldn’t help but smile at the instructions to ‘buy sufficient to complete’ your project. If only they knew, and actually if only I knew. How do you buy sufficient for an unknown project, and how given the number of years since is that possible today? Exactly.

I quickly realised this would be an ideal project to take away with me, and so I needed something to put this in. A plastic bag didn’t really cut it. So when I found this square pouch, which the threads fitted snugly in, I had a project and a pouch to carry it in. The pouch was a present from mum and dad, and one that mum had made. I’m sure she said at the time, you never know when it’ll come in useful - and she was right.

Even the small metal crochet hooks fit into the pouch - it was clearly meant to be!