Chromaphilia

It is a bit unusual to see this much color in one project here. It hasn't been that long ago that I was talking about my problems with using lots of color.

However, I became quite intrigued by a new Grumperina pattern, Volna. So intrigued, that finding the Noro yarn, Kirameki, was a Top Priority at Stitches South this past April.

Talented-but-blogless Pat sent along the pattern but it turned out to be a bit much for my summertime brain. I quickly realized that, with all the short rows, it would be one of those patterns that required me to sit alone in my quiet room mumbling to myself, and while often that is actually how I like to spend time, it just wasn't going to work out with my schedule over this summer.

This yarn is a Heinz 57 of fiber blending (60% rayon, 25% nylon, 10% wool & 5% cashmere) and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed working with it even when I have it on slippery KnitPicks needles. So I searched about for a simpler pattern, one that might work with all the color busyness of this yarn, and finally landed on the free Knitty pattern, Wisp.

I still wasn't sure so the other evening I sprayed the end with water and pinned it out for a test block. I liked it enough to continue. Since I don't have to carry along or refer to a pattern, this makes a good portable summer project.

I did the buttonhole eyelets at the bottom but did not work any up the side. So far at least, I am enjoying the colorplay and I am even embracing the whole thick-and-thin aspect of this yarn. When a big fuzzy blob of unspun fiber appears I just think 'hum!' and knit along. I think it gives the piece character.

In a bit of synchronicity, I heard the podcast Fiber Beat mentioned twice this week. I had never listened to this podcast so I headed over to iTunes to give a try and just picked an older episode at random. Well I couldn't have picked a better episode to sample. I landed on Episode 15 - Chromaphilia which was a double-long episode with individual interviews with Brandon Mably and Kaffe Fassett, two big names in the fiber world and two designers who LOVE color. Great interviews. Such a treat to hear people so enthusiastic about their work. Enough to give even a BEIGE person like me the push to get more color into life.

I knit along on Wisp as I listened and enjoyed it so much that later I listened to another, this one an interview with Kathy Hattori of Earthues, a Seattle, WA company specializing in natural dyes for fiber and textiles. Great interviews and interesting topics. I can tell I am going to be knitting along to more. In fact, I can hardly wait to hear the one with Anna Zilboorg!