It’s usually when I have obligatory projects with looming deadlines that I suddenly have the urge to begin new projects. My current case of startitis revolves around two projects for me: a pair of socks and a conceptual knitting project, my 2013 Crocheted Temperature Scarf.
The backstory: While procrastinating on Sunday night, I came across the this thread on Ravelry discussing Kristen Cooper‘s My Year in Temperature – Scarf. (You can find the pattern recipe on Kristen’s blog, Honey Nutbrown’s handcrafted and old fashioned, Northern living). I first became interested in conceptual knitting when I read about Lea Redmond‘s Sky Scarf last year. Since we are so close to the beginning of the year, I thought why not jump in?
I scanned the web to find out the temperature range in New York City last year. It seemed like there was a 90 degree range, from about 10 degrees to about 100 degrees.
Then I looked through my stash for colors that *may* work together. And here’s where you come in :). I found 7 possible yarns. These are all medium weight superwash wools that I like. The colors are different, but, I think, harmonious.
You see, as much as I want to be more confident about color, I’m still a bit of a color wimp. I think that since most of these colors are somewhat muted, they will come together. But I might just be crazy. What do you think?
Whether or not I end up using these actual yarns, I’ve done the rest of the legwork.
I also recorded the temperatures for the first few days of the month. I’m now searching out a crochet stitch pattern (you didn’t think I was actually going to knit a 365 row scarf, did you?). In a perfect world, I’ll use a stitch pattern that allows me to start with the same number of stitches as my age this year. I think that would make an even cooler conceptual project.
Once I knew I was going to crochet, I identified a hook that I was willing to take out of commission for an entire year – my trusty Boye size J hook. I picked the yellow one because it is an outlier – it has a matte finish while all my other Boye hooks are shiny.
My final decision will be whether or not to include the rows of white that Kristen recommends. I don’t have an appropriate skein in my stash and I don’t feel compelled to buy yarn for this scarf. More importantly, I think that white will be pretty harsh against these mostly subdued colors. Do you think the white is necessary?
The other project I’ve been thinking about instead of the deadline projects I’m supposed to be working on is a pair of crocheted socks for me. These socks came into being through a combination of trying to get over my failed attempt to knit a pair of socks last year, and looking for a good stashbusting project for me. Also, I wanted to join in the first sockalong in the Surmount the Stash group on Ravelry.
I have a few potential patterns in mind, but I plan to swatch for each and then pick the one that seems like it will fit me the best.
As for reading, I’m almost through The Sentinel
I suppose it is my first book in the Goodreads 2013 Reading Challenge.
I set a goal of reading 65 books this year. According to Goodreads, I read 61 books last year. The problem (to me) is that only 16 were “real books” and the rest were needlecrafts books. This year, I’d like to read 20 regular books and 45 crafty books. Let’s see how I do!
For more Works in Progress, visit Tami’s Amis. For more Yarn Along posts, visit Small Things.