Happy Halloween

Pinstripe Hat Pattern

Don't Tell Baby-dog

Argyle Swatch Project

I’m totally inspired by color. I love designing colorwork of all kinds: fairisle, stripes, intarsia. Color really influences me, but this is both good and bad. I know when I’m looking at patterns, I’m either completely inspired or turned off based on the colors and yarns chosen by the designer. I thought I’d do a little swatching experiment for all those other people like me, who may have gotten bogged down a little on the color way of the Argyle Jacket [Rav link]. I like the bright colors, and I know other people do as well, but it’s definitely not for everyone. So, for a few more ideas, a little bit of inspiration, or just something to get you thinking about a pattern you wrote off based on color, here is my swatch project:

One could go with a pretty basic argyle look: Black / White / Red. Classic, bold, slimming. I think it would look amazing in the Jacket’s silhouette.

A play on one color is always nice. Could be bold, could be subtle depending on your color choices. I chose blues (cobalt is always tempting to me), but you could try it with reds, grays, oranges, browns, any color that strikes your fancy. This was actually one of my original color-story suggestions for the jacket.

I have a fascination with this mid-century, 50’s and 60’s, Mad Men-esque color-story. Browns, tans, robin’s egg blues… This was my take on that. Mix and match these colors; all the different combinations look good together. This seems like a remarkably appropriate colorway for the Argyle Jacket. Couldn’t you just see it in Mad Men?

But even if you’re not into this grouping, think of other time periods you like. What are the colors for the late 60’s? The 70’s? The 20’s or 30’s? Are you inspired by those? What about art periods? Rich Renaissance colors, anyone?

This one is fun (and season appropriate!) Not only do you have color contrast, but also textural contrast as the orange crossbars are in angora. That little bit of fluff makes it pop even more. Don’t be afraid to mix materials! The fluffy yarn would also look great in the diamonds with smooth crossbars.

The next two swatches are examples of a pretty current color-story: grays with greens. I’m seeing it everywhere lately. This swatch is also a good example of texture contrast, but in a much less contrasting color. You can still see the fluff of the mohair, but it’s much more subtle in this colorway.

Of all these swatches, this is my favorite (though that gray / black / orange is a close second). I don’t know why, but I’m thoroughly taken with this color-story. The contrast of those grays with the bright lime just draws me in so much. In fact, I’m designing a sweater in a similar color-story now. Be on the look-out for that. :)

So! My suggestions: Actively think about color. Consider playing with one color in different shades, high contrast colors for a bold look, low contrast colors for a subtle look, think of shades one considers with different time periods or art periods, play with mixing yarns for a textural contrast, try tweed or silk for different textures within the entire sweater. Take pictures of the world around you and be inspired by color! Look at patterns you never considered before with a new eye.

Side-to-Side Cabled Cardigan

Jam Tasting Update

The Menu:

Tomato with Vanilla jam with rosemary crackers, triple cream brie, and Serrano ham. Tomato, basil, and mozzarella raviolis with plum tomato sauce. Rose Jelly with Indian rice pudding and homemade brownies.

Jenn's Impressions:

I was really excited to taste the Tomato with Vanilla jam. While it was good and interesting, it wasn't quite what I was expecting. I wanted a more "fresh tomato" flavor with a little vanilla. Instead it was a sort of nebulous sweet flavor. I'm assuming most of the tomato-y-ness was lost during the cooking process. Interesting, though, because it was mostly big chunks of tomato. So, good, but not great. The Serrano ham and brie were fantastic though.

The rose was interesting. Very pungent. In a good way - "pungent" makes it sound bad. Maybe I should say it was a strong rose smell. The taste was also very strong, but tasted *amazing* over the Indian rice pudding. Thanks, Norma, for that suggestion! It was good on the brownie, but Stephanie's brownies were too yummy by themselves to mess with much. There's a lot left (a little of this went a long way), so next I'm going to try it with some shortbread cookies. Or maybe just hit the Indian restaurant once a week for more pudding.

Stephanie's Impressions:

Tomato/vanilla: I approached this with a little trepidation because I really don't like sweetened tomato anything, but since it didn't really taste like tomato, that wasn't a problem. I liked it, but would have had a hard time pinning down the flavor. Actually, based on the color and consistency of the fruit pieces I would have guessed quince.

Rose: I actually loved the smell of it because I'm a sucker for a non-fake rose scent, especially with a hint of lemon, and if it had been a bath product, I would have lathered up right there at the table. The flavor was a bit strong on its own, but I thought a little stirred into the Indian rice pudding was really lovely.

Jelly Taste Sensations