Saturday, November 2, 2024

Crocheted Rainbow Hat and Cowl

  Project Dates:  10/13/2024 - 11/2/2024

     This was a fast-food project. Its purpose was to break an old habit that cropped up last year.

     I magnanimously proclaimed the year 2024 to be the year that all old projects would be swept up and finished. My “waiting to be done” bins had numbered to be six. Each bin held on average six projects and they totaled over thirty. An embarrassingly large number.

     In my defense, they have been accumulating through two decades, over six house moves, residing in packed boxes that were sometimes housed for years at a time in storage facilities.

     When I finally put together the current fiber room, the third one in my lifetime thus far, I unpacked a basement full of boxes, and repacked all fiber supplies, and projects, in one location.

     


            The bins were used to segregate projects in process. The discovery of how many there were resulted from this effort. Yikes!

            It’s embarrassing because one of my early life lessons, that I worked really hard on, and succeeded for a while, was to finish what I started. I loved the flavor of the month in whatever realm we are discussing including fiber art. As soon as I start something, it becomes boring, tedious, and off I was imagining and starting the next new thing. Over and over again. I had it under control for a couple decades, but somehow, it escaped my attention in my fiber hobbies.

            So, I proclaimed the year 2024 to be the year I finish. The plan was to tackle them one-by-one. A year is a long time, right! A game was devised, each project numbered, and a whimsical throw of the die picked the next project. It was a red sweater, knit from the neck down, with the first six inches completed. The fiber is a beautifully soft alpaca in watermelon red. 


            Out of the bin it came. I wrapped it around a mannequin. Dusted off the project notes. Pulled out other red fiber that was going to be used in the sweater. I even proceeded to finish the paper pattern. Then, without my knowing it, I stopped.

            I know, I know. How can I stop and not know it?” How could that be? Well, the boring monster appeared. An email appeared. Quiet. Inauspicious. A fiber farm that I had bought fleece from previously was holding their yearly auction. Fiber at a discount! In the form of a bidding auction. A game!

            Just one look, I told myself. I scanned every sheep, read about their fleece, micron count. My imagination went wild. I could see the fleece arrive, locally sourced! I saw myself spinning it. Making a locally source fibershed qualifying sweater.

            Fibershed is an organization helping to change the planet’s mindset about clothing in a planet and environmentally friendly way, which I wholeheartedly support.

            Well, of course I bid! It came! I had to spin it up! But it takes a lot of time to gently wash fleece. To hand card it. Wait, I had to have the right-hand carders. That took time to find and buy, and arrive! Then learning to card locks, a new experience! Finally got the hang of that.


            Then spun it up in sections. Two spindles of hand carded and wheel spun fiber later, I was bored again. I nearly put that aside several times, but forced myself to finish. Meanwhile, the red bomb sweater, hung on the mannequin, lurking in the room, silent, but loud.

            I ignored it. Staring at my wall of stash fiber, I was consumed by the yellows. They just popped out at me. Like they spoke to me. Everything else paled. It was a divine message! The wall is organized by color. A wonderful statement of art, and supply! But that yellow, and the nearby gold, pulled me in. What you need to know about me is that I have never been a yellow person. This was a NEW experience.

            Hooked! It suddenly came to me. A gorgeous yellow toned woolen cloth to weave and a sweater coat to make! Off on this tangent I went. 



Meanwhile, the red bomb of a mannequin kept staring at me. It loomed large and deadly silent. I ignored it, again. 

            It takes time to plan a weave, select the actual specific correct threads, sample a swatch, measure the warp threads of six colors for the warp, and then four colors for the weft. All in yellows, peach. Then, after measuring the final warp, unfortunately, I didn’t have enough for the weft! So I had to hunt and search, and purchase! How awful!

            The cloth took shape, months of work, and I ended up with gorgeous yellow cloth, meditating in my fiber closet, waiting for a flash of inspiration to become its next incarnation.


            I suddenly looked up and realized that, here I was, ten months into the year, and I had yet to finish the red project, let alone the other thirty projects. That was a sad day!

            After much knawing and complaining, I put the red project away. I put away about six other projects in the fiber room that were started into the “waiting to make” bins. The fiber room felt clean and ready to begin a new life.

            I needed to start again. To really only pick one project, finish it. I hadn’t been listening to my creative self, but to my brat self, who only wanted the next new taste. The only problem with the next new taste, is that over time, it speeds up, and eventually nothing satisfies. Nothing gets done. It is a spiraling addiction like many others.

            I planned a new game. Went through my list to only pick the in-process projects that I actually wanted to finish. Spun the wheel, and this crochet hat project came up.

            It was actually a project Dave started when he was trying to get involved with my passion of fiber art. Not really something he rings to. So, I picked it up, grateful for the smallish project, and finished it up. I made two hats and a cowl.

            I did, unfortunately, have to search for and buy from Etsy, beautiful horn-shaped wooden buttons dyed the perfect shade of light turquoise blue!

            The spell is broke, I hope! On to the next project! And only one, I promise!


Enjoy!

Alex


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