My humble start...

I started my take on the stash busting ripple afghan last week some time, before Dawn and Kim had this great idea! I think I'll enjoy it better knowing that as a group we'll keep up with each other's progress. I know I'm looking forward to see what everyone else comes up with. Like Dawn I'm using the Donna Kooler's lattice chevron stitch. My yarn stash wanted something a little more open and more pronounced than the ripple. I don't have the incredible stash that others have; it's mostly acrylic or wool/ acrylic left over from Christmas presents. The colors are either bright or dark, but some pastel too, along with some stripey/ variegated. I'll just have to see how they all come together. I'm a little wary because there are a lot of colors that clash pretty badly. Where will that bright orange fit in?

Here's the stash:

Not the most organized, I know. I haven't decided yet how I'll manage all these colors. It may literally be a random dive into the basket...

I look forward to seeing everyone else's afghans!

~Kelley

And so it begins...

WOW, is it good to be back crocheting. Not that it's been that long, but most of the last month and a half has been consumed with learning to knit. My brain goes to a totally different place with this, and double WOW, are my muscles A LOT less tense. Sooooooooooothing.

I'm off to a good start. Decided on the lattice chevron pattern out of Donna Kooler's Encyclopedia of Crochet. As I mentioned, I'm hoping the open work will be accommodating of the differing yarns I have to work with. The edges may be a bit rough,but I'm OK with that. I'm using a K hook, Boye aluminum if you need to know or care. So far I've worked up one ball of the Pehuen cotton, a scrap of Classic Elite Encore and now have some plain ole cream kitchen cotton hooking up. Since I'm a hopelessly lost color combiner, the stuff I pulled out of my stash is all blues, browns, creams to coordinate with the Pehuen. That way it really doesn't matter how it comes together, it should all work.

And oh yeah, if you want to ripple along, drop me your email at :

kyogadawn visi com

and I'll send you info on how to join the blog.

On Stash Diving

OK, we're officially up and running...oops, sorry, rippling. If you want to join in, lemme know and I'll send you an invite to blog here. If you're not up with the blogger thing, send me updates and I'll link to your page.

So. That frog pond. The one hiding behind the living room chair. It's mine, and until this very morning it held my biggest shame:

OK, one of them would perhaps not be so bad, but there are like 12. Yep, 12 balls of Pehuen...hand dyed cotton from Araucania Yarns. It was to be a sweet sweater, but alas, twas not to be, and it's been languishing for months and months and months. THE SHAME!

...until my rummagings unearthed it and b.i.n.g.o. I love the yarn, but know I could never make a garment I would be happy with out of it...but a blanket, a blanket would make us both oh so over the moon. Further delving brought out a surprising amount of taggers-along:

At least enough to be getting along with, don't you think? It's nothing so glamorous as cashmerino, but I think I can have good fun with this and be happy with the outcome. Bonus that most of it is stuff I would probably never touch again otherwise. I feel so noble! It's a mishmash of superwash, cotton, blends, yada yada. Loads of different textures, so me thinks I shall begin trying a more open ripple to accomodate for that. Running off to peruse Donna Kooler's Encyclopedia of Crochet, think there's something lurking there if I recall...more once I get something swatched up.

The Backstory

This be about giving credit where it is sooooooooo due. The ripple-along grew from Kim's recent post to her blog on CrochetMe. Go see Alicia's "most gorgeous ripple afghan ever" says she. So, off I go. You should too. Now. Go here, to the Ripple Issues post on her blog Posie Gets Cozy.

Cool eh?

That's her fab creation at right. She's "The Musee". See, when I emailed here with this idea, begging to link to her page and use her image, she gently directed to the one that set HER on the ripply path, her friend Jane at Yarnstorm. (again, fab creation at right) Now run to see HER post: on the crest of a wave. COME ON people, who doesn't want one after seeing THAT? Ripplish perfection in fabulous yarn no less! There is no doubt the gal has some mean color-combining skillz. Dare to dream. So she wins the muse-y crown for kicking it all off, even though she didn't know it at the time.

I threw a comment to Kim, linked on my blog, she threw back. There was some whining about perhaps not having the appropriate materials in one's stash. She blessedly talked me out of the "progressive" idea...oh the depths of despair at having to send the ripply cozy comfort packing...SHUDDER! And the loss of all the mindless, soothing rippling...DOUBLE SHUDDER! Weak moment I guess. Thanks to Kim for bringing me back to my senses.

...and she then she threw in the "no end in sight" concept and it clicked into place. No need to have a large stock o yarn on hand...it grows as you go. Start with what you got and progress along with those great odd balls on clearance at the LYS, the to die for scraps and skeins left over from the perfect project, the frog pond hiding behind the living room chair....you get the idea. Now go diving and get hooking!