≡ Menu

There’s a Blanket in the Garden

hydrangea closeup Lisa Allen Lambert

Since the moment I laid eyes on Adaliza‘s crocheted wonder, Gypsy Rose, in Kristin Nicholas’ blog post, I was full-on in love, but working with wool in the heat and humidity of summer is not what I do, so I went a little wild and ordered a mountain of Kristin’s Julia yarn (discontinued but recently reissued as ‘Colors by Kristin’ — yay!) and put it aside til fall.

 

tiered pink garden corner Lisa Allen LambertJust in time with the drop in temperature, Adaliza has posted a Gypsy Rose how-to. Allelujah!

snapdragon in basket closeup Lisa Allen Lambert

Where to begin with my first square? The combinations are endless. So I went out into my garden — summer’s last hurrah, for sure — to observe nature’s palette. This reminds me of an independent study I created in weaving school; I analyzed Matisse’s color palette, from his early days studying under The Masters, up until illness kept him bed-bound and he began to work with scissors and richly colored papers. I mixed dyes and created swatches for his paintings. And then, wondering what would happen, I chose several paintings and wove rugs and yardage, adhering to the same balance of colors as Matisse had used. It was like playing dress-up in someone else’s wardrobe.

garden view framed Lisa Allen Lambert

If I were to apply the same principle to my own interpretation of the Gypsy Rose blanket, the predominant color would be green. But I’m in a red/pink/orange phase right now, so it is more likely that I will invert the colorscape of my garden and use varying tones of green as an accent.

fall garden long view Lisa Allen Lambert afghan yarn in garden Lisa Allen Lambert

Looks like the blues are calling for a leading role, too. We’ll have to see what happens when yarn meets crochet hook. Adaliza changes color with every row (oh my, the ends that will need weaving in!). Here and here are a look back at a knit blanket. The pattern called for self-striping yarn, but instead I changed colors by hand. Loads and loads of ends to weave in, but a happy result.

Thanks for visiting!

Comments on this entry are closed.

  • jenny September 28, 2012, 9:12 am

    Wow those colors are gorgeous and I love the way the rounds are coming out! I may need to retrieve my basket of yarn and make something yummy! Thanks for the inspiration.