WIP Wednesday – I can crochet a rainbow

Posted on by Laura

Right, nobody faint, but this week I’ve actually got myself organised enough to post a picture of what I’m working on right now.

This is a version of Doris Chan’s All Shawl, made in King Cole Riot. One the big complaints from crocheters is that self-striping yarns are usually aimed at knitters. A colour run that might make a lovely stripe in a pair of knitted socks can look blotchy in crochet. Not so this yarn! Ever since I got to the third row I’ve had ‘I can sing a rainbow’ stuck in my head, mostly because ‘I can crochet a rainbow’ doesn’t scan terribly well.

I started this yesterday morning and added the first couple of rows of the edging this morning. So what you’re seeing there is the product of about 3 hours work with a 5mm hook. There are times when I really love how fast crochet is. The yarn is a light DK/4ply weight, and I’ve made it much denser than the pattern suggests, as I really want a little shawlette for wearing at work to keep out the chill of the air conditioning. Also, the photos really don’t do justice to the brightness of these colours, and I think if I’d made it bigger, it might have been rather over-powering.

I’m going to wear this to the Knitting and Stitching show on Friday (so if you’re going and you spot a girl in glasses and a rainbow shawl, that’s me!), which makes me excited and nervous in equal measure. Doris Chan is going to be there on the Tulip stand, and she’s promised a hug to anyone wearing one of her designs! The only problem is that I tend to get horrifically tongue tied when I meet people I admire, so I hope I can manage to do more than blurt out “I love your work!” and turn bright red.

Wish me luck. Oh, and I’ll probably be Tweeting through the day, so if you want to see what a really embarrassed Laura looks like, tune in then!

To see what everyone else is working on this week, head over to Tami’s here or click the picture below.

28 thoughts on “WIP Wednesday – I can crochet a rainbow”

  1. It looks great and I never realised before I read this post that it is really rare to see self striping yarns used in crochet (especially shawls). Have fun at the show – I was going to go but as I am trying not to buy any yarn for the next few months it seemed like taking temptation too far!

    Like

    1. There’s a list somewhere on Ravelry of stripey yarns that are good for crochet. Most of them aren’t!

      I plan to stock up at the show and down to Christmas, then spend 2012 working through my stash. It’s a good plan, although given the size of the stash even now, I might still be working on it in 2013 ;D

      Like

  2. That is lovely. The yarn has a lovely haze to it. I’ve seen it online but haven’t bought any. I might be tempted now. It works really well in crochet doesn’t it. I’m a bit like you when I see people I admire. I was quite proud of how casual I was when I met Lisa Lam of U-Handbag fame at the Festival of Quilts. It helped that we had communicated online, but I was still pretty nervous!

    Like

    1. I’ve also got this yarn in a grey/white colourway, but decided this shawl needed a zing of colour. It’s really soft to work with, although the haze can make it tricky to rip out (I’ve done plenty of that as well with this shawl!)

      My plan for the show is to stand alongside someone who’s less dorky around people they admire than I am and hope that some of their confidence rubs off on me! There’s no danger that it won’t be busy enough, I think. Elbows at the ready!

      Like

    1. I was a bit worried that the acrylic in it would make it scratchy, but it feels lovely and is super-easy to work. I had to rip out the lace as the numbers didn’t add up, but given how quickly it worked up the first time, I’m sure I’ll get it done by Friday!

      Like

  7. At the risk of repeating everyone else: I had no idea that self striping yarns didn’t work with Crochet. Although you couldn’t prove the rule by looking at your shawl — it’s lovely and I expect you’ll knock Doris Chan’s socks off with its stripey goodness! Have a wonderful time!

    Like

    1. Each colour has to have a really long run to work in crochet, since for a similar size stitch to knitting you use more yarn, so you tend to get pooling in crochet rather than stripes. It’s great to find one that really works.

      I’ll have to see if I can get a picture on Friday!

      Like

  8. Gorgeous! Your shawl looks amazing! I used King Cole Riot chunky for a crochet tunic for my little lady last week and it is lovely on her – I have another colourway ready to go – it’s so nice to work with too, isn’t it.

    I’m going to the show, but on Saturday so I won’t be able to spot you but hope you have a wonderful time. xxxx

    Like

    1. I’m really loving the King Cole yarn. My other skein of it is in a more subdued grey colourway that I hope to knit with – it’s been a fab yarn to crochet, so I’m hoping it’ll be nice for my fledgling knitting skills!

      Enjoy the show!

      Like

  13. I knew it was Riot! I’m not sure if I have the confidence to pull off wearing a rainbow, go you!
    Love it! Make sure you take some pics of it being worn, I always love seeing how it actually works!!

    Like

  16. I love the shawl – I can’t believe it only took you three hours!

    I’ve only done a tiny bit of crocheting, and it never occurred to me that self-striping yarn wouldn’t work well, but it makes sense! It’s awesome you found a yarn it did work with!

    Like

Leave a comment