Rainbow colours

Hi Crochet friends

I wonder why it is that when we think of nature we think of subtle and subdued colours? Looking out of the cottage window on a sunny day this spring the new grass in the field is vivid green.   Bright yellow celandines give the grass a hazy gold look. The new growth on the trees is lime green and the sky is bright blue.  The contrast of brilliant white blossom on the damson tree is anything but subtle!

It's not so long ago when bright coloured crochet blankets were made up of fluorescent coloured granny squares that gave crochet a bad name! Thankfully now wools and yarns give us quality, variety and a fantastic range of colours to choose from subtle to bright. Rainbow colours to turn a simple motif into a lovely bright design. And who doesn't on a dark gloomy day love to dive into a basket of rainbow coloured yarn.

To make something with rainbow colours you need a good spread of colours and they definitely work better when you use the same brand as the dyes work better together and this will show in your final design. If you are looking for rainbow yarn in one ball, sock yarns are a good choice and create interesting results.

Bright colours work well in motifs whether made in the round or in rows and are lovely used with ripple stitches when you can create lots of effects.

From a simple granny square to a more complicated motif, you can use close shades together, contrasts or pick one colour to feature a row of textured stitches.

Don't restrict your rainbow colours to standard double knitting yarn, there are so many wonderful choices from artisan spinners to bigger brands and retailers such as Deramores, Bergere de France and West Yorkshire spinners. Bigger brands and artisan spinners can give you a range of rainbow yarns - some wispy some and others with silk and mohair added. 

A plea to you! Whatever you make always use the best yarn you can afford. Quality yarn is easier to crochet with, the colours are better and the finished item that you have spent so much time making will have a quality finish.

For so many years I've used subtle colours to create throws and cushions, this really fought against my nature as I've always loved bright colours. My favourite winter throw always cheers me when its cold and dark, but I also love rainbow coloured throws and cushions set on the bench in my garden in the summer.

On warm summer evenings  watching the dogs rootling around the garden and paddling in the stream that runs along the bottom of the garden, listening to the birds and relaxing after a busy day. Not forgetting my basket of wool, crochet hook and tablet for ideas!

This post is my submission to the Deramores Craft Blog Competition 2015. Deramores is the UK’s number one online retailer of knitting and crochet supplies. Visit www.deramores.com for more details. 

Big Motifs

What makes you smile?

For me it's a big basket of wool, a crochet hook and a head full of ideas. Just lately I've fallen in love with big motifs which I've seen in growing numbers on Pinterest and Ravelry. Is it my imagination, or are crochet motifs themselves growing bigger year on year.Thanks to the internet and sites like Pinterest and Ravelry there is an endless source of inspiration and talented  crocheters from around the world  to get ideas from.

When I make small motifs I seem to finish up with them drifting around.  I've found them in the bottom of my work basket, down the side of the settee and in the dogs basket. Not so with big motifs.

Why do I love big motifs?

• They have Impact
• You have more scope to use textured stitches
• There is more scope to use clever colour combinations for more impact
• There is more room for creativity

Big motifs don't have to be made using a complicated design. I've made them using a standard granny square and combined them in various ways to make bigger motifs. Using one main colour for example gives your finished design much more impact. 

And while growing a small motif is fine and can be effective as with the patchwork cushion to my mind a big motif should be more than a small motif with added rows. 

Not all big motifs have to be created in the round, using rows to create a big motif can just as satisfying and creative and you can use them to make more structured designs. Using colours creatively can make modern and interesting designs for cushions and throws. 

This big cushion is made up of 9 big motifs, all worked in rows.

Who says you can't square a circle?

There is something satisfying in starting with a circle and turning it into a square. A full sized project can get tedious, but using big motifs you soon get the satisfaction of completing something lovely in its own right. Big motifs also have one tremendous advantage over small motifs. Cushions and throws grow more quickly. Four or six large motifs can make one side of a cushion.

Follow Everything Crochet's board Big Crochet Motifs on Pinterest.

This post is my submission to the Deramores Craft Blog Competition 2015. Deramores is the UK’s number one online retailer of knitting and crochet supplies. Visit www.deramores.com for more details.