Menokreatikkul; Saturday Stitches

Last week, I teased that I was starting a year-long project... let me explain.

I have a significant amount of mini-skeins/leftovers/odds and reclaims in my yarn stash. A very large portion of that was inherited from my late mother's enormous hoard. Slowly, I have been eating into it. Longtimers here may recall such as the Boho Blankie, or the LynGmal project...

Anyhoo, as I began this Saturday Stitches theme last week on my birthday, it was to mark the occasion of my being officially able to carry the label of old age pensioner (OAP). It seemed a gazillion miles away when out there in Workland... loomed like the nearly mountain range as menoplyxinaemia raged... then I hit the 60s and it came at me like a steam train! So yes, time does speed up the older you get...heheheheeh. Of course, what is really happening is that one's focus starts to narrow and activity reduces, and not generally being beholden to time-keeping as such, it loses context.

One way to overcome this speed train is to try to stay in each minute. Mindfulness, presence, call it what you will. Setting times to daily actions, for example. I have mentioned that I seek to crochet in sessions of not more than two hours. This is for the prevention of arthritic aggravation, but also ensures one can note the time and move on to the next action. It might be as simple as making the tea, which ought also to be focused on. Enjoy the sound of the water boiling. Place the tea leaves/bag into the receptacle with care and attention, with thoughts of refreshment and uplift, nurturing and hydration. Watch and listen to the water as you pour it over the tea. Smell it.... but I digress. One of those things that happens these days, too!

Back to my point about turning 66. I needed something to celebrate it. Thus, the Timelines Dupatta project came to me. A dupatta is the Indian equivalent of a shawl or stole. 

I decided that one row per day would be done. Each row is 66 stitches. As I actually began with the foundation row the night before the 26th, but expecting to complete it on April 26th next year (since it's not a leap year), there will be 366 rows. As I worked on the first four or five, it dawned on me that I also wanted to create a unifying border, which would be black. So, I added the permutation of making every 6th row black as well. This will result in a set of 66 stripes bringing all the varied colours together. I hope.

As the majority of yarns are of the three and four-weight category, I am using a 7mm hook. Occasional lighter yarns will be run in pairs. I also pondered making this a stitch sampler. However, I pulled back from that as the multifarious colours will be enough for the eye to cope with. Thus, it will be completed in all half double crochet (half treble in the UK). Simple stitching, but constant colour change. And keeping count!

I plan to give updates only every three or four months, so don't fret about me boring you every week with this one! 

A little hint for working with black yarns... if you haven't already thought of it. Make sure you have a light background, the better to see where you're going... my photos show you why...

It would round things off nicely if I actually had 66 different colours to use. That's not going to happen, so let's just see what happens with those that I do have. Whether other sub-themes develop or not will be interesting. So far in the first rows, I have been able to keep it pretty random. Whether my instinct for colour grading and aesthetics will kick in at some point will be interesting to observe. As will my resolve to do only one row per day. 

To help me stick to that restriction, it is necessary to have other projects under the hook... watch this space!!!