Sage and Sand

This wonderful mess reminds me of a silly dog I used to love, and the trio of rascally kids that he belonged to. Sam, Justin, and Moriah (my cousin's kids) are all grown up now, and Hunter passed on to the happy hunting grounds in the sky. They are all still dearest to my heart, and they continue to influence and inspire me in ways they will never know. 

The combination of earth toned colors in this crochet piece is supposed to look grown up, just like Hunter was maybe going to be a smart Labrador Retriever who knew how to hunt and track. But the mix-matched way all the layers are formed puts this delightful piece in the category of playful, just like Hunter always was. From puppy to old dog, he never seemed to mature, but he was forever lovable.

I labeled this piece Sage and Sand, because of its herbal and earthy colors. I'm satisfied with that name, but I must admit, it actually doesn't match how this piece feels, folds, and drapes. Sage and Sand is a title that might come from the pages of a sophisticated magazine on contemporary style. But this over sized scarf seems more like it was designed for the woodland witch outfit at a child's costume party. And that is exactly why I absolutely love it! 😎

A zoomed look at the stitches shows the change in textures with each layer. The colors match but the textures clash, and somehow that works. Body, edging, and trim are all different fibers and weights, from two yarn companies, in three categories. The mesh of the body is a super bulky chenille from the "Ice Cream Deluxe Yarn" category, in the fantastic flavor of "Goose Lake." I never would have thought of that name for a color scheme, especially in a category about ice cream. But I like it. 😄  The edging is a medium weight acrylic, with a fantastic name for its color scheme: Aspen Print. I love that label. I wish I had thought of that label. 😍 And the trim is a bulky weight polyester from the "Baby Soft Boucle" category, in simple tan. Breaking another rule, and switching gauges, I used a hook size of N for the body and trim, and size K for the edging. 

Because of its bulk, trim, and fringe, this marvelous mess is impossible to fold. I roll it up, and that sorta works, but not really. I plop it down to let gravity do the posing, and that pretty much looks like I tried to fold it but then accidentally stepped on it. I hang it, and it sags. I carefully arrange it, and it flops over. I go for formal draping, it droops. I try casual layering, it fluffs up. Never mind. It's a great piece, and I love it. 😄 Just like those three rascally kids I've long loved, who grew up playing with Hunter. I can't make them do anything I think they should do. Wouldn't dream of it. Sam, Justin, and Moriah just go about being their awesome selves, without any advice from me. 😍 And Hunter is surely as playful, and still not mindful, in doggie heaven as he was here on earth. 

I love working with Earth Tones (also check out Sand Sparkle and Chocolate and Wine), and I will definitely work with this combination of clashing textures again. These big fluffy projects are perfect for winter evenings. For a future trio of textures, I have a few different color schemes in mind, plus I know exactly what I will do differently for the fold and feel of it. I will add one row of sc stitches between each mesh row, like I have done in so many other projects. That will give it a sturdiness, I think, and will help with some of my posing problems. Which are not even problems! 😎  That extra row will also make it shorter, if I stick to using just one cake of chenille for the body. And I think this design could stand to be a little shorter... not sure, what do you think?! 😋

I heart earth toned crochet art!

Sage + Sand + Fluff + Fringe = Crochet Creative Color Combinations