This is the first of two table runners I'm making. My plan was to use white monks cloth and a variegated turquoise yarn...looks like what you see, right? Well, not all is well!
One of the things I tell my students is to be very careful when buying variegated yarn. Always check how long each color is on the strand and try to keep it around 4-6" so that you won't have long stretches of one color in your pattern. Apparently I didn't follow my own advice when I purchased the above yarn.
I've actually never seen a variegated yarn like this one. There is approximately a stretch of one color that measures 3-4 FEET before changing to different shades each measuring 6-8" (too long but I'm stuck with it). The variegated section also measures about 3-4 feet before once again returning to a solid color measuring 3-4'.
Because I don't need a lot of yarn to complete my project, I'm disposing of the solid sections and using only the variegated sections. The waste is immense and bugs the life out of me.
I can only blame myself for not checking properly but, if what could be checked was the variegated, no-one would be able to tell that further along was that awful 3-4 feet of solid color.
Live and learn, I guess.
I'm done...and now it's a lap afghan. I never intended for it to look like a baby afghan but that's what happened because of the pastel yarns I used. It's pretty but not my favorite!
The ends I cut off are more than wide enough for table runners so there is no waste here. It was a difficult decision to make because I'd been working on it for so long but I'd long ago stopped enjoying it. That's unusual with Swedish weaving because it's usually a joy to watch it grow.
My friend, Donna, is experiencing the same lack of interest in the afghan she's been working on forever so it's a good thing we can at least make lap afghans out of our project.
There is only one other project that I stopped enjoying and that was the green tablecloth I made for my friend, Mary. It was for Christmas and I only wanted to weave a border around it but I decided to use green yarn on the green cloth. I don't think I'll ever do that again but it did turn out beautifully.
Anyway, now I'm on to my next project and you can bet it will be with vividly colored yarns.
