Friday, February 01, 2008

Slowly I Turned

Step by step. Inch by inch.

Anna at the Stitch Bitch hit 1,000 posts. You go, girl! I'm not too, too far behind. I'll get there sometime this spring. I think I started my blog the month after she did.

While doing inventory in the shop I started to admire Glissen Gloss' Colorwash - a 12 ply Japanese silk. Yesterday I bought some, thinking I would use them instead of Waterlilies on Indigo Rose's Catherine Agnes sampler. See the picture? Aren't the colors lovely? Well, the photo and the actual threads do not match. In reality, the colors are much more muted, some even pastel. As I was drawn to the piece by seeing its picture on the 'net and I purchased online without ever seeing it, I was somewhat disappointed when I gathered the color for fibers. This piece has literally been hanging out in my stash all kitted up, but I just couldn't bring myself to start it. I have seen an real life model and it's lovely, but I'm still stuck on those brighter colors. So I tried several times to match it to some brighter overdyed silks, but it's like the color combinations I'm looking for don't exist. Thus the purchase of the Glissen Gloss. But when I laid things out last night, I'm still not satisfied.

A big shout out to my friend who suggested I dye my own silk. Like that's happening. LOL

Maybe I should be looking in the overdyed cottons instead of silks. There are definitely more options available there.

On the plus side, I did rethink my Crescent Colours that I have picked for Martina Dey's Tsunami Charity sampler. I brightened those up considerably, too. What can I say? I know what I like.

4 comments:

Anna van Schurman said...

Thanks for the shout-out! (What am I suddenly Ryan Seacrest? All white boy being rappah?)

Does this mean I have to make something for you? I mean, I have read all 1000 posts.

Unknown said...

Yes, I know the pain of seeing a sample of a design with colors you like and finding out the directions call for wildly different colors. I started A Trio of Pumpkins by Twisted Threads last year only to find out after stitching one of them (over one on linen no less) that the DMC called for is NO WAY the colors on the model photo. Someday that single pumpkin will become a scissors fob.

Now I did buy a pattern last year because I liked the model in the shop, but the model used radically different colors. I made notes on the changes and someday I will stitch to the model and not the directions.

Good luck using the Crescent Colors. I am using them on Raise the Roof Warm Water Wash right now and I hate them. They are so soft and shreddy that they knot even on short lengths. Their variations are so mild that again what I am stitching does not look like the photographic model. When I finish stitching this, the rest of the threads will be trashed.

Donna said...

Make something? Nah. But I am stealing your baseball biscornu idea. Will give credit where appropriate. Of course, mine will have a Boston B.

Donna said...

Kathryn,
Colors are funny that way. And I am continually appalled by the photos that some people slap on their patterns. Not just bad color matches, but totally out of focus. If you don't care enough to do a good photo, I don't care enough to buy the pattern.

But the Crescent Colours thing I don't understand. Over the couse of the past year, this had become my new favorite cotton overdyed floss. I have no problems with knotting or shredding. But you do have to watch the color variations carefully. I'm fortunate to have several LNS and can be picky about colors in person and don't need to rely on the 'net.