Cat Mad Crochet

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

I continued the story but departed the text! No simple stripes! No neat fade! Nope. Not for me. I’m doing my own thing inspired by Paul Klee’s work entitled The Harbinger of Autumn. 

I like the different shades of purple and blue and the bright pop of orange in the tree is so eye-catching. I think I am coming at the design aspect from a much more non-objective perspective versus Klee’s abstract interpretation, but I’m fine with that. 

Instead of making one orange-yellow spot on the wrap, I’m going to work in some motifs. I pulled some yellows and oranges from my stash and made up some flower motifs. I actually wove the ends (!!!) and blocked them in advance of the yarn arriving so they would be all ready to go. Look at me prepping elements ahead of time. I am so efficient!

Then I drew out what I think the wrap will look like, roughly, if you squint heavily and sort of shake your head to blend the colors better. I didn’t have that many colored pencils and I am too impatient to take the time to blend the colors on the page, so I will actually have a lot more colors to work with than are demonstrated in my drawing. I’m way better and more patient when working with yarn. I think we all knew that. 

Anyway, I plan to make vertical stripes about six inches wide, work the increase along one side until the top of the stripe measures six inches, then work straight up with no increases. Once that column gets to about 36 inches long, I will end it off, and return to where I left off with the increases in the first column. I will then attach yarn to start a new column with tiny increases at the side of the last column just where I left off increasing before. 

I even tested and drew out little diagrams for myself! I’m going to put them up here as I drew them for myself, not the pretty way I do for the pattern notes I release. Welcome to my weird handwriting and hard to read diagrams.

This is for the motifs:

This is my plan for the increase for the columns:

I think I actually have to start the increase for the new row/column in the last stitch of the last increase row from the previous column. I will attach the yarn there, chain 1 for my turning chain, and squeeze a single crochet into the last crochet of the row, and then slip stitch it to the first column. We shall see if I have to rework that plan.

The yarn is due later today. I’m writing this up by the front windows so I can watch for the mail carrier. Later today, I will start balling up yarn and checking combinations to see what makes me happy. Maybe I will even get something on hook. Until the next update, may your yarn never tangle and happy crafting!