Posted on 4 Comments

Hairbrained scheming

365 day 210 - Planning background colors

I’ve been working on a granny square project this last week in my spare time, and I’ve now got a nice pile of uniformly-sized squares that just need to be connected.  I love the bright colors in these squares and have planned all along to put them on a background of white in the hopes or really making them pop.   But you know what happens with best-laid plans and all…  I started thinking about adding more of my favorite vintagey pale aqua in there – maybe the background could be a checkerboard pattern – and maybe some of the squares could be pale green, too.

Evaluating

Well, without getting into too much detail for now, let’s just say that I have reached a point of indecision with the whole process.  It’s the kind of indecision that has you crocheting several rows, then ripping back, then reevaluating, crocheting fewer rows this time, ripping back, reevaluating, and finally giving up and settling in on the couch with a can of Dr. Pepper, a laptop, and an internet full of ideas to set you in the right direction.

See, this is where I tend to get in trouble… it’s that “internet full of ideas” thing.

So while looking for some very specific information about a very specific creative issue, I went and discovered a delightful new-to-me blog called Attic24, and got myself completely lost in a world of color.  Seriously.  Lucy crochets blanket upon blanket, and it looks as if her hook upchucked a rainbow.  And I truly mean that in the best possible way.

Do you know what else Lucy has besides a pile of beautiful blankets?  She has this. And some of her beautiful blankets live inside of it.

And while reading about her homey little caravan with the crocheted blankets and the Cath Kidston tableware, I came across one of her first posts on the subject and saw there was a delicious book (my library doesn’t have it, darn it. I checked) and a UK company that rents these caravans as well as vintage-inspired VW buses.  Their flickr stream is a total delight.  All of the vehicles have women’s names, and I am particularly smitten with Constance.  (You have to click over and have a look.  Isn’t she adorable?)

I have visions of traveling all over the countryside in our own little aqua-green and red decorated trailer now…  Never mind that I don’t like camping. Or that Neil hates driving. And he’s pretty turned off by vintage decor for that matter.  Maybe it is a bit hairbrained of me to daydream about a thing that has that many strikes against it, but really it has never stopped me before.  And it’s got me thinking something somewhat more practical, in fact.

All fixed!

Why can’t I put a little effort into getting my own van all dolled up on the inside?  Sure, 2003 is not exactly vintage, but that doesn’t mean I can’t sew a few patchwork throw pillows for the back seats, and crochet a granny square blanket to drape over one of the benches, does it?

And with that, we seem to have come full circle back to granny squares.  And I am questioning my initial plan to use those fifteen squares in my bedroom.  Maybe they need to be part of Project::Van Makeover instead…

First thing tomorrow, I need to take some “before” pictures.  And I think my van needs a name.

(It’s official. I’ve gone off the deep end.)

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Posted on 4 Comments

4 thoughts on “Hairbrained scheming

  1. Thank you for pointing the way to Constance. I swoon!!

    1. Isn’t she just dreamy?

  2. The granny squares are looking great. I can’t believe you’ve only just found Lucy’s blog – I’ve been reading for a few years now and it was she who inspired me to learn to crochet. I also visited Bolton Abbey when in the UK after seeing her photos :-).

  3. […] my mind, nothing really beat the way the unjoined squares looked next to each other.  It took a few days of dithering before I finally decided THAT was the answer – forget white and instead join them in multiple […]

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