Turning Cartwheels

The sun is shinning, the washing is drying, the house is (reasonably clean), I've just had a yummy lunch and I've come to do a little bit of Ta-Dahing.  All is good and right with my little world today.

These are going to be the subject of today's post

These are my cartwheels.  I don't know why that became their name, but it did and that's how I can't help but think of them.  They are going to made into a shrug of my own (somewhat tortured devising), but before that, let us go back to the beginning.

When I try to think of how the idea came about, I'm not sure I can remember.  I think it came from a number of different pictures I've been seeing lately here, here, here and here.  That and these wonderful colours which had been in my head as a kind of palette ready for action for a little while.

I didn't plan it that way because it was still pretty summery when it was first concieved, but I think they have a pleasing Autumnal feel to them.  I love that word:  Autumnal!


So the circles started to pile up, which you may know, is my very favourite part of the project.  I love the colourful heaps, the pretty displays and all that potential!  Potential is exciting.

Ummm, happiness!

Then came the construction.  This bit I wasn't sure of, it was a kind of 'suck it and see' type procedure, but I came up with a method fairly painlessly and so the networking of cartwheels began.

This stage took quite a while...

But after a while, it started to come together and resemble a garment.  At some point during all this I decided on a simple edging of double (or single, if you prefer) crochet to set it off, with just a few of the colours in.  It seemed right.

And then, it was done.

Such an enjoyable project, I don't think there was hardly a moment in the making that I didn't love, which is usual for me.  Normally, especially when the end is in sight, I start to flag and want the whole thing over with, but this time I was content. 

Well, with the possible exception of sewing in all the 'networking' ends which, in my excitement of getting it all together so I could see the shape, I didn't do as I went along.  Still a solid Sunday's work saw the back of the blighters!

So, there you have it.  Ta, if you won't mind me saying it, Dah!

One more thing.  I know you'll want to know, so I have all the oh so important yarny details for you:

It's made from a sport weight yarn called Bergère de France Idéal, which I picked up at my local-ish shop.  It has a great range of colours, including ones that I felt exactly matched my palette imaginings at the beginning.  Here's the colours I used:

20555 - Cyclamen (Raspberry pink)
20743 - Loess (Khaki green)
20754 - Olivine (Olive)
20846 - Chenas (Plum)
22375 - Balladone (Soft violet)
23026 - Danseuse (Soft pink)
23040 - Citonnier (lemony lime)
24241 - Cendre (Ash grey)
24872 - Calanque (Peacock)

I used just about half a skein of each of the above to make all the cartwheel and a little more of each of the border colours.  Then to join all the circles together I used 3 balls of:

23316 - Vannerie (Beige)

See you soon.


S x


Oh, I almost forgot!  I'm entering this little shrug in the 'Celebrate Color' competition over at Stitched in Colour.  It's a great competition, with some lovely prizes to be won - go and check it out!

S x