quarantine knit along

After traveling during the ramp up of the COVID-19 epidemic, Arne and Carlos, wonderful people that they are, have started a mystery knit along while they are quarantined at home. Their daily podcasts are a nice diversion (as their videos always are) and they have generously shared a pattern each day for color work patches. The intent is for this to go on for two weeks, the length of their quarantine, and I just finished the last patch from week 1 last night. They suggest using dk weight yarn, but I've got way more fingering weight scraps so my patches are turning out as miniatures. This is a fun no-rules creative exercise in an otherwise trying time.

Our county's shelter-in-place order took effect on St. Patrick's Day, so that's when I started my first patch, choosing festive greens. Similar to the embroidery hoop I just finished, this is a really nice skill building exercise. I'm learning how to do flat color work, which seems to me much harder than working in the round even though it shouldn't be. Maybe it's all the purling, who knows. It is getting easier though. I'm enjoying these small squares so much think I might even start swatching for projects! Hah. Maybe not. Let's not go overboard.

I'm also getting to practice more color combination skills. Each patch takes just a couple of hours and then it's on to the next, so getting to pick out new pairs comes much faster than it would if these were larger color work projects like shawls or sweaters. I'm learning what works and what doesn't in terms of value and variegated skeins for charted patterns, that's for sure. Sometimes these speckled and variegated yarns work up in surprising ways! The green and pink yarns above seemed to be a great pair while sitting next to each other but are maybe a little too close in value to provide the contrast needed to make the pattern pop. The one next to it worked out much better. I like them all, to be sure, but it's nice to note. Arne had a wonderful point - pick a couple of colors from your stash and you will probably love them in combination because you loved each color and bought the yarn in the first place - and I find that to be true.

The last block of the week, Love, was very fun. I took a couple of ocean inspired colors and worked it up last night. I'm very pleased. Looking forward to the next week of patches, though I wish the reason for the KAL did not exist. Everyone is taking things one day at a time so far and thankfully I get to include these fun little knits as part of my day.