Without the ocean

It is amazing how different a pattern can look when you work it with a different colour, an alternative yarn or with slightly larger or smaller needles. Here's a recent example of a multi‐coloured pattern being worked in a single natural colour and looking completely different from the original. This is the Ocean Currents Blanket pattern I have posted about here and here, but this time without the ocean!

I have recently been knitting a few projects with Cascade "EcoCloud" which is a gorgeously soft merino / alpaca mix with a very interesting chainette structure. The yarn is similar to a slim i‐Cord so traps the air right inside the core. Between the two ultra‐soft fibres used in the blend and the airy‐ness of the structure, it gives a super cozy result.

I had a ball of the Cream colour left over after I had finished a little baby jacket and have just worked up a swatch using the Ocean Currents Blanket pattern. The result is a lovely retro sampler effect which really highlights the different patterns used in the design.

​The yarn shows the stitches well and I think a blanket or throw worked in this colourway would be perfect to add an extra layer to a chilly bedroom.

​The EcoCloud yarn is 150m/164 yds per 100gm skein, so is a little thicker than the yarn I used for the original pattern. So, I worked the sample on one size larger needles to compensate for this and to maintain the open feel of the fabric. It worked out beautifully and I really like the result.

​It feels very soft, airy and warm – just what you need for a blanket.

As a reminder, this is how the original Ocean Currents Blanket looks when worked with a co-ordinating set of tonal blue yarns. It certainly is interesting seeing a pattern worked in a different colourway, isn't it. The two versions look so different... 

So that set me thinking about colour – why we use certain colours, and how yarn manufacturers and fashion designers come up with colour themes for the next season. So I am going to have a look at this over the next few posts, starting with: "The future of colour".

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