A Little Swatching

Remember when I said my primary goal for the year was to stay focused in order to finish projects that were already in progress? And remember when I also confessed I was battling an overwhelming temptation to indulge in some swatching?

Luckily, a thoughtful reader (thank you, Kat!) reminded me that tackling a swatch is in its own way a small FO, so it would be fair to say a little swatching has been going on. Let's take a peek behind the curtain.

From left to right, this snapshot of the studio work table shows:

Black swatches with contrasting bands (red, magenta, teal), which are stitch and gauge swatches for a design I'm itching to start. I'm convinced the concept will work, but it needs The Right Stitch.

A black swatch that appears to be speckled with red (you have to look closely to see the red), which was a test swatch for Tikkyn Flagstone.

Red swatches, testing a design concept that's been floating around in my portfolio for a couple years.

A purple and magenta swatch, which was a preliminary test for Lucben in bulky weight yarn.

Two purple swatches, which are stitch and gauge tests for an upcoming shawl/wrap.

Teal swatches, which reappear occasionally. I love the yarn and color, so periodically, I pull them out to re-evaluate their future. (I think I have an idea that might work, but let's face it, I've thought that before.)

Grey and cream swatches, which are Lucben samples to test gauge and calculate how yarn weight (worsted, sport) affects finished dimensions and yardage.

A blue feather and fan swatch, which is an oldy but goody. It periodically creeps out of the swatch drawer as a reminder certain classics are worth fresh attention.

A dark teal/blue swatch, which was a sample for another make your own gradients and ombres post. Unfortunately, the lake green and teal shades are so close in value, they're almost indistinguishable, especially in photos.

A light green swatch, which was another Lucben test to see how two closely related colors (pale green and mint) appeared when worked in alternating rows. (Answer: They blend imperceptibly to create a third color that's a mix of both.)

For what it's worth, there are a few more wandering around outside camera range, but this captures those in progress or under active consideration. The ones worth keeping will join their siblings in the swatch drawer, while others will be frogged to reclaim the yarn.

Swatching is both a process of discovery and elimination. As simple as they are, these 23 examples revealed many things, but a few key questions remain unanswered.

Perhaps just a little more swatching might be in order. What do you think?


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