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Apr 30, 2017

FO | Valere Vivid Rainbow

The last time you saw Valere, my not-so-scrappy rainbow afghan, it was something of a jumbled mess. I was weaving ends and the borders were curling like crazy.




Luckily, blocking worked its transformative power, and now the borders lie flat, the stitches have relaxed and the rumples have disappeared.





For me, this project was all about color, so I kept everything else quite simple, from the triangular banners to the crossed stockinette stitch that creates a subtle texture on the front and plush texture on the back.




The ever-growing pile of Cotton Fleece partials and leftovers from past projects made the yarn choice obvious. Picking the right mix of rainbow shades and placement was a challenge, so I spent many enjoyable hours auditioning different combinations, until I landed on this one:

  • Left strip: Lapis, Mint Condition, Cherry Moon
  • Center strip: Raging Purple, New Age Teal, Tropical Coral 
  • Right strip: Berry, Caribbean Sea, Sunburst

To streamline colorwork and keep the project compact and portable, I used a strip strategy, then framed the piece with a plain, solid border. In these angled shots, the banner sizes and shapes seem to be different, but I assure you they're all the same size and shape.




Valere Vivid Rainbow Afghan

Yarn: Cotton Fleece (Brown Sheep)
Needles: US 8 (5 mm), US 9 (5.5 mm)
Size: Small
Dimensions: 24 x 36 ins
Yardage: ~650 yards


I confess I'm rather taken with the end result, so I can't decide whether to put it into the afghan rotation or hang it on the wall for decoration. What do you think? 



Meanwhile, I'm eager to cast on another, and for better or worse, the stash holds plenty of partials and leftovers, so options abound. Undoubtedly, this will lead to countless hours playing with color combinations and arrangements. I can't speak for you, but for me, color play is just one of the many pleasures of knitting.






Want to learn more about this design? Click here to see the pattern release post.

Seeking ideas for a rainbow project? Check out 7 Cheerful Rainbow Color Combos.

6 comments:

  1. That's so pretty. It is definitely not scrappy.

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  2. Ditto: definitely not scrappy! And a great way to use up leftovers to create something cheerful, colorful and bright.

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    1. You're right, it was an effective way to use up leftovers, which may explain why there's another on the needles as we speak ;)

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  3. Lovely colours, well made and put together. What will you do with it. I thought initially it looked like a rug? When you sad afghan I wasn't so sure. Cathy x

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for your kind remarks! It's soft, light and drapey, so it will be used as an afghan or perhaps hung on the wall for decoration.

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-b