Color Coordination

Way back when (OK, only a few weeks ago, but it seems like forever,) I was working diligently on my Charlotte's Web. I am sure you remember. You even asked questions about it. I was going to answer those questions in my next progress post and then the project took one detour after the next. The problem? After envisioning the perfect color progression, I had problems turning my dream into a reality.

First, some background. CW had been on my radar for quite some time. Everyone was doing it, right? OK, maybe not everyone but it's currently at 480 strong over at Ravelry.
(I tried to add the Ravelry button here but it doesn't seem to be working right now.)

I had seen the pictures. Even a real live, finished shawl at an LYS, but they had all left me a bit uninspired. Until I read this post over at Turlegirl's Bloggy Thing and HAD to have one of my very own. The STR Mediumweight just envelopes you in its soft, sproingy goodness and Tina's glorious riot of colors has never looked more enticing. Yes, I needed my own Mediumweight Web and I wanted a similar look to Cristi's of Shaded Solids and Watercolor Waves washing into Multicolor waves and back out.

Tina's dying genius can not be denied. And the quantity of colorways at any given time can not be overlooked BUT, I have learned through experience that unless you live in the Portland/Seattle area (or in London apparently) you are not going to be able to view anything until it bought and payed for and sitting in your living room, that colorways are best previewed over at Ravelry not at the BMF site, that you have to wind your hank into a ball to get a better idea of how it is going to look and interact with another colorway, and that every so often Tina gives some of her colorways a "wee nap" (meaning not all 400+ are available at any given time).

All this is my of explaining why I now have an impressive STR Mediumweight stash, but no shawl. After the failure of poor, dear Count Cluckula I gave Jubilation a go. It flowed beautifully, albeit a bit too subtly into the Jasper but overall did NOTHING for the shawl. I had always imagined Jasper being the final color and I think I was right. I have a few more colorways making their way to me now and if they don't work I will have to resort to drastic measures. I find it IMPOSSIBLE to believe that I don't have 5 colors that will work together. They just may not work with the progression I had wanted. I may have to rip out everything and start from scratch. But this time, oh this time I'm going to do something very Old School. Something I did the very first time I worked with multiple colors. I'm going to color swatch!!!

Now how I went from a zillion markers to just 4 will discussed in a later post. Hopefully soon. Hopefully with real progress pictures.