09/02/22

I first made the Fall Delights throws years and years ago when I wasn’t allergic to acrylic yarn. I love fall, it is the most wonderful time of the year! When we moved last year from eastern Colorado to Las Cruces, New Mexico I decided not to take these throws with me. I had kept them around in my very large basement studio, on a couch I never sat on. It was for others to sit on and I could still enjoy my work.

The new house in Las Cruces is a lot smaller and the studio is now a converted single car garage. No acrylic anywhere in studio any more. I took lots of pictures and made lots of notes about the stitches I used and how each of the different embellishments were worked.

In May I decided it was time to make these blankets again so I could have them around for great photo shoots this fall. I reached out to Cascade Yarns for yarn support for the Falling Leaves throw. I paid for yarn from WeCrochet, a.k.a. KnitPicks, for the Candy Corn Throw. Both yarns are 100% non-super-wash wool and I couldn’t be happier about that. I am also very pleased with the colors for each of these throws.

There isn’t a picture for the Candy Corn throw because it isn’t quite finished yet. Here is a picture of yarn.

While I was writing up the “romance” for the pattern, it’s just a bit of background info about the design and some the “why” behind it, I used the words “scarecrows” and “pumpkins”. I don’t have throws with scarecrows or pumpkins on them… That’s when the idea for more throws came and I started sketching.

Below is my first ideas for the scare and a few notes on the yarn colors I’m thinking about using.

I have ordered the first round of yarn. I usually nail it the first time, because I am slow and thoughtful shopper, but this time I did not and at this point I’m not willing to compromise. I ordered ten balls of Wool of the Andes worsted weight in “Pumpkin”, sure I would love it as the background color for the pumpkins. Well, I don’t. I really want a straw color. Their “cornmeal” color would be great but it’s only in fingering weight and I’m not holding two strands together. First I just don’t want to and second, I love the twist and ply of Wool of the Andes.

In my cart currently is a ball of “Creme Brulee” that I want to see it’s real color, and ten balls of Mink heather. A color I’m hoping will be for the throw for the pumpkins, more on that in a minute. If the “Creme Brulee” gets here and isn’t the correct color, then I’m going to try a hank of “Flax” in the Cascade 220. It will be a “mixed” blanket which I have nothing against in general, just that materials aren’t always equal. I have enough experience with these two yarns though that I don’t think it’ll be a problem.

The yarn for the scarecrow is currently fingering weight. I chose that so I can do more detail and they not be huge. I would like to have at least six on the throw, but we’ll see. I am using scraps of any fingering weight yarn I want; just how real scarecrows are made.

The mink heather for the pumpkin throw… I have the photo below from last October at a local pumpkin patch.

I decided that mink heather, hopefully, will help the pumpkin colors to pop and still look like it is dirt from outside. Living in the desert there is a lot more sand and the dirt is not as dark as in Colorado.