Hang on to your seat, this Tour of Textile Arts Gallery H is going to the Olympics. Yes, that’s right, you read it right! I have been extremely fond of the Olympics since I was a child. And, we just had the recent 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games that were really Great, with the exception of a few, I’ll just say, instances of negativity.
However, It’s all about the athletes and the competition itself, that I love! I listen and watch with my Mom, because she likes it too. And, probably because I was a short distance runner at heart, and ran track in both my Junior and Senior High School Years. Also, in school gym class we practiced on all the acrobatic apparatuses, however somewhat different back then, than today.
My favorite was the vault, and I did rather well on it too. But, give kudos to those doing the balance beam. Trying to stand on it was hard enough! So, this all kept my interest in those excelling in these sports. And, I have watched most of them over the years, including the Winter Olympics. Those were awful fun watching too, especially the different ice skating! So many memories throughout the years and following the athletes as well.
Wow, I almost forgot what this is supposed to be about, and that’s the textile Arts here at Tour of Textile Arts Gallery H. And, I was talking about the Olympics because it was the perfect inspiration for a couple of projects I completed. One was back a few years ago.
Olympic Projects for Tour of Textile Arts Gallery H
Due to Covid, the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics were postponed a year. And, the following 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics were scheduled prior and continued as usual. However, it made them seem like they were running back to back, with only months a part. Which was true, by only about six months.
Olympic Project #1 ~ “Olympic GOLD 2022” approx. 64” X 76” blanket
So, since these two Olympic Games were somewhat close in time proximity, I created a single project for both. Starting in the Summer with a theme of the top awards, GOLD, SILVER, and BRONZE. Keeping this theme in mind was the goal. So next came the yarn color and texture, while checking out what I had in my stash pile. (ie. stock of clearance yarns still)
2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics {played in 2021}
Starting out, I used a variable gold color palette, in a color called Galaxy. The color has multiple muted tones with a single golden strand of thick thread, instead of yarn. It’s intertwined with yarn in muted colors of purple, blue, green, yellow, red and orange. Both unusual and yet very lovely! The Summer Olympics in remembrance with all that was GOLD.
So, this is where I started, with GOLD. I’d worry about the other two later. This is what I had for now. But, I had to come up with the right pattern, yet something very different. And, I found it, something with a familiar look. It was the rectangle granny pattern, similar to the square granny pattern, that included the same stitches and look.
You just start in the middle and work your way out as large as you want to go. I chose a small to medium blanket size, only because I wanted this to be in three colors. Then I added a mixed medium gray, less bulky yarn, as a simple border to finish it off.
2022 Beijing Winter Olympics
Silver Ice could not have been a more fitting addition to my theme with the SILVER Medal coming next. And then to follow up with BRONZE, was a difficult task. This color is not a popular color for yarn. So, I improvised with Seaglass and found the color running through this pretty blue. The blue looks like the color of ice when watching the games. So, now you know how and why I used the color palette I did.
In addition, the GOLD was paired with colors of Silver Ice (SILVER with white snow) and Seaglass (BRONZE strands run through the Blue Ice), both with these variances in colors running throughout the skeins of yarn. These two sections of the blanket were both added when the Winter Olympics started in February 2022, as a continuation from the Summer GOLD in 2021.
Also, these are all very heavy weight yarns requiring a larger crochet hook size; making this project go a little quicker. And, they are all super luxuriously soft skeins of yarn. Now complete, this blanket provides lots of warmth, due to its weight. And did I mention its cozy, soft and cuddly? Well, it is! And such a fun project it was…Olympic GOLD!
Olympic Project #2 ~ “Olympic Waters 2024” approx. 50” X 54” throw
The 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games inspired another project. This year was all about the water, both inside in the pool and outdoors in the canal, or in Tahiti on top of a wave. Even the mats for gymnastics look like the blue of the ocean. So, I went with the WATER as my guide when searching through my stash yarn! And, of course I found some that were multicolored with blues, greens, and purples, how nice. Looked like I had started a larger project and got a few panels done and stopped.
With lots of yarn still, I stole it for my next new project. This is how I get started sometimes. Okay, now what to do with it? Well, I also found some single skeins of yarn, in my stash, that had the desired colors I was looking for. These colors looked good next to the multicolored skeins. Alright, I have a start; focus is Water, yarn is shades of the color of water, or colors we use to represent water.
Olympic Watercolor Plans
Next, is a plan for the type of stitches to use with the colors to create a finished project. And, at the same time creating something different. This is part of the fun I have when creating a representation of something else. So, since I have more yarn of the Wildflower (blue multicolor) than the others, I decided to use it as a background color.
Meaning, I would hold two strands of yarn together; one from Wildflower and one from the solid really soft colors I had on hand. Using five solid muted colors, starting with Blue Jeans and Wildflower, I started chaining. From there, I continued with rows of simple double crochet, while alternating with rows of single crochet stitches.
As I ran out of the solid color skein, I would just tie the ends together and continue on with the next color. All the while, still using the Wildflower yarn too. The five solid muted colors are called Blue Jeans, Berry, Plum Pudding, Pale Teal and Blue Rasberry. Hungry yet?
Yet, these are all in the blue-purple-green shade of colors of similar hues as well. Also, after getting towards the end of the project I was noticing I had a lot more Wildflower than the solids. So, contemplating what to do and if to add more colors? Ahh hah moment!
Is, Polar Bear a Color?
What if I just add some Polar Bear? Yep, it is a color, a super chunky white chenille yarn. Nope, not for this project! Unfortunately, way too chunky for what’s already been crocheted, since I was adding Wildflower to it also. So, I waited to finish my project, to get the baby version I had seen in the store.
Now, since I only needed four or five rows of counted double crochet, and this was the average count, I didn’t need much yarn. And, the small size of chenille cozy white looked really great with the Wildflower. This was my white capped ocean wave! My cherry on the top. I love it and it’s soft too.
Last but not least, the final touch is the pom-pom’s on the corners of this throw. These were completed after the official 2024 Olympics was over, but nonetheless done. And, I only used the Cozy White and Wildflower for them, because that’s the only colors left over. Came out very H2O! And warm ‘n cozy, too.
Remember, colors can be called anything that can be thought of. And, that goes for any color of any item, not just that of yarn. Sharing with you throughout the different Art Galleries, so many of these crazy color name choices. Hope you have enjoyed this Olympic Style Tour of Textile Arts Gallery H.
“This is the current end of the gallery. Come back later to see more as I add more soon.”
