now look at this you yarn lovers! the new Catania Grande yarn came in... and isn't it gorgeous?
it has the same shine as the regular Catania, but is much thicker. crocheted or knitted on size 4-5 mm it is really chunky compared to the regular version. But it is lovely at first sight.
I am very much looking forward to designing and making projects with this pretty yarn. However... before I will sell patterns and kits with this new yarn, I want to try it out with a blanket and these coasters. Quality before anything; it has to be washable and durable just like the regular Catania yarn, otherwise I won't sell it. and for that testing I could use a little help.
and that's where you come in
are you up for a challenge?
* if you have and idea for a crochet or knit project with this yarn,
* that you can finish before the end of March,
* and will use and wash regularly after that,
* I would love to hear your idea for a project!
* if your idea is chosen I will send you the yarn free of charge
* and you get to keep the item you've created.
how is that?
at this point I have six colors available as you can see in the pictures. you can choose up to 5 balls of yarn for your project, and you are allowed to include more balls of 1 color. nevertheless your idea has to include at least 3 different colors, so we can test how they endure usage and machine washing.
during the process of making your item, I would love to get some pictures to post them here on the blog. that way we can all enjoy the progress with you. if you have a blog yourself, you are of course very welcome to post them there too. I will be working on a blanket at the same time, and both projects will be part of a weekly Wednesday feature here on the blog
to submit your idea, you can leave a comment to this post with your project idea until Monday February 11th
can't wait to read what you will come up with!
I have an idea I would live to share...
ReplyDeleteI have made a water bottle cover ( which I love and have made for a few friends ) and a coffee and tea cup cozy ( which is also very cute) and I think it would look perfect with this yarn.
I have pictures of the water bottle cozy on my blog but have not yet posted the coffe/ tea cup cozy yet ...
I can send pictures to you and send an entry to the challenge ... I would be honored just to participate :)
I forgot to mentioned that they are both my own pattern and they both can be done using many yarn colors... I'm also making a cowl that could be done very beautifully wih this yarn ( however it might not need to be washed as often) the water bottle and coffee cozy would be washed often.
ReplyDeleteI love to use the regular Catania yarn for bags .I would try it with this yarn too . I also would like to make hot pads n table runners with this yarn
ReplyDeleteIk ga toch weer voor de babydekens of een grannydeken voor op de bank. Dat blijven wel mijn favorieten. Ben er zelf nog niet aan toe gekomen, maar dat gaat zeker gauw gebeuren.
ReplyDeleteGroetjes, Agnes.
I'd love to make a bunch of beanies and some headwarmers for my family. Gorgeous colours there that can mix and match so well!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely idea, I have never been involved in such a thing - I would love to make a set of coasters, in different shades and also some of the little heart bunting that I have fallen in love with. :)
ReplyDeleteSuch lovely yarn !
ReplyDeleteI was just planning on making a new granny square pillow case for our sofa and this yarn would be perfect !!!!
My idea is to make crochet circles in different colors and have a white border for all of them making them squares. I hope you find this idea interesting...
Thank you !
Wow!!!! I love this yarn and the fact that you can use a 4-5mm hook!!!
ReplyDeleteMy idea? I would love to try an oval table runner with scallop edges!!!!
thank you, xxxx Ale
Hmm... a tote bag made out of granny squares or in the round in stripes.... definitely a bag of some kind. A new crocheted tote would be very nice to carry around with me! :)
ReplyDeleteI just found a pattern for African Flowers in the square so that's what the squares will be! :)
Deleteoooh, fantastic idea, and it looks like beautiful yarn!
ReplyDeleteMy thought is to make two car/lap blankets (small) for my two sons. My older son (5 yrs) has lamented the fact that I keep making blankets for other people's children, he'd really like one of his own. And, when you make one for the older boy, you must make one for the smaller one (19 months)! My older son is all about being cozy with Mama right now and while I can't really be cozy while I'm driving (!) I'd want to tell him that a lap blanket is like getting a hug when I can't. It's such a very sweet age, 5 years old.
I can guarantee that they will both be well washed, as snacks absolutely cannot be avoided in the car at this point! ;)
I love the cooler shades, very much what I have in mind. I'm thinking a patchwork granny-square pattern, and to challenge myself by learning to join-as-you-go. I keep thinking that maybe for the second I try one of the dozens of amazing patterns I've seen on Pinterest lately, I can't stop pinning new ideas. Or, a matching patchwork. Maybe one has more green and the other one leans blue.....
The colours are so juicy, Maaike! I think a blanket would be perfect for the thickness of the yarn, using both the blues and interspersed with narrower alternating stripes of red and green, but I suspect more than 5 balls would be needed for what I have in mind, so I'll be watching to see whose idea you choose. Best wishes from New Zealand.
ReplyDeleteI'd make a nice bright happy shoulder bag for running across to the shops with! The strap would make the bag waist height (for easy stuffing things into) and the bag would be squarish with happy stripes to make me feel good about my chores!
ReplyDeleteMy idea would be for a new lampshade for my floor lamp. I'm not sure which pattern I would use but probably a choice between granny squares, stripes or chevron pattern. Loving all of those colours you've shown and the yarn looks beautiful too.Have a good weekend.
ReplyDeleteSuch a nice idea. I've been fantasizing about this yarn already... Not sure if I have the time right now. Good luck with this project!
ReplyDeleteHoi Maaike,
ReplyDeleteIk zou het leuk vinden om van dit garen een rokje voor mijn dochtertje van bijna twee te haken. Lijkt me leuk van iets dikker garen en allerlei kleurtjes... Is bovendien ook handig om te testen, want ja, voor je het weet zitten kinderkleertjes weer in de was.
Succes met je project... .. en dank je voor je mooie blog.
Groetjes, Marga
Hi Maaik! What a cool project idea! I would love to participate :) I've always wanted to work with Catania but since I'm addicted to my size 4 crochet hook, I never had the oppurtunity! But now there is a chance...! I would love to make a gift for my mother. I would like to make a pillowcase for a pillow that she has in her guestroom so I can enjoy it when I sleep at my parents house;). I would definitely make a grannysquare pillow with polkadots (dottie squares) for I already made a pillow with this pattern for my own home and it turned out really well (I can e-mail a picture). So I would need a lot of white yarn and 1 piece of all the available colors to make it a lively pillow! I'm already looking forward to finding a matching fabric for the back :D The colors remind me of Cath Kidston style! Washing will not be a problem, my mother loooves to wash ;) xxx P.S. Good luck with this project!
ReplyDeleteI'd make some bibs for my nephew who is nine months. With him exploring different foods at mealtimes the extra bibs would come in handy and they would most certainly be washed frequently! I'm think all colours except the pink!
ReplyDeleteOh wow, such a great idea!!
ReplyDeleteI would really like ho crochet a poncho! Andere uh.. a little selfish; for myself!! :-)
Warm regards, Machteld.
I am sure that cotton yarn would be perfect for knit baby clothes (vest, hat, sweater)...but to put it to the ultimate test: a wash cloth(which I use for cleaning the kitchen counters, and needs daily use and wash).
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely idea.
ReplyDeleteI would love to be considered :) I would make a tea cosy and trivet in the pink, green and white.
This is so fun!
ReplyDeleteI'd love to use this yarn for the "motif tablemats" in the Simple Crocheting book.
Or for some apple cozies like these: http://ifeelcook.es/mollie-makes/ Aren't they adorable?
I have a small child's antique chair I have been wanting to yarnbomb with bright colored yarns. My kitchen will eventually be filled with pretty bright colored knitting and crochet and paint and things. This would just be perfect to fit in!
ReplyDeletehttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v478/SamplerLady/At%20Eastland%20House/P012813_1828.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v478/SamplerLady/At%20Eastland%20House/P012813_1829.jpg
I would love to make a baby blanket knitted in the feather and fan stitch, I think that the pink,orange and white would make beautiful wavy stripes....maybe even with a stripe of lime for a POP of fun!
ReplyDeleteI have bought some crochet books to teach myself this Winter because I love your crochet blankets,they are HST delicious!
Rebecca.bird@clear.net.nz
Hahaha autocorrect....just, NOT HST??
ReplyDeleteOoh - that looks like yarn heaven!!!
ReplyDeleteI've been playing around with an idea for a crocheted satchel style bag for a while now. I love using cotton for bags as it makes such a firm fabric. This yarn looks nice and chunky so I think it would be ideal for what I had in mind. The satchel would be bright and stripy with a long strap - a crochet version of what I used to have for school! The colours are fabulous - I'd choose the pink, green, light blue, red and dark blue.
I'm quite 'rough' on my bags - they get dumped on the floor, in the car, at work, the cats sit on them, etc, so they can get quite grubby quite quickly, and I'm always washing them. So the yarn would get a good test!
beautiful bright colors!!
ReplyDeleteI would make an infinity scarf out of the light blue, dark blue and green colors. The Monet Water Lily inspired colors would be perfect for spring. Just love it. I would love to crochet along with you! I have been looking for a fun project :)
ReplyDeleteLiz
I am kinda sleepy right now and as I was staring blankly at the wool I had a sudden burst of inspiration. Chevron stripe cushion covers! is what I would make.
ReplyDeletey plan has been brewing quite a while now...a bag for my yoga mat! I've seen a pattern for a bolster cushion and the stitch looks almost like a granny stripe, but not quite. At the bottom end a granny circle/mandala, and some form of drawstring thingey at the open end. And a sling.
ReplyDelete:-)
Leuk idee Maaike. Helaas lukt mij het haken nog steeds niet. Ik hou je blog in de gaten!
ReplyDeleteGroetjes Renske
Wat een leuke challenge Maaike. Ik zou met dit garen een mooie babyponcho voor mijn dochtertje van 2,5 maand haken. De plannen waren om dit met Drops Paris te gaan maken, maar ik wacht je bevindingen nog even af....
ReplyDeleteGroetjes,
Marie-Thérèse
Wat een leuk plan! Ik denk dat dit garen perfect is om een stapel 'washcloth/dishcloth' (hoe heet dat in het Nederlands?) van te maken, van die handige doekjes voor in de keuken of badkamer. Catania garen kan prima vele wasbeurten doorstaan en zelfgebreide doekjes staan vrolijk in elke keuken!
ReplyDeleteI'd make a 'Summer Day' cushion cover...the pale blue is the sky, the white is the clouds, the green is the grass, and the red and blue are poppies and cornflowers.
ReplyDeleteI would make a summer lap blanket. I would make it portiable so I would put a handle and a strap on it so it can be rolled and carried. We like to go to movies at our local park in the summer and I think it would be nice to have something to snug with on those cool summer nights.
ReplyDeleteEen deken voor op de bank van zachte kleurtjes voor het voorjaar.
ReplyDeleteLijkt mij heerlijk om onder weg te kruipen als het een beetje koud is.
Een baby deken is natuurlijk sneller gehaakt en ligt vaak in de was, ook leuk om te maken en het garen uit te proberen. Mij maakt het niet uit. Ik haak wel.
groetjes Rita
I love the weight and sheen of this yarn. I think it would be perfect to showcase this pattern: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/flower-coaster-5 That's what I'd use it for. The pattern is simple enough to show the yarn at it's best and the F.O.s are already on track to be my go to spring and summer coasters.
ReplyDeleteThis is really a lovely idea, I've already worked with Catania (made baby blankets) and I love it. I think I would make a daisy square pillow (Like the one at my rose valley). I love that pillow..It's so vibrant and colorful, just like these yarns. And I think it would be very nice and cosy too.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to see your blanket made of this yarn! Wish you happy hooky time with it! :)
Love, Sophie from Hungary
Ohhh.... Ik zou graag mee doen maar ik zit vol wat haakprojecten betreft!!! Succes,x Claire
ReplyDeleteHi Maaike,
ReplyDeletewhat a great idea! Love the yarn! I would like to crochet an endless scarf in bobble stitch, I think that would be so lovely with these bright colours.
Inez