Hi Everyone,

This week it is Christy's turn to show off her beautiful #OxCoPALs Oval Abstract Botanical. Christy's is especially interesting because she received a special added challenge from Sid. He challenged her to take a color that is not one of her favorites, a color that she actually dislikes and to use it in her piece. 

When we talk color or are putting a palette together, Christy tends to remove the yellows. In fairness they do tend to over take wherever they are and need to be used in just the right application. The bright yellow that we have used in a few palettes, but most notably in the Citrus Coaster collection, is a color that Christy actively says she dislikes. She finds the yarn to be very bright and usually shifts it from a palette someone say... me.... may put it in. This is the color she decided to use in her project. 

Christy also wanted to challenge herself to use a mid-tone color as her background as opposed to a lighter or darker color, like many of us tend to do. Christy also wanted to use more color. The neutral palettes that we offer for kits are usually selected by Christy, so the fact that she decided to use such bright and decadent colors was a huge surprise!

Approaching this as a geometric rather than a floral pattern, Christy first wanted it to be a multi two tone rainbow. Each shape would be outlined with a different shade of the color it was filled in with. However, the look she had had in her mind, wasn't translating with the wool, so Christy pulled it all out and began again. (Something that is not unusual with Christy)

When she began her project again, Christy chose to use value dyes that she had in her collection from Judith Hotchkiss (an Oxford Certified Instructor). Since Christy knew she didn't want this piece to look like flowers but to be more abstract and tonal, she played with the colors. She allowed the larger shapes to shift in value, leaving the same color, a mid to light blue, outlining the shapes. For the circles she brought in colors to bring some bight pops, adding a cheery vibe to the piece, all of which played off of her background color and making this more muted moss color, super playful and fun. 

She used that bright yellow in some of her circles. She outlined a few and filled in a few using the color. She paired it with an orange hued yellow, a bright fuchsia pink, and a pale soft pink color from her stash. A thing I really love in her piece is that she didn't keep the circles all within one color, or color family. Some of the circles have pink outline that is then filled in with yellow or a yellow outline filled in with the pink. It is a great way to play with the color and see how the different shades play off of each other. 

Another thing that Christy learned was that when punching you do not have to strictly adhere to the 4 or 6 stitches per inch rule. You can adjust this depending on where you are punching. When she was punching in her background color, there were spots where she was only punching in one line in between the larger shapes. Now, since she and Liz are both dyers they spend quite a bit of time together and Liz being a super experienced puncher Christy asked her what you do when you get to a spot like this. Liz told her "adjust your punching." If you are doing 4 stitches per inch to fill in but then get to a spot where you have a single thin line, you can punch it 6 stitches per inch until you transition back to an area that is larger and resume your 4 stitches per inch. 

Lastly, when Christy was doing her border, she wanted another pop of color. She used one of the mid-tone blues as a ring around the piece. She tried pairing that color with all of the fine yarns that she had used in her circles, wanting to bring one of those colors back into the fold. Originally she planned on using the reddish pink because she really loved the color. However Christy found that the color was distracting and took over. She even tried the yellow color, but she still really isn't a fan, as well as it being way too bright. Christy realized that a subtler border would really help those brights that she used, especially the dark pink, stand out more and be the real eye candy of the whole piece.  

The beauty of Christy's piece is the fun it displays with color. That you don't have to be constrained by the "pretty" colors and that if an "ugly" color has a good friend, it too can shine with the rest. Her play with color within her Oval Abstract Botanical give it a more whimsical look than the rest. 

Next week I will be talking about Liz's Oval Abstract Botanical which is stunning in it's simplicity!

Remember, if you enter in photos of your in-progress or finished #OxCoPALs Summer Stash Buster - Oval Abstract Botanical, you are entered to win a #10 regular Limited Edition Bamboo Oxford Punch Needle. All those who enter will receive a free drawstring tool bag. 

Any questions? Let us know! 

Until next week! Happy Punching!

~Hannah

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