Color Choices...

I'm making a chevron pillow as part of an online CAL (Crochet A-Long), and I was at first going for a bright mix of colors - thinking they'd look fun on our red couch.

That picture is small on purpose.  I'm afraid of blinding someone.  As much fun as this combination is to me, it just downright clashes with the couch.  So I'll need to find another purpose for that terrific riot of colors I've begun above.

Now I'm thinking about more subdued choices for my couch pillow.   The base will be dark brown, light brown, wheat, off white (that actually has a slight tint of rose to it - love it), and burgundy.  While the pictures don't quite capture the burgundy-ness of the yarn, the burgundy basically matches the couch.

And what I'm contemplating adding is gold (which gives the combination a decidedly autumn feel):

And then look what happens when I add teal (and yes, that's a different color of gold):

Is it good, or is it bad?  I don't know if I have a problem with not knowing when to stop with color, or fear of being too bold with color.   In case you're inclined to share your opinion (and be my guest), remember...the red is really a burgundy (as opposed to a cherry red like it looks above).  And the teal has a slight bit more green tint (it's really not bright like it appears above).  And the off white has a slight rose tint that compliments the burgundy.   lol    So much for providing pictures.  I really need to figure out how to get true red and blue colors out of this camera.

Newsflash!   I just tried putting in the basket the teal without the gold and THAT'S IT!   I'm ditching the gold.   For now, anyway.  ;^)

Meanwhile, I've got something on the hook I've been meaning to whip up for a while now.  It's going to be a rectangular shawl and the pattern produces a kind of lattice-work design.

And I finally got my hands of a copy of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying by Marie Kondo.   Admittedly, I'm only about a third of the way in, but I don't quite understand the attention this book has gotten.  It doesn't seem to me to be anything terribly new, nor Ms. Kondo's strategy very difficult as I've heard lamented across the internet.  But then I'm what some might call old, and probably have at least 2 more decades of decluttering under my belt than Ms. Kondo (nevermind that she started her "tidying" at the tender age of six.  But then again...didn't most of us when our mothers chided us weekly to "Clean your room!")? 

While there's "nothing new under the sun" ...and all that, in this book, I do recommend checking it out if you're needing to get a handle on your stuff.  Because whether or not it holds any magic for you, it certainly can provide another motivation to get rid of that which is bogging you down. 

When it comes right down to it, it's not that most of us really don't know how to "tidy", it's that we lack motivation, and sometimes are overwhelmed by the volume, are busy or even lazy, and well, yeah...just not getting it done.  Ms. Kondo won't likely motivate you to shake off the overwhelmed-ness you may be feeling - for that I recommend Peter Walsh and any of his decluttering books, or to show how old I really am, my first decluttering guru was Don Aslett.  He provides some serious motivation.  But Marie Kondo may just spark some interest in tackling your clutter once more with some resolve and give you the courage to tackle it in bigger chunks than you may think you can.  If clutter is getting the best of you, check out the KonMari method of "tidying".

Linked to Ginny's Small Things

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Nicole's Crafting On