Jan 24, 2016
One of the InStitches knitters brought Laura Irwin’s Softwaves Magnum to class last week.
Laura Irwin Softwaves Magnum
Simple knitting, large needles, super bulky yarn… what more could you ask for? This was a great mindless knitting project that would result in an interesting addition to my winter wardrobe. And a fun addition to the present shelf, too!
This week, her scarf was knit and it was time to sew it together. While the instructions are clear, it was the Flickr photo stream that finally made the second step of the construction clear.
I am smitten. Having already searched my stash for super bulky yarn and come up empty, I began to consider what makes this cowl work. Of course it’s the weight of the yarn, but equally important is a single ply for the structure. Sticky yarn would be difficult to drop…. unless you didn’t do the drop stitch.
What if I cast on 100 st, worked garter for 3 rows, wrapped one row double then dropped it in the next? Bind off, then sew together?
Oh, I’m ready to buy some super bulky yarn and find out.
Nov 23, 2014
As I’ve eaten my words about wearing scarves, I thought it might be interesting to organize a list of knit scarves I would love to wear! My Ravelry queue accumulates plenty of scarf eye candy. I may plop the pattern into my queue because there’s appropriate yarn in my stash. Other times, the scarf offers an opportunity to practice a technique. On other occasions, the scarf patterns calls out names of people I know!
For winter 2014, here are 7 scarves that may fly off my needles.
Sally Melville’s Lenveloppe
Sally Melville’s Lenveloppe charmed the Greater Boston Knitting Guild when she visited last spring. I missed Sally’s presentation, but caught the Lenveloppe bug. I’ve knit one this fall for a gift and hope to cast on another this week. In all of Sally’s wonderful design goodness, you can knit this lovely accessory (OK, so maybe it’s not a scarf) in 5 sizes with 2 stitch patterns and 4 gauges. What a perfect cure to the great yarn in your stash that isn’t quite enough for a sweater, but too much for a simple scarf.
Cerus, a linen stitch scarf by Hillary Smith Callis
Almost every man needs a scarf in New England (of course, my hub claims not to need one). There must be a knit worthy man who would enjoy Cerus by Hillary Smith Callis. Linen stitch gives a lovely texture and looks great in variegated or natural color yarns. Something REALLY soft would probably work for the knit worthy guys on my holiday list (oh, my, that may only be 2 this year). Something cashmere or alpaca perhaps? This promises to be excellent knitting for those distracted mindless hours or as a traveling project.
Lauren McClain’s Huntress Cowl
When Lauren McClain released the Huntress Cowl last year, I immediately downloaded this dramatic piece, knowing it would entice the Twilight obsessed set. I’ll definitely make some modifications in the construction…. Lauren suggests using duct tape to give the cowl innards body. I’m using wide upholstery piping and not rope, cause I’m that kind of textilphiliac… it’s in my stash!
Courant by Barbara Benson
An opportunity to play with color and stitch pattern in one piece? Oh, yeah, bring it on! Barbara Benson brings it with Courant, from the fall 2014 Twist Collective. I do not own a great color combo of fingering yarn in my stash, but it gives me the opportunity to shop the latest color ways in Paula from Dirty Water Dyeworks. Then again, I still have a cushion in Paula that’s been on the needles for months (oh, yeah, I forgot about that…)
Kieran Foley’s Camino Bubbles
I love how this scarf looks and it looks simple to knit. Camino Bubbles by Kieran Foley would look lovely in a solid color, I’m sure. But who can resist this marvelous eye candy of electric color fun? Alas, there is no variegated yarn that will produce such dramatic effects in my stash. Rainbow doesn’t call my name in a skein or ball? Do I need to buy more yarn? This scarf may stick in the queue a while longer. Remember? Yarn/fabric are like Fritos… there will always be more.
Lokken by Megi Burci
One of my lovely ones gave me a ball of sock weight yarns in blue and white. She thought I diamond motif scarf replicating the Munich flag would be great. I started playing with mitered squares, then I cast on Miss Winkle, frogging that, too. Then I discovered Lokken by Megi Burci. This looks like easy knitting, but the pattern needs to be nearby!
Hydrocarbon by Agness Kaku
For bulky yarn velocity, Hydrocarbon looks fabulous in photos and real life. I’d love to knit one of these, but there’s currently no bulky yarn in the stash! Eek.
What am I doing writing about knitting when I need to get knitting?
