F.O.: Amazon Marian

Katie gave me this lovely handspun yarn ages ago, and I just now figured out what I wanted to do with it. I’ve been making thick, cozy cowls like crazy (and I’ll have my own free pattern coming soon), but this was my first one:

The pattern is Marian, and it makes a quick and easy holiday gift. I held the PryalSpun Amazon yarn triple-stranded. I also cast on more stitches than the pattern required—59 in total. The cowl turned out super long, so I’ve been wearing it doubled. This will be perfect when I go home to Canada and need a warm scarf substitute.

Free Pattern: Covalence Skinny Scarf

[updated 14 Mar. 10]




I bought a skein of yarn from a friend who recycles old fibers into bulky weight art yarns. Check her yarn out here.

I sat with it for a few days to figure out what it wanted to become, and I came up with this simple pattern to let the yarn do the talking.

The pattern is inspired by covalent bonding. For those of you who aren't organic chemistry geeks, here's a diagram:


COVALENCE SKINNY SCARF


Crochet!

• Materials: One skein (approx 100 yards) of any funky colorway from Re-Yarn. Colorway shown: Kids in the Swimming Pool.
• One 6.00mm crochet hook
• An ounce of sassiness

Begin:

Row 1: Chain about 7-8 feet of chain stitches. Mine is 8 feet long.

What you need is multiples of 3. Or you can choose not to worry about counting and make the count work as you get near the end of the first row. I highly recommend the “make-it-work” technique. That’s a lot of chain sts to count.

When you are finished chaining, begin the “molecule” shaping.

Work into last chain st: 15 dc sts. This will make a round molecule on the end of the scarf.

Row 2: Work down the chain as foll: Skip 2 sts on chain; Work 1sc into next st, skip 2 sts on chain, work 5 dc into next stitch, skip 2 sts on chain, work 1 sc into next stitch, etc. until you reach the end of the chain.

Row 3: Work 15 dc into last st in chain. Yep, just like the end of Row 1. Now, matching up with the row you just worked, skip 2 sts, work the sc, skip 2, 5 dc, skip 2, etc. Make sure you work the sc sts into the SAME HOLE as the sts of the prior row. Make sure you work the 5 dc sts into the SAME HOLE as the sts in the prior row. This means you will end up with TEN dc in each hole, which will make the nifty round shape.

Here's a close-up:

BRYHER Cable Scarf - Updated Version

Katie Rose here:

[updated January 2015]



Updated pattern PDF available as a $1 download from Ravelry, here.


Bryher is one of the first patterns I ever wrote. The first one I knitted (viewable here) was stolen from a restaurant—I left it on my seat, returned 15 minutes later to pick it up, and it was gone, gone from the restaurant completely. Here's a picture of the original:


Who would want to steal a handmade scarf? Until it disappeared, I wore the scarf every day. I made Madame Luscious to take its place, but the hole in my heart remained.

Enter Bryher 2.0. This time around, I've written a more complete pattern. I even made a PDF and put it on Ravelry as a free. The most recent update of the PDF includes a photo-tutorial on knitting cables without a cable needle, too.

Notes on the Pattern

Bryher 2.0 was knit with Idena "Mohair Lux" in colorway #4118, a green-purple variegation. (This replaced the Artful Yarns "Portrait" in the Madame X colorway from Bryher 1.0.)



This mohair is held with a Paton's Classic Wool Merino worsted-weight yarn in colorway Deep Olive, just like Bryher 1.0.

Needles are size 10 circulars. Scarf is worked in k1, p1 rib with a braided cable off-center. The first stitch of each row is slipped to create a selvedge.

Who is Bryher?

This scarf is named for the novelist Bryher.

Bryher was the pen name for Annie Winifred Ellerman, British novelist born in 1894. She was the life-long companion of the poet H.D. She was also very rich, and used her wealth to help Jews escape Germany in the 1930s.

A tough world traveler, she would have needed a compact, warm, yet stylish scarf like this one.


Check out other knitters' great projects on Ravelry using the link below.

Why Scarves?

Okay, this is the funniest thing I've read all week.

Just think about it as you knit another scarf.

And for your sweater knitters, check out this post, too.

Bordello Scarf FO: On Knitting with Homemade Yarn

Here's a recent FO, a scarf made with yarn I plied and dyed after reclaiming it from two thrift store sweaters. The pattern is "Noro Silk Garden Scarf" by Karen Baumer at Angel Yarns. It's a short-row multi-directional scarf that shows off the Noro striping. Since the "Bordello" yarn that I made is striped, I decided to try it out with this pattern. Here's the yarn:


And here's how the scarf turned out:


I think it looks great. But more importantly, there was a strangely powerful satisfaction that came from knitting with yarn I'd made. When I worked on this one in public, and someone inquired about it (because hey, knitting just screams, "Come talk to me, strangers." Why? Why is this?), it felt great to say that I made the yarn.

Plus, the scarf is actually butch enough for my husband to wear.

Free Pattern: Madame Luscious Noro Mobius

[Updated 14 Mar. 2010]



This pattern is available as a free PDF Ravelry download.

Download now.



I love luscious scarves, and I love Noro. I traveled to Japan in order to shop for Noro. That is obsessive, but I refuse to seek help.



I started this scarf in Tokyo, with some help from fellow knitting fiend C. over at Rapt With Fiber, using a scrap-yarn mobius cast-on, but the cast-on method doesn't really matter. What matters is that you select some seriously cool Noro yarn and show off the colorways.

PATTERN

Yarn
3 Skeins Noro Kureyon (Silk Garden will work too, you spoiled brats). That's 300 meters of some lickable variegated, worsted-to-aran weight yarn.

Needle
54 inch (from tip-to-tip) circular needle in size 10.5 (I made mine with my Denise Interchangeables).
One spare needle for scrap-yarn cast-on in a smaller size.

Supplies
Tapestry needle to weave in ends.
Large Cross-Stitch or Embroidery Needle for Russian joining. Looks like a tapestry needle but it has a sharp point.

Cast On Method: Any mobius cast-on method will do. I used the scrap yarn method described at girlfromauntie.com here. Cat Bordhi's method works fine too.

CO 175 stitches onto circular needle if you are using the scrap yarn method, because then you will pick up and double that number of stitches, giving you 350 sts. If you are casting on more conventionally, CO 350 sts.

Place marker to indicate the beginning of round.

Proceed to knit and purl in groups of 1, 2, or 3, giving you variegated ridges along your scarf. (see photo below)



Use Russian Join method to join second skein to first. This is not a good project for weaving in ends, being double-sided and loosely worked. Noro is an excellent yarn for Russian Joining esp. if you add a little felting for good measure. Great instructions for this technique are here (pictures) and here (video - knittinghelp.com).

When you join the last ball of Noro, work one round as above, then work remaining rounds in k2, p2 rib. (see photo below)



The ribbing ensures that the very long edges of the scarf do not roll upon themselves.

Bind Off: Two points about binding off. First, be sure to leave yourself enough yarn to bind off all 350 stitches. That's a lot. Second, bind of LOOSELY. Very loosely. If you bind off with tension, the edges will pull and the scarf will look less luscious.

Note: This scarf lengthens as you wear it. It will gain inches and inches, maybe even a foot, in length, between the time it comes off the needles to the fifth or sixth wear. That's okay, though--just wrap it around your neck again.

Who Looks Good In This Sh*t?

Here's the Twinkle Evening Shell I knitted on New Year's eve and wore that night:

I worked hard to make the thing fit right, and followed the pattern exactly (something I never do). I used this scrumptious yarn (Cascade Magnum).

And yet I look like Barney.

I don't think it's possible to look good in Twinkle's designs unless you're built like a stick insect. I love the book, I love the pictures. It'll look nice on the coffee table, but I sure as hell won't be knitting out of it again. (Except maybe that deconstructed mohair shrug. That's sexy.)

So now I'm stuck with three huge skeins of Cascade Magnum in this great orangey-brown color that I will not be using to make the Twinkle Hoodie. What's a girl to do?

Serendipity strikes. I stumble upon my new fav knitting blog, and another soul mate who doesn't know it yet, John Brinegar at Yarn Ball Boogie. He knitted a simple, oversized, scrumptious seed-stitch scarf with bulky yarn. [Here.] I'm making one too:


Perhaps you'll think it's a waste of this fancy yarn. But I don't. I can't wait to wrap myself in a blanket disguised as a scarf.

BUFFY TRICOLOR EYELET SCARF

[Updated 1-2-2008]

Soft yarn and eyelets. Yummy. Or should I say, Buffy.


Yarn selection, including color, is the most important element of the Buffy scarf.


The yarn-over eyelet pattern is simple. The thick yarn and large needles means it goes really fast. But you really need to think about your yarn and colors.

There are two color theories that I subscribe to: the bright-neutral theory, and the pretty-ugly theory. Miss Buffy employs both.

The bright-neutral theory holds that a bright yarn must be mixed with a neutral yarn for balance. The pretty-ugly theory holds a similarly. Although, with this particular yarn selection, it's arguable which yarn--the drab green or hot pink--is the "ugly."

The Yarn:
1. Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted in lilac pink, 1 skein.
2. Paton's Classic Wool Merino in dark green, 1 skein.
3. Cascade Bollice Etoile mohair blend in hot pink, 1 skein. (I've been adding mohair to everything, lately.)

Needle:
US size 11, 8.0mm

Pattern:

Work holding all three skeins together. c/o 17 stitches. Work first 3 rows in seed stitch. Begin eyelet pattern as follows:

R1: k1, p1, Knit to 2 sts from end, p1, k1.

R2 and all WS rows: Purl.

R3: k1, p1, [k2tog, yo, k2], rep (but last rep will have only 1 k st), p1, k1.

R5: k1, p1, Knit to 2 sts from end, p1, k1.

R7: k1, p1, [k2, ssk, yo], rep, k3, p1, k1.

A Close-up image of the eyelet pattern:


Buffy can be super-warm:

And sooo pretty-ugly!

FO Madness!

I traveled to Tokyo to visit Rapt With Fiber and we went a little nuts with the yarn buying and knitting.

First, we did a knit-along and made the Buttony cardigan.




Then, I finished a scarf made with some of the alpaca I recycled from a thrift store sweater. [*The pattern is Bryher. Check it out on Ravelry.]

I whipped out a Tudora for my momma for xmas.


And I made a luscious mobius scarf with some Noro Kureyon I bought that I LOVE SO MUCH. This is the greatest project and I wear it like crazy. It almost makes up for the scarf that was stolen.*



I'll post pics from Tokyo when I've sorted through them all.

*(My favorite scarf was stolen a few weeks ago. Not only did I knit the thing, but it's an original design, too. Someone isn't too bright.)

BRYHER Cable Scarf - The Original

[Update June 30, 2008]

This pattern has been significantly revised and rewritten as a .pdf. You can download the .pdf here for free.

I've reintroduced this pattern with a newer blog post and another FO, here.


I've made this scarf a few times now and it's so simple and fun I thought I'd share the pattern. It's a great Christmas present and because of the larger needles takes very little time to knit. It's also a great pattern to learn the cabling-without-cable needles technique.


Yarn: a heavy worsted or Aran weight yarn, or, a worsted held together with a strand of mohair.

Here's an example with Paton's Worsted Merino in Olive Green with Artful Yarns Portrait variegated mohair.


Needle: Size 10 1/2.

Cast on 20 stitches.

Rows 1-4: Knit in K1, P1 rib.

Row 5: (First cable row) K1, P1, Slip four stitches onto cable needle and hold to back of work, K1, P1, K1, P1, then K1, P1, K1, P1 stitches from cable needle, then K1, P1 to end.

Rows 6-8: Knit in K1, P1 rib.

Row 9: (Second cable row) K1, P1, K1, P1, K1, P1, Slip four stitches onto cable needle and hold to front of work, K1, P1, K1, P1, then K1, P1, K1, P1 stitches from cable needle, then K1, P1 to end.

Rows 10-12: Knit in K1, P1 rib.

Repeat rows 5-12 until desired length is reached.

Cast off.

(This pattern is now in Ravelry, too!)

Mohair Cable Scarf

[Update June 18, 2008: This pattern is called Bryher. It's now available on Ravelry, for free.]

Here's a project I just finished. I bought an odd lot skein of Artful Yarns "Portrait" mohair blend and mixed it with a worsted weight merino. I used size 10.5 needles, and realize now that I could have used an even bigger size, because the gauge is still a little tight. But it's not too tight by any means. Just a note for future ref., or for anyone interested in making something like it.



The pattern I stole from an episode of Knitty Gritty, when Lily Chin was on talking about a nine-block baby blanket. She showed us how to make a double-sided cable using k1-p1 rib (otherwise the rest stays the same). Brilliant!


I ran the cable off-center for kicks, and kept it skinny because it's fairly warm here down south and this is mohair, and now I just want cool weather to kick in.

Rip It, Rip It Good

I made the diamond scarf out of Wenlan Chia's Twinkle's Big City Knits, but I realized I would never wear it.

(According to Pearl-McPhee's quiz in Casts Off, I appear to be "product" knitter. That means I care about the usefulness of the end product. Or, it could mean I'm incredibly cheap about yarn. Because I also have never knitted a gauge swatch in my life.)

I love Chia's book, but thus far have been stumped by it, or rather, by the goal of making something that makes me feel awesome when I wear it.

I made the scarf, then ripped it out.

Around the same time, I saw a re-run of Stefanie Japel on Knitty Gritty, demonstrating a chunky cardigan project (the "better sweater").

Whoa, did this come out badly too. I've realized what my problem is. I think if you put chunky yarn on an amazon then you'd best be careful. And I was not careful in selecting this project--because I am not a careful knitter.

Don't misunderstand: Japel's Fitted Knits is my favorite pattern book of all time. It changed my (knitting) life. I recommend it to all of my acolytes. But this chunky cardigan just was not for me.

So I put the cardi on my small-boned slightly shorter friend S. and had her model it for me so I could photograph the work, before I ripped the yarn yet again. Here it is, nearly complete (pardon the stitch-holder in place of button):


As you can see, I made it out of two colors of yarn -- Classic Elite "Alaska," an alpaca blend. I also shortened the sleeves. Here's the sleeve detail:


And the back view:

I told S. that if she thought she would wear it, she could keep the sweater, but she wisely observed that in our southern clime, an alpaca-wool short-sleeved sweater-coat seemed chock full of clothing contradictions. (Not exactly her words, but you get the point.)

So I have ripped yet again, and have chosen another project from Chia's book -- the "Magic Shawl." This time, I'll be careful.

Twinkle's Diamond Scarf in Alpaca - Finished

I just finished my first profject out of Twinkle's Big City Knits by Wenlan Chia. I started with something easier -- the Diamond Scarf. I used Classic Elite's Alaska yarn, an alpaca/wool blend that was the right weight for her projects. (Got that, C?)


I followed the pattern just right, but i'm disappointed with how the edges curl in when it is hanging -- the weight of the knitted edges overcomes the lace pattern in the middle and it curls. I'm not sure what to do about that. But hey, it looks all right on the table.

Question for the Public

Given my propensity to start and start projects and leave them unfinished, and given that my dearest MAP is a furniture-builder when he's not doing his real job, and given that I hope (expect) him to build us some lovely furniture for the house we just bought, am I being hypocritical if I get on his case about starting and starting and starting carpentry projects and not finishing them?

Am I?

heh heh.

I did happen to finish my blue Japel shrug from Fitted Knits, but at the very same moment, started the diamond scarf out of Wenlan Chia's Twinkle's Big City Knits. I seem to maintain this stasis of 4-6 projects going at any one time. And yet this seems okay with me. Given that I'm knitting. And knitting is (1) small, (2) relatively inexpensive (ha!), and (3) not something I expect to be eating dinner on.

No. Not hypocritical. But I'm open to others' opinions on the matter.

Current-Project-Self-Motor-vation

This post is for me, mostly.

(Ha! Like all of these posts aren't "for me". Blogging is self-serving, self-aggrandizing, self-centeredness at its best. Anyone who says differently is kidding themselves.)

This post is for me because, like all fiberartists, at least the ones I know, even Dr. Fibersmarts starts and starts and starts projects and does not finish them.

There are a variety of reasons for this. Boredom. Season change. New and exciting books. (Can anyone say WENLAN CHIA?)

So, here are some projects in process that I will finish, and will post when they are finished, because now that I've put them here, the world will hold me accountable.

ONE: Soy-silk Skinny Scarf

(Slip one, k1, p2, k2 p2 rib, repeat to end; sz 9 needles, Patons soy/wool blend, variegated, in "natural blue." This would be one of those "boring" projects. Actually, I love it. But now it's summer and I don't need a scarf. I'll do this one during Grey's Anatomy.)

TWO: Black Crochet-Rib Mittens


(I'm using the Lion's brand microspun doubled-up for thickness, sz 9 hook. Front- and back-post double crochets. I have one arm done. Must finish other arm, add thumb and finger pockets. Total time remaining: one-two hours. What is wrong with me?)

THREE: Japel's "Boob Tube"

(I'm using this dreadful shiny blue yarn I bought at a cheap-o craft store on a whim one day thinking it was "just lovely" -- but I doubled it up and I'm using my brand-new Denise interchangable circular needles in size 17 to warm up for my first Wenlan Chia chunky knit project and this is actually turning out okay. The pattern is on Japel's web site here.)

These are my "other" projects -- not counting my "real" project, the shrug that is almost almost finished.

Oh, and the recycled-yarn afghan that is currently packed in a box because my house was on the market. Jeez. I certainly hope none of you were following that project.