Saturday, August 27, 2005

Waaaaahhhh!!!!

Well, now that we know we're moving (at some point), I'm starting to make my rounds and making one last visit to my favorite LYSs.

I had some errands to run in Los Altos, so I stopped by Uncommon Threads to see if they had the new fall Rebecca magazine in (issue number 30). Woohoo! They had it, and although many of the patterns are way too funky for me, I just like having all the issues. I imagine having a nice, organized "library" of knitting magazines and books in my soon-to-be knitting room. I can't wait!

Yes, I actually get to turn a bedroom into a knitting room, where I can organize my yarn and pattern books. Right now, our place is so small I have my things tucked away in a thousand different nooks and crannies - basically, wherever there is space. I can never find anything, and I forget what I have because half my stash is in a hard-to-reach shelf high up.

But, I digress. Here is what I picked up on my final visit to Uncommon Threads. I noticed a new yarn there, Rowan RYC Soft Tweed. Something about it really grabbed me, so I got a ball to make yet another scarf. This is Slate Blue, color number 7. I liked how it has very subtle tweedy flecks. It isn't a nubby tweed, and overall the yarn is sort of felted-ish.

I really enjoyed working with the Crystal Palace Kid Merino for my last scarf, so I picked up another ball in a light green (sage, number 5448) to bring out the green tweed in the Rowan yarn. I was really tempted to buy a similar color in Rowan KidSilk Haze, but it was more than twice the price of the Kid Merino. One of these days I'll learn how to splurge.


Last stuff from Uncommon Threads
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Tuesday, August 23, 2005

What would I do without wool/silk blends?

Probably knit with something even more expensive, like cashmere. Yikes!

You know it's a bad time for me when I pull out the expensive stuff to knit with. It's the only thing that helps me get through all the anxiety. This bulky wool/silk blend from Carolina Homespun's Blue Moon Spinnery is so incredibly soothing. It's insanely soft and plush, and the color is softly variegated with a subtle sheen from the silk.

Though gorgeous by itself, I really wanted to add a bit of mohair haze to it. I picked up a ball of Crystal Palace Kid Merino in one of their printed colorways, Red Cinnamon (9798). It does the job well, but I must admit that it does cover up the silky shine of the Blue Moon yarn. Oh well. I love the way the scarf is turning out and I can't wait to wear it (when it gets cold enough!).


Delicious!
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The scarf is based on the single rib pattern version in Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I modified it by slipping the first stitch of every row, so that the edges are smooth and neat. I also worked on fewer stitches because I like skinnier scarves.