It's a yarn entry - beware GWF

It's been awhile since I posted about knitting, just a little line here or there so without further ado....

My first official finished in 2007 project was the scarf that had a matching hat - both for my mother-out-law.
Pattern: Creative Knitting, January 2007 issue
Yarn: Cascade 220 Heather in Mallard, and regular Cascade 220 in a nice deep gray.
Needles: straight aluminum, vintage size 10
I might make it again as it is an easy pattern and interesting to look at.

Several posts ago I mention fighting with yarn, again. Hanks of yarn and I do not seem to get along very well. I started winding this yarn before I left for my school conference and finished long after.
Here it is less than midway through. Jennie says I need a swift, though I know that doesn't always help. Yet again, I do not care to think how many hours I spent untangling yarn.

It looks lovely on the winder, no?
I have two good size balls of this yarn which I am guessing is a rayon boucle, perhaps with a bit silk though I have no way of knowing. It looks a lot like Fiesta Rayon Boucle, though none of the coloursways are a match for what I have in my stash. If anyone has a good idea for gauging the yardage please let me know! I am guessing anywhere between 350-600 yards. In glancing around the web for potential patterns the new issue of Interweave Knits has a shawl pattern called Clementine that might look lovely in this yarn.

I have been plodding along with my secret project, though now that I have new (read borrowed) needles from Jennie the work goes faster. I have to say that I {heart} this yarn. For a minute or two I thought I would have enough left over to make socks with it but I am rethinking my math. Fearless Fibers has won my heart with the superwash sock yarn, I yearn to try other yarns. I see more purchases in my future. Yes, yes, I know you can't see anything really, but look at the colours! They absolutely make my heart sing. Once the recipient has ooh'ed and ahh'ed over it I promise better photos.

After far too much pondering over patterns and techniques, even asking for guidance from my knit list, and great apprehension on my part I have cast on for socks. I knew that I wanted to do a "toe-up" pattern, but I wanted something a little bit more exciting than stockinette stitch for the leg but nothing to complex for my brain or interfere with the self-striping yarn (Regia Surf cotton, in Purple). I will either use this pattern or this one. Previously I had done a crochet provisional cast on square toe but I wanted to learn a new technique - one that used nothing extra. Using larger needles than I would ultimately need and spare yarn I practiced the Magic 8 cast-on. Convinced for no reason that I needed size 2 double points, I searched my home high and low for such creatures, only to find that 1- I had none, and 2 - I needed size 1 anyway. Finally I began the first sock only to make an error that bothered me. I looked at the sock and pronounced it "ungraceful", to which TGF scoffed and replied, "It's a sock. It doesn't need to be graceful." What does she know? The problem was that I had not been doing a regular knit row between the increase rows. It was ghastly I tell you. Frogging ensued until, well I had to start over completely. The second toe has an error but I decided it was okay, not perfect and I have to live with that as I remember it is the first time I am attempting this technique, and one has to start somewhere. Unfortunately somewhere is not perfection. I am enjoying the process however.


With two projects that will take some time given how little I have been knitting lately I wanted something quick, using large needles and thicker yarn. Casting about (ha ha) my stash I dug out the remainder of the Lion Brand Wool in midnight blue that I used for my father's cabled beanie. TGF really seemed to like that colour and I thought it would look great against her skin, so a Calorimetry was begun. It became apparent that there was not enough of the yarn so once again a dash through the stash was in order to find something that ideally was wool, similar weight, and a good colour match. I used some of the Brown Sheep superwash in Japanese Plum leftover from the beret I made for Sunny two years ago. It seemed best to double the yarn to make the best match and would keep my beloved's head warmer. There has been talk about the gauge being odd for this project and though my gauge matched the pattern it does seem a tad big, so I placed the button a bit up from the point. It is a large improvement in terms of warmth and coverage over that first tiny little headband I made over two years ago. It is a satisfying little project and may consider making myself one someday but I will cast on fewer stitches next time around.