Round 2: Handspun scarf Olympics

Ok, I'm not really going to win a gold medal at the handspun scarf olympics...but I do find myself with lots of beautiful handspun skeins and one-skein-of-yarn-don't-a-sweater make...so, I continue with the theme of the 1x1 ribbed scarf. In this case, the colored yarn is my handspun/hand dyed merino roving three (navajo) ply, and the grey is Lamb's Pride 85% wool/15% mohair single ply. The commercial yarn makes it a bit less soft than if I had had enough handspun merino to knit the whole thing...but the diameter of the commercial yarn was right and the finished product is really pretty. Over time it will probably "halo" a bit due to the 7.5% of mohair in the scarf. 

Here are the stats 
Yardage: 1 skein Lamb's Pride; 1 skein homespun (about 190 yards each skein)
Needles: US 6
Pattern: CO 29, Knit 1 row 
Row 1:K1,P1 to end, color A
Row 2: Slip 1st stitch purlwise, K1, P1  with color A,to next-to-last-stitch, slip last stitch purlwise
Using the 2nd yarn, repeat row 1 and 2, using color B
Repeat  Rows 1 and 2, with both yarns until done (but, you'll add 1 more row)
Knit 1 row.
Cast Off using Elizabeth Zimmermann's sewn cast off.

 

Meanwhile, beyond the fiber universe – yesterday Carol and I took a hike at Wallace Falls in Washington. Very pretty pictures here.

Remember Lucy Ewe? She's a star!

Remember Lucy? (See her here.) She's a star -- see her photo in the Summer 2007 edition of the US Spinning magazine, Spin Off, page 13, top left of the gallery of Estonian sheep puppets gallery.  ;)

On the wheel at the moment

I've been busy showing you the fruit of my wheel, but have neglected to show you a picture of the wheel. Here is it, in all it's glory: a maple Lendrum folding castle wheel. And, a close up of what I'm currently spinning (definitely, not too much contrast - nice rich color)

[click photo for big]
 

And, one other fun thing! One of my Bitch and Bitch group buddies (we are honoring the Stitch and Bitch copyright controversy, and using an alternate term ;), Michelle B., has been making some very fun friends and they are for sale. Here is a peek at Sparkle:


She will have a host of other friends available for you at Festival at Mount Si in North Bend, WA this summer. (August 10-12)

It seemed like a good idea at the time...

Remember this roving?

[click photo for big]


It became this painful, too TOO much contrast yarn -- the very definition of "barber-pole" yarn:


And, blue overdye, once again to the rescue (yes, the yarn below is in fact, the same yarn as the yarn above!)


In my world, blue fixes almost everything!

This week: work in progress

The yarn that I overdyed last week (here) did not become a hat as planned, it's now a man-scarf. Beautiful, chunky, rich looking. Yarn on the left of first photo is the overdyed yarn from last week. Yarn on the right of same photo is a Manos yarn of similar weight. Completed scarf, photo on the right. As always, click the photo for big.

 

Pattern is inspired by Brooklyn Tweed (he's been doing a lot of inspiring lately...) A simple K1,P1 rib with alternating yarn every 2 rows. On second row, slip first and last stitch purlwise. Lays flat, is the same on both sides. Lovely.

A close up of the lovely yarn for all you true fiber junkies:



PS: Confession. The blue yarn (left, first photo) is almost navy with hints of red/purple in it. I used a somewhat lighter picture last week to indicate the colors in the yarn...if you read regularly, the shots above are a better representation of the two colorways in the yarns.