Finished Object & Fiber

Finished Object & Fiber

I finished the scarf for my friend Meredith. I think she will really like it. Though the pictures really don't do it justice. The problem with the photos is that the alpaca fiber I spun is that it is dark brown & black. So it is impossible to show it off well!

Alpaca One Row Handspun Scarf with Silk Garter Edges

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Pattern:
One Row Handspun Scarf by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/archives/2006/10/12/one_row_handspun_scarf.html

Needles:
US 10 / 6.0 mm Knitpicks Options


Yarn:
NorthStarAlpacas Chinella's Baby Fleece Plied with Roving from Sonata & Berringer
~130.0
2 oz of each, so 4 oz. total
Purchased at
North Star Alpacas - http://northstaralpacas.etsy.com

Second Yarn:
Silk Hankie in Madrona Colorway
Purchased at
The Yarn Tree - http://www.theyarntree.com/

I really love the fiber from North Star Alpacas. I know I have mentioned Maple before, but I can't help but say it again. She has some lovely fiber.

I had spun the yarn specifically for my friend to make a scarf. I kept debating what I wanted to pattern I wanted to make given the fiber. Given NYC has been pretty cold as of late, I figured something solid would be a good idea rather than anything lacey.

The pattern was super easy so it was a fast knit.

I only cast on 22 stitches because I wasn’t sure whether I would have enough length if I did 26. It was definitely the correct choice.

For the edges, I looked at various stitch patterns. I tried casting on the silk single I had spun. But it was just way too thin in spots. It wasn’t work well. So I did a Navajo ply on the singles to create a thicker yarn.

I decided to just do garter stitch for the edge. I had tried a couple other things, but it didn’t work well. I picked up more stitches at the edge which was a mistake. The edges bell out a bit which wasn’t the intention. But I may be seeing my friend soon so I am blocking it as is. If she hates the edges, I can take them off and redo them. Or leave it plain. Though I think plain it might look a bit masculine with the brown & black.

But the main part of the scarf is luscious and super soft. The silk at the edge could be better. I do wonder if it won't haunt me enough that I will decide to redo the edges. But I have blocked it already. So I just need to step away from the project!

Fiber

I got some Tempted Hand Painted 80% superwash merino/20% Cashmere Fiber. I order it fro the The Loopy Ewe for $26 for 4 oz. So not inexpensive stuff, but for the cashmere in the blend it isn't a terrible price either. I fell in love with the red & black. Go figure. *chuckle* And the colorway is called Roxanne. As a big Police fan in my youth, it spoke to me.

Problem is when I opened up the fiber to do some predrafting, I found the dye hadn't penetrated all the way to the center of the fiber. So there are spots in the black that look brown with some white. And the red has spots that look kinda pink. The fiber from the outside looked just red & black.

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I have dyed things so I do understand how this can happen. I had hoped it would be less noticeable once I started spinning. But there are definitely areas where the color is kinda heathered. I really wanted to Navajo ply this to keep the colors solid. But now I am not so sure.

I just wrote someone from Tempted via Ravelry. I figured the dyer at Tempted should know they need to get more dye into the center of their fiber in the future. It is my guess they didn't realize it at all given the outside was very saturated with color.

I am debating what to do with it now. I had been thinking a scarf. But now I am debating if it might be thin enough yarn for socks. I doubt it. Also, the cashmere probably won't wear well for socks. I will see what the yarn says after I ply it.