Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Scarf/Wrap in Handspun for Xmas Present

Cast On:
January 5 2009

Completed:
January 20 2009



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Pattern:
Three Way Scarf by Sarah Wilson
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/three-way-scarf-3
http://greatballsofyarn.com/freepatterns.htm

Made for:
Karen

Size:
22" x 42"

Needles:
US 7 / 4.5 mm & US 8 / 5.0 mm Knitpicks Options

Yarn:
Handspun by Me from Custom Cashmere/Merino/Silk Batt
~433.0 yards in stash
Fiber Purchased at Winderwood Farm on Etsy

I love this yarn. The blend is amazing - 45% Cashmere/45% Merino/10% Silk. It was a custom blend for me by Winderwood Farm on etsy. I was expecting all black, but they mixed this saying I could skip it if I didn’t like it. I really love it. I hope Karen will too.

The fiber spun like a dream. It was so easy to work with and produced the thinnest singles I have made yet. It came out to around15 WPI. Some places say that is sport. Others say fingering. I think it is probably closer to sport given it is spun woolen, so there is loft to it. Super soft & petable. I kept stroking the piece as I knit it. *sigh* I need to order some of this fiber for myself! But given the high cashmere content, it wasn't exactly inexpensive. So I may wait a bit.

I decided to go down to a size 7 needle for this pattern because my friend is always too cold. So I didn’t want it to be too open a weave, otherwise it would never keep her warm. And if you knew Karen, you would understand how critical that is!

I will have to knit some to see if it will work for my friend. I want her to be warm as she recently moved back to the Northeast after being in AZ for many years!

I decided to modify things. I did 12 rows of the repeat on the pattern.

Then I placed stitch markers 9 stitches from the end. I am continuing the pattern at the edges. I switched to a size 8 so that the center shouldn’t pull the more open edges too much.

I did 2 rows of garter at the center with the edges in pattern. I then did stockinette for the center. This way it was a closed weave and keep my friend toasty.

I repeated the edge when I was getting close to the bottom. It worked out nicely I think.

When I blocked it, I decided to make it more narrow & a bit wider. I think that will work for my friend. I really hope she likes it. *crosses fingers*

1 comment:

Alpaca Granny said...

This is stunningly beautiful. What a great friend you are.
Maple