I forgot to mention that I was working on this little number. It's construction is not particularly remarkable. Cast on 24 stitches. Knit in K2P2 rib for the entirety of the scarf. Bind Off. What's remarkable about it is the yarn that it is made out of: Bulky Weight Misti Alpaca.
Misti Alpaca Bulky Scarf in K2P2 Rib
I did this scarf on US Size 13 needles so that the fabric would be reasonably dense but the yarn would still get to show off its spring and softness. This is just one of the most "cushy" yarns I've ever laid my hands on. It's probably the softest yarn I've ever knit with. The scarf ended up measuring about 5" wide and about 60" long and I used 2 skeins of yarn. Since the full project shot doesn't really show off the color or texture very well, I thought I'd also give the yarn a little closeup:
Misti Marl Swatch
The color in this photo is pretty bang on. The yarn is a twist of charcoal and teal fibers (the colorway is called "charcoal/pine moulinette"). I wish I had a "virtual yarn petting" plug in so that everyone could feel the swatch, too. It's very luxe feeling. I got this wonderful stuff from ThreadBear, and I hear they have a whole range of yarns from Misti now. I'm hoping I can get my hands on some laceweight...
But the big event of the weekend was taking a quick trip up to the Milwaukee area for the Ruhama's Yarn and Needlepoint big sale. The first time I went to Ruhama's, I went with Julie, and the store left a lovely and huge impression. I've been looking for another excuse to go back. This trip I took with Bonne Marie. The store itself is pretty overwhelming in terms of selection and I don't think I've ever seen so many people in a yarn store. And, of course, I didn't come home empty handed...
Everything's Coming up Teal
Can you guess what my current color theme is? It seems like every where I go I pick up teal and green and aqua colored yarns. The goodies in the above photo are just part of what I acquired -- I also have two bags of Jamieson's Bulky Soft Shetland that are going to be stashed for Aran sweater knitting for next fall.
I've heard/read great things about the Felted Tweed. Since it was 30% off, I snapped some up hoping that I can substitute it for Yorkshire Tweed 4-ply for the lacy scarf in the Yorkshire Fable book.
What's the All Season's Cotton for? Swatching for Rogue! I'd noticed when I was searching for Aran weight yarns that ASC fell right into the right gauge range, but I was worried about how it cabled. Bonne Marie assures me that it cables beautifully. That lovely teal color is being discontinued (I looked it up with my web-enabled mobile phone while at Ruhama's... yes, I am a geek) so I got a few skeins to play with and then ran back home to order a couple of bags from Colourway. I'm really excited about the prospect about having a hoodie pullover that could see some summer wear. I love wool, but I think I'm pretty much done knitting heavy wool sweaters for the year.
Speaking of heavy wool sweaters... I wore Banff into the office on Friday. I think the Manos is going to get fuzzy quickly -- but that is what sweater shavers are for. It's definitely not a bad indoor sweater. The yarn is heavy, but the big sleeves let a lot of cool air funnel in, so it provides a good balance. Were I to do the sweater again, I would probably knit it at a little tighter gauge and re-work the math so that it came out right to give me a little more durable sweater.
All bioinformaticians must think alike: I am planning to knit Rogue next & was considering doing it in All Seasons cotton. The only reason I haven't yet ordered the yarn was my concern about cabling cotton - the last jumper I made in cotton had a lot of cables & I swore I'd never do it again after the fights I had. But if you & Bonne Marie think it'll work then I'm going to jump in and try it too.
Of to the EBI today for a refresher on Ensembl. Damn but I love that genome browser. Maybe I'll take my knitting, though it'll no doubt provide everyone with amusement, as, unfortunately, kniting in public is just not done here in the UK.
Of course Manos will pill--it's Merino (and corriedale) and it's softly spun. That's a fuzzy double-whammy!
But oh, how beautiful is that sweater!
Oh my goodness, I didn't even think about using All Seasons Cotton! I was kinda bummed about the Rogue knitalong because I can't really wear wool sweaters here in TX and I love the sweater. Thanks for sharing your idea. I look forward to seeing how yours works out!
Yup, I think my second Rogue is going to be made of ASC. I think it will make a lovely year-round sweater. And I have heard that Manos pills a lot, but I love it anyway!! The scarf is gorgeous and will be wonderfully warm and soft, come next fall (or hey, we might see more cold weather this season, one never knows...)
I got to feel some Misti Alpaca at Stitches and to say it is soft doesn't do it justice! Its beyond soft! We're past scarf weather here but I'm considering one for next season.
Lovely scarf. I *so* love alpaca. Actually, I love spinning it even more than knitting it....not that I need any more. Nope. No siree...