Another Re-think

I didn't have a particular project in mind when I spun up this mohair yarn. It was just a case of making the most of the characteristics of the fibre. I knew I wanted to keep the design simple. What could be simpler than a garter stitch scarf? I tried that. The result was disappointing. Yesterday I pulled out what I'd done and had another go.

What about stocking stitch?

All very well, but the inevitable curling of the edges would be a problem.

OK, if it's going to curl anyway, what about knitting a tube?

No, it's not another pair of wristies. I'm going to try a tubular scarf. At this stage I'm thinking I'll join the ends so it can be looped around  one or more times. The smooth outer texture of the knitting shows up the lustre and halo of the mohair beautifully and the subtle colour variations should be a feature. I'll see how it goes. 

Around and Around

After my experiments with the mobeius a few weeks ago, I've gone back to making a simple neck roll. This one would be a plain cylinder, if it wasn't for the fact that it's done in stocking stitch. 

Stocking stitch has strong tendency to roll in on itself. Sometimes that tendency is a real nuisance. In these neck rolls, though, it creates interest and makes a simple knit into something between a scarf and a necklace. I like that. I'm thinking about taking it further and embellishing the bottom edge with beads and bits. To do that I would need to use a different stitch at the beginning because the stocking stitch roll is unpredictable and not a stable base. But for now I've achieved my mission of simplicity and warmth. Except, as usual I have the ends to weave in. 

Ready to Wear

I started knitting this cowl last week and now it's ready to wear:
Very simple--stocking stitch all the way, which when I'm knitting in the round means just a plain knit stitch over and over and over. The way it drapes around the neck means that you can see a great deal of the reverse as well. It's soft and warm. I'm looking forward to wearing it.

Apologies for the pic being on my delapidated manequin. I did try taking it on my --delapidated:)--self, but I had to use the flash which on my not-so clean mirrors resulted in all sorts of smoky, blurred effects, but no decent view of the actual cowl.

Now today I have more rinsing to do; dyes to use up and a great need of a general tidy up. I'm tempted to cast on something else to take the place of the purple cowl in its simplicity and warm fuzziness, but I really should do some more swatches for my folio first. Hmmm, I think I'll make a coffee while I wrestle with my conscience on that point.

Olive-Snake Inspiration: the next episode

In our last instalment of the Olive-Snake Inspiration I was using a tiny scrap of yarn to sample some stitch patterns. Here's the result:

The sample is not blocked--I'm still seriously thinking about a mobius neck roll and by definition a mobius cannot be blocked on a flat surface.

So from left to right we have:

• reverse stocking stitch
  
• stocking stitch
  
• double moss stitch
  
• moss stitch
  

The stitch definition is not as good as I would like on the moss stitch samples, so I think I'll try smaller needles if I decide to go with that option. At this stage, though I'm still inclined to go with the stocking stitch / reverse stocking stitch idea--I'm dreaming about how "snakey" a smooth mobius neck roll would look with it's dynamic drape. And besides, stocking stitch will be so much smoother to knit. I'm enjoying this process so much that I'm inclined to spin up some more yarn to do a moss stitch version as well. But there are still plenty of folio samples requiring my spinning attention. So I will have to alternate those with the thrill of designing or they'll never get done.