More Mohair

I'm still stitching away at the mohair tube scarf. It's become my take-along project because it's easy to just knit a bit at a time, anytime. The only hold-up is sorting the double-pointed needles when I pull the whole thing out of my knitting bag, but I'm getting better at that. It is growing gradually.

I guess I'm about two-thirds of the way there. I haven't yet decided how I'll finish it. The original plan was to graft or stitch the ends together to make a loop. Then it could be worn as one long loop or doubled over. As I've been knitting, I've been wondering about making a feature of the join, maybe with some beading. Then again I really like the subtle colour changes in the yarn and a feature might distract from that. I don't have to decide yet, so I'll just keep knitting away at it.

And What About . . .

I've been stitching away at my new armchair blanket: some days only half a row, some days a few, but slowly it's growing. What happens with these projects is that I start with an assortment of related colours and see how they develop together. I never follow a set pattern. That is, I did once follow a set pattern--it was a blue and white stripe--and I very quickly got extrememly bored. Never again. As I stitch one row, I think about which yarns I'd like to use for the next few rows. Generally I end up introducing some new yarns part way through the project. Last weekend I added a slightly darker teal mohair yarn to this one. You might just be able to pick it out about half way through. Today I'm wondering about adding yet another yarn. Currently it's a mohair scarf. I've photographed it next to the blanket to see how it looks. I made this scarf a few winters ago. I've worn it once each winter. In theory, I love the colours and texture, but when I wear it, it's just too much fluff around my neck. Each time I wear it I remember why I haven't been wearing it and it goes back into the wardrobe. Since it's not having a very productive life as a scarf, it may as well contribute to the developing blanket. There's a catch though. There's always a catch! Unpicking knitted mohair is a pain. The fluffy fibres catch on each other and stop the yarn pulling apart easily. Oh well, I think I'll give it a go.