I Can't Resist Shaggy Black Shawls

Scarf, seed stitch, mixed fibers, size 10 wood cable needle.

The surface really looks this complicated, which is most of the reason I like to make black shaggy shawls. This one has fifteen yarns and that also made it a wondrful textile to put together.

I carried around a grocery sack of yarns for awhile, but it was definitely worth it to produce this wild and drapey fabric.

The textile was created in a pet-free and smoke-free environment.  It has some wool and mohair content and will be for cooler weather.

I'm beginning to love the "card" method of keeping the rows of yarns in order.  For this fabric I wanted to balance the delicate and bulky yarns and spread them through out evenly, so the card helped me determine what would be in the next row as I went along.

It's about 75 inches long, so plenty of length to produce wrapped up shapes or sprawled out shapes.  It will go around the neck twice and has plenty of length to do interesting knots.

The triangle is deep enough so that it can be worn "babushka" style like a headscarf and it will cover the back of the head and ears on those extra-cold days or nights.

It's just shy of "wild thang" category.

The light is reflected and absorbed differently by each yarn, and the beads provide a bit of sparkle.  So this can be funky or sophisticated and be a great wrap for many different occasions.

This scarf is for sale along with  others in my etsy shop, Little Hands Studio: 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/littlehandsstudio

Finished boa

Boa, merino wool and polyester with lurex, garter stitch, size 11 plastic needles, 10 in.

I've managed to finish this wonderful boa  previously shown in the April 18 entry and give it to the wonderful knitter who gave me the yarn. I knitted to about 72 in and I think that's enough to make a nice dramatic statement.

Finished scarf - parti colored lace

Scarf, mixed fibers: polyester, nylon, simple lace stitch, size 10 plastic needles, 10 in.

This was definitely an impulse and it knitted up very quickly. The nylon makes it a rather heavy fabric in spite of its lacy construction. The photo doesn't capture the bright colors, which are also very shiny.

I struggled for quite awhile with this lace - I mean for years. It's very easy to make a mistake at the end of one particular row in the four-row pattern. This piece was about the first time that I "got it" without having to rip out many rows. It's a good thing, because trying to see the individual stitches with a yarn of this nature is almost impossible.

In the studio - poofy

Scarf, acrylic, garterstitch, size 11 wood needles

I got this yarn at Webs, the huge tremendous yarn store in Northampton, Mass. After I saw the knitted sample of this yarn I knew I had to try it. It's a very interesting pleasure to knit up this particular pattern. There are 10 stitches in each row. I'm not sure I'd enjoy trying to make a different fabric with it. I saw a boa made from the same yarn at Webs and it looked like a mess. This feels like rabbit fur.

In the studio - slinky black shiny

Shawl, basic lace stitch, viscose and polyester, size 7 aluminum cable needle, 24 inches.

Previous entries:

http://thatknittingblog.blogspot.com/2009/05/in-studio-slinky-black-shawl.html

http://thatknittingblog.blogspot.com/2009/03/in-studio-black-shiny.html

The progress continues and this is really looking like a wonderful shawl.

In the studio - pastel scarf

Scarf, mixed fibers: nylon, wool; garter stitch, size 13 wood needles

This done with two strands, changing colors in a systematic way. It's made with an old Rowan R2 "paper" yarn. I'm really having trouble liking the yarn.

I'm just not convinced that it's a good yarn for garments. I lusted after it for months on end because of the idea of it, and then I finally ordered it and found out that it looks interesting in pictures but feels icky. So this may never reach fruition. I'm going to try handbags, which I think will be more suitable for its characteristics. If that doesn't feel right, it may go to rag rugs. That's where the really awful yarns end up in my studio, anyway.

In the studio

Purse, polyester and metalic ribbon, size 9 plastic needles, "woven" stitch

I'm still plugging away on this project, but pulling the ribbon through small loops while it's compressing tires my hands quickly. I'm also producing a tension problem that I hope I'll be able to fudge during washing and blocking. But I know I'm going to love it when it's done.

I found the perfect button for it over the weekend while I was rummaging around in a box of fabric. It's a dome of rhinestones from an old fancy dress. The metal base is just enough silver so that it will highlight the silver metallic threads in the ribbon. It's a little bit on the heavy side, so I'll have to anchor it in the fabric with a sturdy patch on the inside, preventing it from pulling the knitting out of shape in the front.

I'm a little less than halfway through. The purse will have a lining, but I have not decided about any particular edging yet to provide the finishing touches for the outside. An "I" cord might have a wonderful effect.

I'm delving into the "in progress" stack and going on a finishing binge again. I want to have a huge lot to take to Elissa Halloran's shop [woops her web site looks a bit dishevelled] by the end of September.

In the studio

Small purse, size 5 needles, seed stitch, Noro "Kujaku", wool yarn wrapped with a polyester floss - just about worsted weight

The needles bear mentioning because they are Pony Pearl needles from India and they have metal rods molded inside the plastic, which weights them so that they are very balanced and comfortable. This is a tightly knit, firm fabric so that the purse will hold together and not be stretchy. The fabric is working up very quickly.