Murky Scarf

This is a recent scarf knit from hand-spun Rambouillet.

I bought this hand dyed braid at a spinning event in early 2020, just before the pandemic. I loved the colors. This was well before I had tried any dyeing myself, so it all still seemed like magic. I decided to spin it as a fractal spin. I divided the braid in half lengthwise and then divided half of it again. I really need to keep better notes since I can’t remember exactly how many time I divided it.

Sadly I don’t think this artist is dyeing braids anymore, just yarn. But I love the color, Murky. And I love spinning Rambouillet.

I was spinning it on a wheel that has a Woolee Winder which constantly moves the yarn back and forth on the bobbin. In this way, there are no built up piles of yarn on the bobbin. There are advantages, you can usually get more on the bobbin and you are relieved of the task of moving the yarn guide periodically. But, you also don’t get to see the individual colors as they appear.

I plyed the yarn on my EEW 6.0 electric wheel because it has a large 8 ounce bobbin. Right from the start you can see the colors come together and then move apart.

After finishing I counted 320 yards. It was fun to just look at. But eventually I decided to knit a scarf that my knitting group friends were raving about.

The pattern for the one row scarf can be found on the Yarn Harlot blog.

After winding the yarn into the ball that I like to knit from, I tried several needle sizes and settles on US10.5 needles and CO 26 stitches.

I didn’t want any yarn left over so I just kept knitting and the scarf is about 6 feet long. This picture really shows how the fractal spin causes the colors to move in and out of sequence. Sometimes the red and greens are together and sometimes they are mixed.

I hope you like the scarf, spun from Fierce Fiber wool and knit with a pattern from Yarn Harlot. As always, your polite and helpful comments are welcome.

Thick & Quick, They Aren’t Kidding!

Time to catch up by writing about the things I have been making.

I had two requests recently. One was for a cowl and the other for a ponytail (messy bun) hat.

I wanted to get them to my friends quickly as the weather in the midwest has turned unseasonably cool. So I decided to use large needles and thick yarn. Each project took less than 3 hours.

Lory’s Cowl

Lory wanted a cowl like one I had made early but “more white”. I found this pretty yarn, Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick. The color is “Marble 505”.

 

Older cowl and hat.

New cowl.

On US13 circular needles (16″) I cast on 54 stitches. After joining, I knit 3 rounds and then purled 3 rounds. I repeated this 5 times. I then knit 3 rounds so that the top and bottom of the cowl would be symmetrical. I bound off the stitches and wove then ends. It only took 2-3 hours and I chatted with friends the whole time.

I really need to get a mannequin to display my work.

Shelli’s Ponytail Hat

Shelli told me she needed a hat to keep her warm while she watches her daughter play soccer. It can get pretty cold sitting there. She asked it I knew how to make a ponytail hat. I googled it and found lots of cute ideas and several free patterns. Again I chose one with which I could use the Thick & Quick yarn. This time I just used chunks that were left over from other projects, so I’m not exactly sure of the colors. I also added a couple sparkly rows to jazz it up a bit. For these stripes I used two strands of worsted weight, one of which was sparkly.

The pattern is a free Ravelry pattern: hat pattern link

I hope these gifts keep my friends warm. If you want to make something but don’t have much time, think large needles and Thick & Quick.

As always, your polite and helpful comments are welcome.