The Noro Striped Scarf

From my time on Ravelry I’ve learned that Noro brings out strong emotions in people.  It seems very few people are pretty neutral about it. Most either love it or hate it.

I love the colors and the way they change.  Yes, sometimes they abruptly stop and they are joined with a color that does not transition so nicely, but if you wind the skeins before knitting, you can catch those knots and fix the problem. Yes there are sticks and sometimes wee little dead bugs in there, but it’s fine by me.  Others respectfully disagree.

It was on Ravelry that I first noticed the Noro Striped Scarf. It seemed that everyone had one on their projects page so I got curious. I was still new to knitting (I learned to knit and purl as a kid, but I maybe knit two or three things to completion from a pattern in the previous twenty years) and carrying the yarn didn’t entirely make sense.  So I poured through forum postings on how to do it and then bravely started knitting with two balls of yarn to make the color changes. Yes, the dark color really does change from browns to blacks and grays.

This pattern really appealed to my new found desire to knit because it is so colorful and especially to someone who was a novice, it was an easy way to do something that is so eye-catching and special looking. I made my first with Noro Kureyon which is 100% wool and an aran weight.

Then Mike decided that he liked the scarf so much that when I discovered some Noro Silk Garden on sale, I decided to make him one. Silk Garden is aran weight but 45% mohair, 45% silk and 10% wool.  It is softer to knit with than Kureyon but the colors are just as vibrant.

Both of these scarfs got matching hats.

I can totally understand why people feel so strongly both ways when it comes to Noro.  I think there are a lot of things to love and hate about so many different yarns. But I really do like Noro and have a some in my stash just waiting to be knitted up.

Road Project

I was visiting with friends for the past few days. I decided that since I wasn’t driving, I should bring a project.  I should have brought my Boneyard Shawl but instead I decided I’d knit faster with shorter rows.

It was the perfect reason to start another project and use my new yarn. I decided to make a One Row Lace Scarf. I am such a slow knitter.  I knit for a while in the car and here and there when there was some down time and I maybe knit about six inches give or take.  But I love it so far!

The pattern is really easy. I cast on 32 stitches (you do it in multiples of 4) and I think that it’s perfect for this yarn. I am using a US 7 needle and it is the perfect width and the stitch size looks great.

I think this will be a good project to keep stashed for waiting rooms and other down time.  Plus it will be perfect for travel as it doesn’t take up much space and can fit in a suitcase or my work bag without taking up too much room.

This morning I washed my booties which is good because shortly after I laid them out to dry, I learned that the baby I plan on giving them to was born this morning! Tomorrow night I’ll stitch them up and put on the buttons.

And there is another baby on the way and I’m planning to start a quick little project for her. She’s getting a Baby Berry Hat and I planned on making it this afternoon but we got busy with chores and errands that took longer than planned. Maybe I’ll start it now. Of course, I’ll have to swap out my US 7 16 inch circular needle on that One Row Lace Scarf to get it started. Fortunately it’s just for the beginning because part of that project’s portability comes from using a circular needle.

Blocking a scarf for my mom

My parents visited over the weekend. Since I already have the supplies and she doesn’t, my mom brought along a finished scarf that we were going to block. That is until we decided to just sit down for a few minutes to relax and ended up falling asleep. So I blocked it yesterday and I’ll bring it along with me the next time we visit them.

My mom knit the Killington Scarf at my suggestion. I knit this earlier this year and it was my first attempt at anything with lots of yarn overs. I was pleased with my results.

The scarf comes off the needles very curled.

The blocking really brings out the pattern.

And here it is finished!

And for comparison, here it is next to my finished Killington. My scarf needs to be reblocked as it’s starting to roll from wearing it.  Also, I suspect that my yarn is thinner than the yarn my mom used on hers.  She might have even used a bigger needle size.

In the spirit of procrastination, I’m thinking of making one of these cuffs this afternoon.

On my needles

What isn’t on my needles is probably a better question.

I have six projects going right now (I’ll talk about the ones that are hibernating another time) and one that really should be cast on and knit as there is a baby coming in a month who I want to have a pair of booties!

The most active projects are three scarves that I am so excited to wear. Each serve a different purpose. The first is a Fishtail Lace Scarf which is being made with Kauni Effekt.

Fishtail Lace Scarf in Kauni Effekt

This is going to be my most colorful project yet. I’ve had the yarn in my stash for over a year and finally feel that I’ve discovered the pattern that will show off the rainbow best and in a way that I’ll be able to wear a lot. This is a wool that’s a little rough on the hands so delicate people might complain about it.  I love it and love the gradual color changes. This is my project that requires my attention and I can do it when I want to only concentrate on my knitting.

My next scarf in progress is a Boneyard Shawl made out of Wolle’s Yarn Creations Color Changing Yarn.

Color Changing Boneyard

I chose this pattern for this stranded cotton yarn to really show off the changes. I saw a few others on Ravelry also made from this yarn and I love the way they turned out.  This is a perfect scarf for summer so I really need to speed it up and it’s an easy pattern and great for mindless TV knitting or knitting in a group.

The other scarf in progress is a Sunday Market Shawl.

Sunday Market Shawl

I travel quite a bit for work and last month, when I was in Vermont, I was able to stop at the Northeast Fiber Arts Center in Williston when I had a half hour of free time. They have a whole display of yarn they’ve dyed in the store. Last year when I was there I discovered the shop and bought some of their store-dyed yarn that turned into striped fingerless gloves and so I knew I had to try something else because the colors are so beautiful. This pattern is really interesting because on the last row you drop every two stitches to create a beautiful loose shawl.  I hope it works out (I mean, it should if I followed the pattern properly) because I won’t know until the very end and on it’s own, it’s not very special. This is the easiest knit ever otherwise.  I could do it anywhere with any distraction.