color texture pattern

So, I’ve become a knitter. It wasn’t entirely intended. But regular exposure to some serious knitters (my cousins) and introduction to an amazing yarn store kind of wore me down. The raw materials of knitting are just so sumptuous. In the end I just couldn’t resist the colors, the textures, and the patterns.

COLOR

This is the yarn I ended up choosing for my intro to knitting class. The sales clerk told me it would be ‘bouncy’ to knit with. At the time I had no idea what that would mean (though it sounded good) but now I’m really glad I chose it. The other yarn I considered was a creamy yellow. At first I thought this yarn was second best in color but I was compromising for a texture that would be easy to work with. Now I love the color. Sometimes it’s a light brown. Sometimes it reads as a mustardy yellow. Sometimes I read a green cast in it. Always the light plays across it with liveliness. This scarf is nearly six feet long and growing.

TEXTURE

This project started out with a simple monotone blue worsted yarn that came with an intro to knitting kit. To liven it up, I followed the instructor’s suggestion and added a second strand of yarn. The second strand is a lace weight mohair and silk blend. All the fuzziness comes from the lace yarn. It gives the piece texture as well as color variation.

I tried a similar trick with the brown scarf, adding a chocolate brown silk merino blend to add interest. Unfortunately it dulled down the color. So I ripped that out and used the yarn plain.

This scarf is not so long. And it grows so much more slowly. Argh to small needles!

PATTERN

After I finished my three week introduction to knitting class I was tempted to take another couple of classes. But instead I decided to try the techniques on my own first, with the option to sign up if I couldn’t figure things out. This cable knit scarf was one of the first things that caught my eye. I had to start and tear it out at least 4 times but I finally started getting the hang of it. Now to just find some more time to finish it. The simpler scarves above are mindless projects. I’m not skilled enough to work on this while on the phone or watching a movie or anything like that.