"October is for Spinners" scarf. Pt. 2

Between the snow and a weekend out of town, my progress on this scarf slowed to a crawl for a while. But, last night I finished the spider. I have a tip for those working on this project who are having trouble with the Left Purl Twists. They are indeed a bit of a pain. If you're struggling to get that stitch pulled through, use a small crochet hook to help you.

Also, take note that there are errors in the pattern as it appears on the website. A discussion thread with corrections can be found on Ravelry, in the "October is for Spinners" Knit-a-Long group.

Onward and upward with this project! Judging from other knitters' project notes, from here on out is where things get a little crazy.

"October is for Spinners" scarf. Pt. 1

This is my current WIP. The "October is for Spinners" scarf by Sharon Emery. The pattern was originally published in chart form, in the book "Barbara Walker's Third Treasury of Knitting Patterns." It is currently available in a text version, as a free download from Ravelry. The scarf starts on size 6 needles, with four strands of fingering or lace weight yarn held together. There is a seed-stitch border, and a formidable looking, twisted-stitch spider motif. As you progress down the length of the scarf, you gradually drop strands and increase needle size. The result is a piece that looks like its dissolving, or fraying away to nothing.

I saw this pattern early last year, and added it to my Ravelry queue. The four strands at once element was intimidating. Now that I've started, I'm pleasantly surprised at how friendly project this is. I think the only fiddly bits are the purl-left-twists. Purling through the back loop with four strands of yarn at once, isn't my favorite.

One funny thing. I read reviews on Amazon for the book in which this pattern was originally included. One reviewer remarked that while the patterns are unique and well charted, many of them don't seem appealing, for example: "Who wants a scarf with a realistic spider on it?"

I do!

ETA: I realize I forgot one detail here. I'm making this with Jojoland Ballad, fingering weight yarn. Colorway 205. It's got more of a brownish-pink cast to it than this photo indicates.

Spiral Scarf

Knitting was on hold for a while following the birth of my second child. I had no time, no sleep, and no desire to do anything superfluous. When I decided to start back again, I went looking for a project that would be simple and low impact. Ideally, something that could be picked up and put down without much fuss.

I'd picked up a hank of Schaefer Yarns Danya mohair this past September. The colorway is called "Hermione". It's funny how yarn can look like one thing when it's swirled together in a smooth little bundle, something else once it's balled, and something entirely different again when you start working with it.

I chose to use the mohair in a scarf, from the book "101 Designer One-Skein Wonders". The pattern was the "Lace Spiral Scarf" by Gail Owens. It's an easy 12 line repeating pattern, with a lacey edge. I can't recommend the pattern enough, even though mine isn't doing so well.

The Hermione Danya is a BRIGHT colorway anyway you slice it. Prior to balling, it looked like a neon sort of orangey red, with big pockets of turquoise blue. Once I started working, the red tones completely overtook the blue. The effect would probably have been nice in something super airy, like the Belinda wrap from the second Mason-Dixon book. In the slightly more dense fabric of this scarf - it's a bit like a circus run amok. Seriously, I feel like this scarf is yelling at me. I also found that the hairiness factor obscures the lace edge, as well as making the stitches near impossible to read. Oh, well.

I'm on the fence as to whether I'm going to attempt to frog this (a tough proposition with mohair), or whether I'll just put it aside for now and revisit the matter later. Although the color mix is a little manic for me, I think my daughter might like it. The pattern is a winner. I hope to try it again soon with a different yarn.