Skip to main content

Entrelac Scarf

This scarf has been on the needles for way too long. I started it before Christmas and just finished it last week. By far most of it was completed during Christmas travels, but then I ran out of yarn. I purchased it from my LYS and they did have more, but after I bought two more balls I think I lost a lot of momentum. I’ve been spending more time sewing and just didn’t have much desire to knit.

This is the second time I’ve knit this scarf (Danica from Knitty.com). The first time was for the Preacher, done in grey. Of course, I cannot find a picture of it on my computer at all now. Fitting...that is pretty much how this day is going. Anyway...

The technique that results in the basketweave look is called “entrelac.” I really like this technique. I made a felted bag like this a couple of years ago. It looks much more complicated than it is. If you can knit, purl, increase, decrease and pick up stitches you can do this. Trying to explain how it works is more than I can really manage without confusing you, but if you are interested The Yarnpath has a good tutorial.

The yarn in this scarf is Lana Grossa’s Cool Wool 2000. This was a fabulous yarn to work with. It was smooth and stretchy and felt so nice sliding through my hands. I’d love to make a whole sweater with it. Unfortunately it is a little more expensive than I can afford to make a whole sweater out of. Bummer.

The brown and green combination is my current favorite. Hopefully it still is next year because it is now starting to feel like spring and I don’t think I’ll be wearing this until next fall. But, I’m certainly not complaining about spring rapidly approaching! By the time the weather cools off again I will have forgotten about the scarf and it will be a pleasant surprise.

Now I have nothing – absolutely nothing (!) on needles. I frogged a scarf that was nearly finished because I didn’t really like it, it was riddled with mistakes and I wasn’t going to have enough yarn to make it as long as I would like. I haven’t ripped out something that far along before. Strange feeling. The last time I worked on it was during the summer, so I didn’t really feel the pain of all that lost time and “work.”

But, being without a project in the works doesn’t feel good to me. Irresponsible, almost. What if I find myself watching TV or being a passenger in the car for more than half an hour? I’m just supposed to have idle hands?!? Yikes. I have a decent size yarn stash, so I just have to do the work of matching yarn to pattern. Stay tuned…

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Burda Skirt Again

I'm not sure what prompted it, but awhile ago I decided that I needed a green skirt. The last time I was at Fabricland I saw this green wide-wale corduroy. I wasn't really looking for the skirt to be corduroy and the color was a little different than I was hoping for, but since I had my eyes peeled for awhile and hadn't seen anything better, I thought I'd try the corduroy. After looking for a suitable pattern, I settled on the Burda 2/2010 skirt that I've already used three times . Because of the weight and bulk of the corduroy, I didn't want to try to mess with too many details. I'll use another skirt pattern soon. Really, I will. One of the things I really like about this pattern is the pockets. This time I made the pocket facings and part of the pocket bag out of a cotton woven solid to reduce bulk. Since I'll be wearing this skirt with tights I added a lining. Adding the lining was really simple except that I cut the lining exactly the sam

Grocery Bags

More gifts! These are just like the still-all-too-ubiquitous plastic grocery bags, but they're fabric.  I followed this tutorial and you actually use a plastic bag as a pattern.  The instructions are very good and include a pocket so that the bag can be folded up and is easy to keep in a purse or a car's glove box. Mostly for the sake of the gift recipients, here's how to fold up the bag.... 1.  Lay the bag pocket side down and fold it length-wise using the edges of the pocket as a guide. 2.  Fold it in half, aligning the top of the handles with the bottom of the bag. 3.  Fold in half again and then reach into pocket with your hand and turn the whole thing (pocket included) inside out. Happy shopping!

Shopping Bags

Most stores in our town charge you a nickel for a plastic bag when you check out. I love this practice and the way that it encourages people to bring their own cloth bags or reuse their plastic ones. My habit of bringing along bags to the grocery store is well established, but I used to find myself stuck at places like the drug store or farmer's market or other impromptu stops. Then I picked up a bag at an upscale kitchen goods store that rolls up quite compactly. Now I keep that in my purse, so I always have a bag with me. I like my bag so much that I wanted to replicate it for the art sale. The final result is a hybrid of the bag I purchased and these that I made last year. The bag is a little bigger than the average plastic grocery bag. The velcro tab is used to keep the bag rolled up, but also can close the top of the bag when it is full. Most of the bag is a single layer of cotton, but the handles are faced. There is a double row of top-stitching around both edges of