Summit Scarf

Just a quick pic of the Summit Scarf in progress. I had a bit of panic when I realised I needed more yarn to match, having started it with an odd ball that I picked up a while ago.  It was in the odds and ends bin, and was so lovely I couldn't resist. It's Rowan Cashsoft 4ply in Bluebottle....it was the name of the colour that threw me as this looks to me like a teal or peacock or kingfisher kind of blue. The name they've chosen doesn't say any of those things to me, it makes me think of that sharp, singing navy blue glass you sometimes get in old pharmeceutical bottles. Still, on reflection, bluebottle flies do have that lovely petrol-y rainbow mix on them. Plus I like the idea of naming colours after things that are not immediately attractive in their association - like calling neutral putty coloured paint colours 'cardboard' or 'plaster' or 'rodent grey'. I love this, it has that soft, rich, intense saturation of colour that I really like. Anyway, I ended up guessing the match, having dropped by the yarn dept at my local John Lewis, and having a very entertaining exchange with the sales girl. Not a perfect match but barely noticeable.

 

This is unblocked, and looks a bit of a mess, but it feels gorgeously soft and smooth, and I think the pattern with that rhythmic rippling suits the yarn really well. Blocking is not a process I'm very familiar with, I may just give it a gentle steamy press. All I need now is a nice stitch to finish either end of the scarf; something just to neaten up the long strands of the drops or something lacy-ish perhaps...maybe something i-cord-y..... Any ideas? 

knitting ambitions....

I have a knitting ambition. I want to have a pattern published. In Knitty. Writing knitting patterns is not particularly easy! But....I've wrastled with my starfish pattern and have finally come up with a version that I think works. I think the pattern is clear and accurate. I took what I think are some nice photos out at the beach yesterday, despite the stiff breeze, and marauding dogs. All I can do now is sit back and wait for Knitty to get back to me. I really hope they say yes! It feels a bit like really wanting to pass the driving test. If I've understood everything ok, and have managed to deliver on performance, then just maybe they will. I can't publish any photos yet as this is one of their submission conditions, but I should know by December, by which time several children will be destined to receive said item in their stockings, which, even if I don't catch Knitty's eye (this time....), will make all the effort and obsessive swatching and experimenting well worth it.

In the meantime, I've grown a tad disillusioned with crochet - I like it, but for me it doesn't have half the charm and elegance that really good knitting can deliver. It's kind of fun, rustic - well, my efforts so far certainly have a rustic feel to them. A bit chunky, lacking drape etc. I suppose that this is a bad case of the workman blaming his tools. I don't know enough about the process or the possibilities of the process to make a decent fist of anything yet. Will have to keep trying.

So, current work in progress is a scarf version of the Summit shawl by Mandie Harrington. This is a fabulously clever...no, that doesn't do it justice, it is a devilishly clever bit of knitterly engineering..... and elegantly beautiful to boot. It is actually much simpler to work than it looks, and has solved my problem of struggling with a couple of skeins of gorgeously soft, smooth, drapey yarn that have lost their labels. This may become my luxury handmade gift of choice for quite sometime yet. It has lots of lovely big holes so a small amount of yarn will go a good long way, which means quality can be top notch as quantity is not going to prohibit purchase of silk or alpaca or whatever lovely fibres float your particular yarn boat.