Month: June 2004 Page 2 of 3

Yup. While I was swatching away, I remembered the workshop that I took with Karen Alfke at the Gig Harbor Retreat. Her enthusiasm for the linen stitch was contageous. But, for some reason, I forgot all about it when I got home. But something tickled my brain while I was swatching (I think it was my dread for using itsy bitsy needles), and I casted on with US #7 needles. Wow! I was in love again.

But there was still the issue of striping. Then, I thought, why not break up the striping with alternating rows of 2 different strands? And, voila! There is still some striping, but it’s broken up by the alternate color rows.

You’ll notice that one edge is cleaner than the other. That’s the edge where I’m carrying the yarn over 2 rows. So, while I’m trying to relax the opposite edge, I changed my gauge, and the piece got wider. Although, once I knit on an edging, that slight sloppiness will disappear into the seams and edging.

Back to the linen stitch. Despite using US #7, the fabric is firm. That’s caused by slipping every other stitch. The finished fabric is comparable to the fabric knitted with US #2 in stockinette stitch. Pretty neat, huh?

It’s fast. It’s easy. It uses “big” needles. AND, it breaks up the stripes. I can’t wait to start the vest. But I have to get some of the current works on needles out of the way first.

I’ve had a hair up my butt about this yarn that I spun up last fall. I spun up some handpainted primary colors as a fingering weight single. It’s absolutely beautiful. I love the bright crayon colors. And it came out exactly as I imagined — Kureyon like yarn in fingering weight, and much softer too.

But there are a few problems with this yarn. It’s a softly spun single, so there’s not a lot of structure. I originally knitted it up as a Klein Bottle Hat. But then, it behaved as if it was in dire need of a Viagra prescription. The yarn was too soft. But it made up into a pair of beautiful fingerless mitts in nice Googly colors. Perfect for the office when the A/C is cranked up too high.

But what to do with the rest of the yarn? I purchased 1 pound of the rovings, and have only spun up 8 ounces of it. This has been the bane of my existence. I keep looking at it and wondering what I can do with it.

I have a confession. I love colors. I love handpainted yarn. But I’m really a chicken when it comes to using them in anything other than socks. I’ve read “Twisted Sisters Sock Workbook” multiple times. But, the examples were all for small projects. How do you use the stuff in a large project without those awful stripes across the body?

So I’ve been swatching over the course of the last several months. I think I finally came upon a way of using this yarn.

First, let’s go review the swatches:

1. garter st mitered square (US #3?)
2. st st mitered square (US #1)
3. st st mitered square (US #3)
4. st st sampler, top to bottom:
   • US #1: great for socks
   • US #2: nice, but …
   • US #5: too sleazy
   • US #4: eh …
   • US #3: my favorite fabric of the bunch
5. linen st: top 1/6 – single yarn; remainder – worked yarn from both ends of the ball, alternated every 2 rows
6. woven on my Hazel Rose Loom, using 2 strands
7. 2 ply st st
8. garter st squares with US #4
9. mostly st st mitered squares

Which is your favorite?

Believe it or not, I have come to a decision on how to use this yarn. Tune in tomorrow for the decision.