Scarf Swatching in Silky Mmmmmmerino

The Yarnery, where I teach, is one of a small number of shops in the US to receive a test yarn from Malabrigo, Silky Merino. This yarn is delicious. I offered to make a scarf for the shop model because I thought I could use a pattern I had already written up.

It simply did not do justice to this beautiful yarn.

It is very interesting to me how a yarn interacts with a stitch pattern. I swatched about 15 different stitch patterns, but none of them were ‘it’ — perfectly fine stitches and fun to work, but just not right. I wish I had photographed them before I ripped them out, but I didn’t think of it until too late. And I couldn’t keep them, because I only had two skeins of yarn. I fact, I wish I had at least put a post-it or ripped up napkin or something on the pages in the stitch dictionaries, because several of the patterns were perfect for a baby blanket or another scarf in a different yarn. I have a real problem with things like that. It’s related to putting things away, I think. I just want to move on to the next step, next swatch, next whatever. Taking 5 minutes to organize before moving on would simplify my life inordinately. Why can’t I manage to do that? Any suggestions for internal reprogramming?

The Silky Merino looked very delicate. It is not. I wouldn’t make anything you expect to get heavy duty wear, of course. But I ripped and knitted and ripped and knitted and this yarn did not pill or shred, or look as thought it had been thru the wringer in any way. That was quite a surprise to me.

One aspect of the combination of the silk and the merino was that the yarn has a subtle shimmer. Not shiny or iridescent, but it catches the light in a way that plain wool does not. I really wanted a pattern that took advantage of the quality, and ended up with this:

Variations on this pleating pattern are found in most stitch dictionaries. I tweaked it a bit to make it more reversible to my eye. I used a stockinette stitch selvage so it would roll in and mimic the pleating.

The scarf is light but cozy and soft on the neck. I don’t know what plans Malabrigo has for this yarn, but if your LYS or webshop carries other Malabrigo products, it would be worth asking if they can get it. I searched around for others who have used it and found a clapotis, and another clapotis.

There is some in stashes in Ravelry, too. I forget to check Ravelry. That is why I am a charter member of a group called the Ravelry Underachievers. The very-high-achiever-in other-areas-but-not-spelling Gale mentioned it as a joke (I think) and next thing I knew I was joined up and one of the administrators. I’m not sure what that means, I hope they aren’t counting on my knowledge of Ravelry, or underachieving will be an understatement.

-MLE

Remembrance Day

I heard a few bits on Remembrance Day on the radio this morning. We used to call it Armistice Day here in the US, now it’s Veteran’s Day and mostly for sales at the mall. It was originally to mark the Armistice signaling the end of WWI. Amidst the stupidity of war, this war was one of the stupidest. It took the lives of millions of young men for no reason other than the internecine squabble of Queen Victoria’s grandchildren. During the broadcast this morning, there was a bit of the tang of teary-eyedness, but only very weak attempts to draw any parallels with the current stupidity of war and the pointless loss of life.

I studied history at University, and World War I holds a special interest for me, I’m not sure why. My great uncle who I never knew fought in the Canadian Army, but that is the only connection I have. As far as literature, I had to memorize “In Flanders Field” in Elementary School.

There is just something about the horror and pointlessness of it all, and the enormous effect on the rest of the 20th century. The decimation of entire village populations of young men that gave us the ’spinsters’ of 30’s and 4o’s movies — so unkindly portrayed and such a waste of intelligence and energy. (Except for Miss Marple.) The punitive settlements that led into World War II . The horrors of trench warfare that turned into newer means of perpetrating horrors. All these seem like something we should all want to remember, not just on November 11. We don’t seem to have learned anything so far.

If it interests you to read about WWI, my favorites:
Testament of Youth, by Vera Brittain,
The Middle Parts of Fortune, by Frederic Manning
The Memoirs of George Sherston, by Siegfried Sasoon
(fictionalized memoir of Sassoon, the poet)
and a trilogy by Pat Barker Regeneration, the Eye in the Door, The Ghost Road.

On the knitting front, I found this oral history from the Anzac Day site.

“We began hearing a lot about ‘the war effort’ and people stopped saying the war would be over in six months, or even a year. Whenever I came home from school, the house was full of women clicking knitting needles and manipulating dark wool, and making huge quantities of socks, vests, mittens and mufflers, as well as sewing pyjamas and shirts. Mum ran Red Cross classes with first aid and bandage rolling … Mum, who was a leading light in the CWA (Country Women’s Association) as well as the Red Cross, spent more and more of her time on the war effort… Nora Pennington, the good little girl who had written the composition about Gallipoli, was the school’s champion sock knitter. At lunchtime and recess she sat with her ankles neatly crossed and her boots buttoned, turning the heels of the socks very prettily. She eventually won the district record for the number of socks, mufflers, mittens and balaclava helmets knitted by anybody under the age of thirteen; her father made sure that the news reached the front page of his paper, with the heading ‘LITTLE NORA DOES HER BIT’. The rest of us longed to grab her knitting, rip the stitches out and snarl the wool for her.

The Last Days of Indian Summer

These last few days have been so beautiful — perfect for horsing around. For those who have asked, Holley had her knee injected and seems to be doing well. She looks quite at ease, doesn’t she? And her weight is on the right leg, which she was avoiding before.

But, I think it was this get well card that Incaknit’s daughter made that really helped:

Looks just like her, doesn’t it?

On the knitting front, I’ve found my sock mojo and am cranking quite a few. I have a new sock pattern using Pagewood Farms bamboo in a red/orange that I am finishing up. I really like working with this yarn. I was working on the socks while watching the World Series. I was raised a Mets fan, and have a had time rooting for the Red Sox, but it was better to me than rooting for the Rockies. So the Reddish Socks finished up as the series did. Maybe it was Red Sox mojo.  Pattern coming soon.

Here’s the Kaffe Fassett socks that I finished by the end of October, but never got posted. Anyway, Socks in the Cities will be ongoing now, so I can post them for November.

These were great fun to knit. The combination of unusual colors and varying width stripes made me want to keep going to see what the next stripe would be. Kuryeon Addicts, try this yarn…

MLE