What a Difference a Yarn Makes

Apparently, I've done it again. I have posted about a project without giving all the details. I just get so involved in what I am writing that I forget the important stuff! Mary Lynn left a comment yesterday about my hat, wondering if I could felt it to make it smaller. I have seen pictures of felted Fair Isle projects, and they look wonderful. You can really see the colorwork even with the felting. So I think that mosaic knitting would felt well, too. Unfortunately, I used Caron Simply Soft for my hat, so felting isn't an option. However, I am intrigued by the idea, and I think that felting mosaic knitting is going on my to do list now!

On Sunday night, after I had finished my hat, I started looking through my knitting projects for something else to work on, and I pulled out my Bejeweled scarf. I had started this scarf in January, and I have worked on it in fits and starts since then. I knew I wasn't happy with it, and on Sunday night I decided that while I like the yarn and the pattern, I did not like the way the two were working together. The scarf felt clunky to me, and a scarf called "Bejeweled" needed to feel light and airy. I gave it some thought and then pulled out some Plymouth Wildflower DK from my stash. The yarn is a cotton/acrylic blend, and it does have a tendency to split, so I have to be careful knitting with it. I also went down 2 needle sizes, and stopped increasing when I got to about 5 inches. I haven't gotten very far, but I am much happier with this version of Bejeweled.

Once I had determined that the new version of Bejeweled was working, I frogged the old version. One of the new members over at the Year of the Alpaca, Criquette, reminded me of a scarf pattern that I had been wanting to try but had forgotten about. It is the Yarn Harlot's One Row Handspun Scarf. So I immediately cast on with the yarn from the old Bejeweled, Nashua Handspun's Ivy, and I am thrilled with the results of this experiment too! Ivy is an alpaca/merino wool blend with a silver metallic thread running through it, giving it just a little glitter - very fancy! I should also add that when my dh saw this scarf, he informed me that the stitch pattern would work well for a man, although obviously in a different yarn. Since the last scarf I made him is on the large size, I am now thinking about making him a narrower scarf in this pattern. And I think I might just have the yarn in my stash to do it!

So now, instead of one scarf that I was feeling so so about, I now have 2 scarves started that I am enjoying working on and will enjoy wearing. It has occurred to me, however, that I have at least 4 knitted and 1 crocheted scarves started at the moment, so I think that the next round of finishing up WIPS better involve scarves!