The Helix Scarf (Cast On!)

On Wednesday, I read about the Helix Scarf in a copy of SpinOff magazine I got on my trip to London a few weeks back.  I realize that I'm a bit late to the party and this was published nearly 3 years ago, but 3 back issues for £5 at a little yarn shop meant I got stuff to read during our 5 hour layover on the way home.  Of course, I didn't read all 6 magazines I bought, and the other day sitting at the desk at the bowling alley seemed like the perfect time to catch up.

I read about some color techniques and eventually got to the Helix Scarf.  It looked fantastic, just my type.  It's simple, yet elegant.  No crazy cables or frustrating lace.  Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against cables and lace, they're great and all, but if I can make something gorgeous and avoid them, I will.  Definitely more of a stockinette kind of girl.

Before casting on, I had to split the yarn I want to use.  It was recycled from a bright orange thrift store sweater, which I unraveled and then dyed over with Cushing's burgundy to get these gorgeous dark orange/burgundy/burnt umber sort of colors.  However, the yarn was all double stranded and I only wanted to use one strand for this project.  So I had to spend an hour or two splitting one big ball of yarn into two balls of a smaller weight.  That was boring.  But finally, I got to cast on!

The Helix Scarf is pretty fantastic.  It's all garter stitch, and short rows, which are fun.  It isn't boring and watching it evolve is awesome.  I got about an inch in and considered binding off to turn it into a bow tie.  Bow ties are cool.  I'm only at about 4 inches right now, but it's starting to look like something exciting.  Using a light weight and  #3 needles (is this size 3 American?  I don't actually know, they're old vintage ones I got somewhere and forgot to measure them) means it takes a long time though, especially with all the short rows.  As I mentioned before, they're fun, but you feel like you're getting farther than you actually are, which can be a little annoying.

To make myself feel better, I cast on a second project.  Yes, I cast on two scarves in two hours, I live on the wild side.  It wasn't another Helix, instead I decided to make a drop stitch scarf for my grandmother for her birthday party this weekend (she'll be 85 in two weeks, but family will be in, etc etc, so the party is early this year).  Double stranding two different, yet complementary yarns meant I could knit on nice big 12.75mm needles and using drop stitches meant it went even faster.  Which translates into: in the amount of time I got 2 inches on the Helix, I got 4 feet on the drop stitch.

Which is ok.  They're two very different projects and I love them both.  The Helix Scarf I can (currently) take to work with me.  The drop stitch not so much.  I'm hoping to finish it tonight or tomorrow so I can give it to Gramma on Sunday.  I considered making her gloves, but think those can wait til Christmas, when I have more time to plan.

Anyway, back to the Helix.  I love it.  Partly because I love this yarn, it's the first I ever over-dyed and I'm proud of it.  Partly because I love this pattern for it's simplicity and elegance.  Partly because I really want to try it on some handspun (and might have to spin some just for this project).  Also, it's going to look amazing in the fall.

Baby Bonnets (a rant and a pattern)

I love knitting hats.  They are my favorite of favorite things to knit.  They don't use much yarn, they're fairly quick, you can try different stitch patterns or techniques, and they make great gifts.  Well, once you get the hang of it.  When I first learned to knit I didn't quite get stranding or increasing/decreasing and the bloody zombie brain hat I made my friend Kevin for Christmas ended up looking more like a floppy vagina.  He will never let me live it down.

Anyway.  Hats are awesome and I love making them.  Baby hats are even better.  Being (obviously) smaller than adult sized hats, they use even less yarn (great for stash-busting) and take no time at to make.  Provided I don't get too caught up in the storyline, I can make a basic baby hat during an episode of Doctor Who.  As compared to "I need to finish the front of this sweater and oops watched an entire season of Torchwood" like I did earlier this week.  Long projects do that to you.

For example, sometimes you have this really pretty mohair/silk blend that you got on sale and meant to make a shawl with but instead just got pissed off at, so there is not only 7 inches of shawl shoved in a bag and ignored for the last year, there is also half a dozen balls of that really pretty mohair/silk blend that you kind of hate.  But love.  Because despite its tendency to fall off my needles, despite the fact that if you mess up and try to frog it turns into an absolute mess, despite the little fuzzies that get everywhere and that the expensive yarn (that was totally on sale!) is the cat's favorite to get her claws stuck in, it is gorgeous.  It's soft and silky and light and airy and I love it.  But I seriously can't work with this stuff for more than an hour without wanting to throw something (usually the cat).

I have discovered the perfect thing to make with gorgeous obnoxious mohair/silk blends:  baby bonnets.  They take exactly the amount of time I can tolerate using this yarn (and looks great with other, easier to use ones as well), are pretty much non-functional, and babies really look kind of silly and just want to rip at them and totally don't appreciate the expensive (but on sale) yarn.  But they are SO CUTE.  You guys it's so silly and ridiculous but super super adorable.  Therefore: perfect for dressing up newborns and taking cute pictures.  Except that I don't have a baby, so wool is a good substitute, right?

THE PATTERN:

Yarn: Rowan KidSilk Haze (or similar)
Needles: 4mm straight, 3.5mm DPNS.

CO (loosely): 40 with larger, straight needles
K2, P2 for 3 inches

(variation: CO 50, and k/p2tog the first and last two stitches until 40 stitches remain, using garter stitch instead of ribbing)

After 3 inches, divide evenly onto smaller DPNS, and work stockinette stitch in the round.  After 1 inch, begin decreasing, working alternate rounds even.

K8, k2tog*
K7, k2tog*
etc until 8 stitches are left.  Break yarn, leaving a tail.  Thread excess into a tapestry needle and pull through remaining stitches.  I usually do this twice for reinforcement before weaving in the end.

You then measure and cut a dozen 6-8 inch pieces of yarn, and use half on each side of the CO edge as tassels.