Cold Mountain

Cold Mountain

Yarn: Noro Kureyon (100% wool; worsted weight)
Colorway: 178
Needles: US 7s
Stitches: 28
Pattern: 1x1 rib (first stitch slipped with yarn in front, last stitch knitted)
Size: 5" wide, 78" long

The project I took up because I needed something to do and then ended up setting aside, leading to a months-long period of little knitting, is finished. Except for a difference in colors, it's essentially the same scarf I made for my mom last year. I'm happier with what I made her than this this one, but I think I'm pleased enough with this to wear it.

I've taken to using the names of films for projects that don't have patterns. Due to the rustic colors, which remind me of levels of soil with hints of grass and the sky, Cold Mountain seemed like an appropriate name. That film's crisp and earthy cinematography, or how I remember it, seems like a good match with this scarf. The colors are suited to the fall-like temperatures that have arrived this weekend, although I certainly won't be needing this until it gets a lot colder.

I have little yarn remaining from the third skein and would have used it all up if I hadn't already knit 78 inches. Kureyon had much less vegetable matter and fewer knots than Silk Garden, so it was easier to work with.

One improvement I made with this scarf is not flaring the ends, which has been a common problem of mine. I'm guessing that I cast on and bound off looser than usual to get rounded square ends.

More than anything, though, I'm just glad to have it done. It wasn't a bad knit, just kind of an uninteresting one.

Rustic

When I went to the yarn shop today in search of something for a scarf, I didn't intend to get Noro. In fact, I wasn't looking for these colors. I was thinking of something green for the Scrunchable Scarf.

The scarf will be for me. That pattern is just the sort of simple knit that I feel like I need to get me going again. As I walked the aisles I saw a couple of nice shades in Cascade 220--Olive and Shire looked like potential winners--but I continued to look anyway.

I passed by the Noro and remembered that I'd considered making my own 1x1 ribbed scarf like the Christmas gift I knit for my mom. I doubted that I'd see anything that would be more subdued--I associate Noro with bright colors--but then I stumbled upon the yarn pictured above. It seems to be predominantly brown with shades of blue and green. I had to get it.

Since I hadn't been planning on getting this yarn, I ended up buying less than I know I'll need. I would have checked my Ravelry project page ahead of time if I knew this yarn is what I was going to get. If only I'd listened to the yarn shop employee instead of trusting my faulty memory. I don't expect I'll have any trouble getting another skein, but I'm mildly annoyed at having to make an unnecessary trip.

That goes away, though, when working with the yarn. My previous experience knitting with Noro turned up the knots and sticks and vegetable matter. Since I'm using 100% wool Kureyon this time instead of Silk Garden, I'm beginning to think that some of the stuff I initially pulled out last time was silk. Oops. Other than inconsistencies in the strand's thickness, this yarn has been free of problems so far.

I knit on the scarf for a couple hours tonight and felt some of the day's sluggishness vanish. Ah, so this is what I've been missing for recent weeks.

The Purple Rose of Cairo

The Purple Rose of Cairo

Yarn: Noro Silk Garden (45% silk, 45% kid mohair, 10% lamb's wool; Aran weight)
Colorway: 241
Needles: US 7s
Stitches: 28
Pattern: 1x1 rib (first stitch slipped with yarn in front, last stitch knitted; sewn bind off)
Size: 4" wide, 58" long

I didn't know what to expect when knitting with Noro for the first time. I wasn't sure how the drastic color changes would knit up. I'd read the horror stories regarding the extra "stuff" in the yarn. I was unsure if I'd get satisfactory length out of the two skeins I purchased. All those concerns turned out to be not such a big deal as the result says it all.

I'm thrilled with how this simple scarf turned out. I think I did a good job knitting it, but the colors in the yarn take care of all the heavy lifting to impress. There was no need to do a complicated pattern when a k1, p1 rib rendered the colors quite beautifully. I don't think I'd be so bold to wear something in these colors, but I'm certain my mom will love it. I wasn't entirely sold when I began.

Is Noro worth the trouble and cost when factoring in the complaints of knots, hay, and stick pieces in the yarn? In this instance I'm going to say that it was. I ran into three knots--one in the first skein, two in the second--but did what I probably shouldn't have done and just knit them in as is. One is at the end of the row, and the other two are hidden well enough. The vegetable matter, assuming that's what it is, wasn't much of an issue in the second skein but was all over one section in the first. I have to figure out if there's a way to get it out by soaking the scarf, but even if I can't, I don't think it diminishes the item's appearance.

The tiny pieces of sticks and bark were more annoying but also more easily removed. For yarn this nice and this pricey, I don't know what the deal is. Certainly it gives Noro an even more rustic feel, but I can do without the yarn earning some kind of natural street cred because of it. I don't particularly mind the yarn weight inconsistency that ranges from bulky down to possibly a lace weight at times, although one puffed up section widened the scarf when I was knitting one color.

Since I knit this at a narrow four inches, two skeins was barely enough for a scarf. I would have preferred to get a couple more inches of length out of it, but I came close enough to my target that 58 inches is sufficient. I intentionally knit this more loosely than my other projects, which was easier on my hands and wrists. That may be the most important lesson I learned on this scarf.

So I've finished a Christmas gift in a week. I don't know how many more I'll be making, but I'm pleasantly surprised this one came together so quickly and looks so fantastic.

A rose by any other name

The Columbus Blue Jackets had their home opener tonight, so I utilized some of the time before doors opened to do some knitting at the North Market. Can't say that I got a lot done, but I took advantage of the good light to take a picture that more accurately reflects the scarf's colors. You don't get much of the green, but at least I know that if I shoot this in natural light, the colors show up correctly in the photograph.

Maybe it's worth mentioning that I'm naming this 1x1 ribbed scarf The Purple Rose of Cairo. Typically I just slap the pattern name in the project name box on my Ravelry page. It's kind of antiseptic, but there has to be some art movement from which I can claim inspiration for this naming method.

Since I'm not working from any written pattern--and really, there's no need for one--I'm given a blank slate for which to name the scarf. I suppose if I wanted to stay true to form, I could put 1x1 Ribbed Scarf in the name box, but what fun is that?

Let's be honest. Naming stuff is fun. I've chosen The Purple Rose of Cairo because the green could conceivably be thought of, in abstract terms, as a stem. The purple then speaks for itself. And, oh yeah, it's also the title of a Woody Allen movie I like.

Keep on truckin'

It's been all about the Noro Silk Garden scarf this week. To answer my own question, this yarn can be spit spliced. (One realizes how crazy fast the web is these days when a Google search on this very subject produced my blog entry as the #7 result.)

I have around 40 inches of the scarf knit now. Considering that I'm just doing 1x1 ribbing, I'm not sure how I've been able to keep such sustained focus and high speed. I think the regular changes in the yarn's color provides enough variation that it seems like something new every few inches. Still, I may finish this scarf in record time, even for me.

The problem of Noro knots has been minimal. So far I've encountered one per skein. I considered cutting the yarn on the one I ran into tonight, but it seemed like it would be unseemly to stick the yarn in my mouth at knit night. Sure, everyone there would know what I was doing, but the rest of the restaurant's patrons wouldn't. (And I would have felt weird.) Anyway, the knot came at the end of the row, so I figured it wasn't really any different than if I had joined another skein at that point. I let it be and kept knitting.

The way this scarf is going, I suspect I will finish Saturday. (Tomorrow is too busy. Otherwise I think it would be feasible to crank out the rest.) I'm going to be tempted to send it to my mom right away rather than wait until Christmas.

In a jiffy

I've been exceptionally fast at knitting the 1x1 ribbed scarf I'm making as a Christmas gift for my mom. I finished the first skein of Noro Silk Garden this evening. I've knit about 28 inches. Assuming the second skein has about as much yardage, an FO will be slightly shorter than I was hoping. I'm aiming for at least 60 inches. I'll have to mull over whether getting a third skein is worth it. For now I'm thinking that it isn't, that something in the range of 55 inches will be acceptable.

I'm beginning to wonder if some of those early pencil shaving-like strands that I've mostly ignored might actually be the silk in this yarn. Perhaps it's a good thing I haven't been yanking most of those out. If that's true, the first skein didn't have nearly as much junk in it than I thought it did.

Before I start working with the second skein, I have a couple questions. Will the spit splice work with this yarn? It's 45% silk, 45% kid mohair, and 10% lamb's wool. My uninformed guess is that the yarn will be immune to the technique, but I suspect someone out there knows without me having to put the fibers in my mouth.

If it won't spit splice, any tips for how to do a jogless join? I'm really happy with how the scarf is coming along and would hate to have one row where the new skein starts and produces something akin to a dotted line.

Notorious

Since I wasn't sure if two skeins of Noro Silk Garden would be enough to make a scarf, I decided that I better start knitting so I'll know if I need to track down more. Although I've never used Noro, I am aware that the yarn is notorious for containing knots, vegetable matter, and inconsistent weight. Yet for all of the complaints I've read, Noro seems to be highly regarded. How bad can the problems be?

It didn't take long for me to find out. I encountered stuff that looked like thin pencil shavings. Separating it from the yarn wasn't too bad but kind of annoying. Then there was a knot which, wisely or not, I chose to knit in as is. A little bit later the yarn plumped up and had more of those fine shavings mixed in. I decided that I'd drive myself crazy if I attempted to remove all of it, so I kept knitting in the hope that there is a way to take it out once the scarf is finished. (Before I try to turn up an answer on Ravelry, does anyone out there have any advice on this matter?)

I've also discovered small pieces of bark or a stick, so I completely understand why some knitters think this yarn is more trouble than it's worth. I'm enjoying seeing and feeling how the yarn knits up (assuming I don't run my hand across more of that rough stuff). The combination of purples, tan, and lime green (!) has surprised me.

For this scarf I'm doing a simple 1x1 rib. I'm slipping the first stitch with the yarn in front and knitting the last stitch, which is producing really nice edges. The basic pattern allows the color shifts to be showcased and makes for a nice, reversible scarf. I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into when I picked this yarn, but the finished product should be something that will impress my mom.

On a photographic note, the yarn in the picture looks bluer than it really is. I'll try to shoot this in the natural light, which ought to render more accurate colors.