Edges and Turns

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Upstairs in the stash room I had this roving.

It was a long piece of BFL-mix roving from Blue Moon (the colourway is ST-1) and because of how it was dyed, it had repeats. I pulled it apart into those repeats, and got four matching pieces of roving.   I marked the beginning of the repeat on each of them, and then spun them all onto their own bobbins, all in the same direction.

Then I plied them into two big hanks of two ply –

and now I have self striping, long repeat yarn that I am so wild about that this morning I made Joe hold it for a while.  (I can’t help but feel that he wasn’t as thrilled about it as I was, but we’ve been together long enough that he knows to feign yarn enthusiasm.)  This yarn is quite possibly the most exciting thing that’s happened in a while around here, and that’s saying something, because that scarf I made on Sunday is a little bit sparkly.

I thought about it all evening.  What would I make? What would be a good use of it? I love the colours, I love the long stripes it will make, and I love the idea of something scarfy or wrappy, or shawly. I only have about 350m of this stuff, and it’s worsted weight, so I’ll have to be thoughtful of the size – but I really, really, really wanted something that shows off how this yarn’s colours go, and I ended up searching for the perfect pattern the way a 17 year old girl looks for a missing cell phone.  I was a creature possessed. 
For a while I thought the answer was Lintilla.  It isn’t. It’s the wrong gauge, and even if it was the right gauge (because I know I can rig that) ruffles are yarn pigs, and I don’t have a huge amount. 

Then I thought maybe the answer was Hitchhiker, but it wasn’t.  It’s charming – but I started thinking maybe I could get my self striping yarn to do something really, really interesting.  Maybe I could play up the stripes? Find something that would vary the width of the thing? Maybe change direction a few times? Turn a few corners?  Knit on the bias? That got me thinking about Stephen West, since he’s got some funky shaped scarfy things.  I looked at Thendara. That wasn’t quite right.  Too pointy. Same problem with Flagstone, plus I think those play up colour, but not the kind of colour I wanted.  

I considered the classic multidirectional scarf, but I’ve been there and done that. I thought about Stacked Wedges, which is rather fetching but too… wiggly.  I looked at Heartbreak (too big, not enough corners.)  I found Windward, and thought that was it for a while – it was more organic than the others, had lots of edges and turns… it had that post-apocalyptic shabby chic that I think I like, but that wasn’t right either.  I think it’s too big, and really is suited to a lighter weight yarn than I have.  (I think you really need fabric to drape to capture the "I’m so cool my clothes are rags" look.  My yarn wasn’t going to do that.) 

The search wasn’t going well at all, nothing was quite right.  They were all too wiggly or too long or too wide or two stripy or not stripy enough – or they didn’t suit my yarn, or I didn’t have enough yarn, and I think that unless one of you knows the exact right thing, then I’m going to go rogue.  Cast on, start – and see what happens.  Maybe I can figure out something long, pointy, partly knit on the bias, with edges, curves, turns and corners that isn’t too big, wobbly, wiggly, or geometric.  Did I mention that the shape needs to be both geometric and organic? At the moment I have a whole page of a sketchbook filled with impossible to knit things that I’m going to try and knit anyway. I’ve snipped up a paper scarf into bits and put it back together, I’ve swatched a very crooked thing, and I have a feeling that this way lies madness, because my idea of the scarf I want to knit is more of a feeling than a plan…

but I’m casting on anyway.  What can go wrong?

239 thoughts on “Edges and Turns”

  1. Now that you’ve helped me identify a whole number of scarves that I would like to make, I’d just like to say that nothing, absolutely nothing, can go wrong. Lovely fiber = lovely yarn = lovely scarf.

  2. Oh everything! The universe was waiting for you to say that! You can’t ever say something like that – you can think it but not say it!
    Good luck! We’re here for you!

  3. Lovely yarn. Look to Nora Gaughan for inspiration: organic plus geometric is exactly her style.

  5. What about that scarf my Lorilee Beltman– the one with squares with holes in them?

  8. my, that yarn is lovely! there’s a mod of the Wingspan wrap that has leaves in it (i thinki t’s on the project page- can’t miss it). it’s freakin’ gorgeous, but i’m not sure i can figure it out. would it work for your yarn?

  9. I actually gasped when I saw that roving. BFL! I love it so much! The road may be fraught with peril, but I can’t WAIT to see what you make with this! It’s gorgeous.

  11. The worst thing that can happen is that you start with a pile of yarn and end with a pile of yarn. Be fearless! I can’t wait to see what this becomes!

  13. Oh, Steph, a BOATload of things could go wrong with this plan, but NONE of them are earth-shattering. Just saying. Sometimes a wrong thing can even lead you to the right thing. Cast on, I say, cast on!

  14. I can see a modular scarf using the different colourways. I also see a plain cowl knit in the round. Those stripes would be wonderful in it.

  20. P.S. Would also be gorgeous woven. I know that ‘s not the direction you’re going, but….

  21. Did you try “Wingspan” in Ravelry??
    My only thing with it is that I would knit about three inches before starting on the short rows. Otherwise there’s a long skinny bit that’s a bit strange.

  28. Yeah, I’m with Holly. Wingspan by Maylin Tan seems to be a great not-too-fussy/not-too-plain scarf perfect for ca. 350 yards of shape-shifting yarn. Easy to wear, fun to knit. And you totally won’t look like Jemima Puddleduck wearing it.

  29. atexasgirl stole me idea – if there’s enough to do something pretty in entrelac, I’d go for it!

  30. Wow,that is gorgeous yarn! You are really starting to get me wanting to spin (if only we had longer days and more free time). I am not good with coming up with patterns, but I LOVE some of those scarf/shawls that you posted and am seriously thinking about doing one of them after I finish my vintage blouse. Thanks for the ideas! Sorry I don’t have any to return to you.

  31. Thank you. I’ve been feeling a trifle jealous of the amazingly wonderful fluff you’ve been pulling out of your stash lately, and even more jealous of the yarn that you end up with. Now, however, you’ve reminded me that This Way Lies Madness. Now I can now sit back with my iced tea and my smug superiority as I watch you come unfrazzled with scarf/shawl/wrap-thingie design. (…at least until you complete said design and end up with yet another bit of amzing-ness. Then, I’ll be back to pea-green.)

  32. I think I may have audibly “oooohed” at that yarn while sitting at my desk at work. gorgeous!
    Could Jared Flood’s Wayfarer be a possibility? It does lovely turnabout things with stitch directions in a rather organic fashion. The pattern calls for more yardage than you’ve got, but maybe a shorter version could work?
    Have fun with it, whatever you choose!!

  34. I bet it turns into something we all adore and will need to purchase the pattern for. Just sayin’. Can’t wait. I aspire to be origional.

  36. (sung to the “Spam” song/tune) Socks, socks, socks, socks, socks, socks, socks, SOCKS, Wonderful Socks!

  38. I think it needs to be a Whirly Gig. I made one from Noro Sock Yarn, but you could make it work with your worsted! I wore it to the JAKG knit in on Feb 18, 2012 and before you knew it Ravelry was very, very busy with the pattern search. It was a huge hit with everyone there.

  39. Beautiful yarn. I’d go for a cowl instead – or “infinity” type scarf – with some rounds of different stitch patterns for interest. Very drapy and pretty and it would show off the long color spans quite well.

  40. I’m sure you’ll come up with something great. But if it gets too overwhelming as the paper pieces indicate possible disaster, what about Branching Ribs by Lynne Barr? It has direction changes and uses a worsted weight yarn.

  41. While you’re on your journey, remember the Fibonacci sequence — nature’s way of making all sorts of things feel visually balanced and harmonious. . .

  42. Ok, so Whirly Gig isn’t the shape you were looking for. I really think you need to put the pattern in your que for another day.

  43. There’s so much out there but there’s no denying the siren song of creating what’s in your mind. Can’t wait to see it. Love, love, love BFL.

  44. Wingspan for sure! I made it in February and it’ll be perfect for your gorgeous handspun. Ironically, I just got off of ravelry where I was admiring all of the beautiful versions of wingspan and thinking about casting on another one…

  45. After reading the comments before me and discovering what “Wingspan” is, I have the following to add:
    1. You should not let a pattern limit your creativity. I urge you to go with your own devices.
    2. I will watch your journey while knitting “Wingspan”.

  48. If this were my hank of gorgeous handspun, I would find a coordinating solid commercial worsted (maybe 450 meters). I would knit a vest, with the back, waistband, neckline, and armholes knit in the solid and the front in the handspun. You could knit the front from side to side for a height enhancing visual effect if that pleases you.
    Alternatively, how about a shrug (with cuffs in a coordinating solid if yardage is an issue)?

  50. Go for it, man! You’re going to totally kill it in the pattern design department! Three cheers for the adventurous knitter!

  52. Oh, I can’t wait to see what develops, Steph! That’s the best kind of design, in my opinion: it starts with heart and ends with brain. 🙂

  54. Those colors just scream LEAVES to me. Pointy, organic, fiddly enough to be fun….

  55. I just seen “wingspan” knit up by a friend last week…based on what you were looking at maybe that is a thought….good luck on your pattern hunt

  56. Funny how we work. You’re looking at that yarn, thinking scarfy/wrappy thing and I’m thinking, oh! colorwork hat!

  58. Totally thought of “Wingspan” right away. You can decide how many triangles to do & the yardage looks okay. Let ‘er rip!

  60. Wow, this post really reminds me of the blog post about that conversation you had with Tina when you were trying to describe the perfect shade of orange. 🙂

  64. Interesting how you arranged the color changes in the roving…I’m intrigued by the different ways to preserve/mix colors in multicolor roving!

  66. Damn you, woman, I’ve just faved another bunch of stuff in Ravelry. I’ve got babies waiting for blankets, you know, casting on for cool scarves is NOT going to help me…

  67. I thought the colors of your beautiful yarn are kind of autumn-like and would make beautiful leaves on the Saroyan as they change color.
    You spin the most amazing stuff! Bravo!

  68. Good luck with that. Are you sure it didn’t want to be woven? (my solution to all challenging yarn issues these days).
    I’ll be sitting over here with my garter stitch baby stuff if you need a shoulder to cry on.

  70. How about Teeter totter Or Snelle Annabelle? Both are in different gauges but, that can be adjusted!

  71. OK. This is probably one of the most gorgeous yarns I have seen. I have no suggestions except to say, ‘You go girl.’. I have great faith that something wonderful and magical is going to appear. I can’t wait to see IT.

  72. Nice pen. I use an Itoya I bought on a trip to Japan when I’m trying to figure out a yarn problem. Or a blog problem. Or any problem really. Hope you crank out the perfect pattern soon. The yarn looks terrific!

  77. I just started Wingspan and am loving it. Can’t wait to see what you come up with.

  80. This is so exciting. Thanks for sharing the design process. Sometimes, you just have to take matters into your own hands.

  81. Nothing, nothing could go wrong at all. You will have a scarf and no one will claim it doesn’t fit. (but if it’s too short, sew the ends together and call it a cowl).

  82. Wingspan would be perfect for this! Whatever you knit, I’m sure it’ll be gorgeous – love the yarn.

  86. I just knew the comments on this post were going to have me adding 35 new things to my Ravelry queue! (But Wingspan isn’t one of them. Is there something wrong with me that I don’t like Wingspan?)
    Good luck, Steph! I’m dying to see what that gorgeous new yarn becomes!

  87. ‘¬’ mother of…
    How about you just toss it into your blog’s comments sections. We’ll all fight over it like a wedding bouquet. Then when one of us escapes with it, we’ll knit it up into something that makes us drool even more and reluctantly return it to you.
    How about that? That sounds good right?
    Man oh man, I don’t think any yarn has ever looked so tasty before.

  89. Humorously, all of the scarves you linked to are currently in Ravelry’s ‘hot right now’ area. Behold the power of The Blog.

  92. This “ruffles are yarn pigs” made me laugh like a lunatic.
    This “What can go wrong?” made me wonder if the loom experience created a black hole in your lengthy history with knitting, yarn, and designing to so clearly taunt the knitting gods.
    *stands back due to lightning strike happening at any moment*

  94. I love your yarn, it’s a beauty. I don’t spin so I’m filled with amazement and very impressed. I’m delighted that you didn’t find anything just right, because you’ve created an image of something wonderful and new in your mind! I’m hoping it ends up being better than you could have imagined, and then you share the pattern with your friends here out in blogland. I’m ready to hit the “Buy!” button already!

  97. You totally need the ‘Wingspan’ pattern for this (free on ravelry). I don’t have any association with this pattern design – we just used it for one of our gradient models and I think it would really well for your yarn.

  98. You go and have a wonderful time with whatever you decide to make. Enjoy the process!

  101. The colors remind me of rhubarb. Therefore, I think the scarf should be more organic. Because it’s not my scarf, so I can dictate that, right?! Ha. Right.
    Have fun!

  104. there are some interesting diagonal garter stitch scarves in the Lynn Barr scarf book.

  105. This may not be exzctly what you’re looking for, but 2 designers immediately came to mind. The first one I thought of is Frankie Brown, especially her latest called Spools. It’s meant as blocks for an afghan, but would look amazing as a shawl/scarf/wrap thing. She also has Glory Shawl, Lightening Shawl, the Folded Spiral, Nick’s Boring Scarf, and the Ten Stitch Scarf. Some of these call for fingering, and for more yardage than you have, but I think it’d be super easy due to the nature of the pattern to make a slightly smaller size. You’ll see what I mean if you look them up.
    The second designer I thought of is Wooly Thoughts. I won’t even begin to list the amazing patterns they have, but I will say to not look under the scarves. They have very interesting afghans that would make amazing wraps. Again, due to the nature of the pattern, this would be easy to adapt.
    Good hunting! Be sure to let the blog know what you decide. Also, I sure wish I could put links in here so it’d be super easy for you to click…

  107. This is exciting. Long repeats always make me turn to entrelac, but I think it would be too bulky in worsted weight. The argosy pattern is very entrelac-looking and pretty. Zuzu’s Petals is a great cowl, but wouldn’t use all the yarn (that could be good or bad). The Spectra would be fantastic; you add a solid and that shows off the stripes even more. Finally, I’ll add my vote to Wingspan-2: love, love, love it. Must start one soon. I’m sure whatever you decide will be beautiful.

  110. I agree with those who already recommended Volna, especially as it is already written for different widths/weights.

  113. FIE! Fie, Stephanie! Your yarny adventures are threatening to send me to the poor house, as I am contemplating large expenditures on new (old) spinning wheel, drum carder and masses of fleece/batts/roving/dyes etc etc etc. I’m just so envious of this yarn and can’t imagine there is an existing pattern nice enough to knit with it, so I say GO FOR IT!

  116. This happened to me when I got a skein of Noro Sock … it was so pretty, so stripey, so … so … itself. And I couldn’t find the pattern that it wanted to be.
    So, like you, I made one up. Works with 300 m or thereabouts of any yarn that ‘speaks for itself’ … called Dash of Colour, on Rav (of course).
    ‘Course whatever YOU make up is gonna be way more rockin’, can’t wait to see it. 🙂

  117. Well, I don’t know what you will decide to do, but I’m sure glad I checked out all the recommendations for Wingspan, because that’s definitely going to the top of my queue!

  118. Coquille worked great for me when I had a single skein of Wisdom Poems Sock, a long color-change yarn.

  119. Had to laugh, went to Ravelry patterns and 11 of the top 12 are scarves and wraps that have been mentioned here! The Blog is busy! A friend is making Wingspan but I’m not sure that thats you – its a bit linear – all in one direction.

  120. What about the Wingspan version done by LanArta…it comes up on the Wingspan page.

  121. Loved the “what can go wrong” attitude today! I vote for Wingspan, but am loving Zuzu’s Petals…
    Can’t wait to see what your fingers come up with 🙂

  124. I have been knitting Honey cowls like a mad woman. Everyone who has been gifted with one is thrilled. Great pattern for handpainted yarn.

  129. Wingspan, baby. There are so many mods already done and so many more possibilities yet to be tried (or noted on ravelry anyway). Furthermore, I’m in the middle of it and I am *never* on the crest of the wave, so how cool is that??

  130. Check out Iris Schreier’s flying V scarf.. it even has the same colors as your yarn. It would be perfect. I’ve made a few and they’re gorgeous!

  131. I can see either a really good, or really bad ending to this. I hope for the former. (Though the latter would be more entertaining.)
    If I were in your shoes, I would cast on two stitches, do that increas-y bias thing (I know you know what I mean) till you are almost out of yarn, and then bind off. Or, you could stripe it with another yarn and get something a little bit closer to size.
    The Best of Luck though!

  134. If you used a triangle or square loom, would you end up with a plaid?? I just spun a long color change with one ply black and one ply Sparkle (“loop” – loopfiberstudio)that morphs from green to pink/burgundy to gold/pewter to silver from one end to the other – no repeat. I have the same what-to-do obsession! I was thinking something half-circle-ish with one color at the neck and the other at the edge… ??

  137. Yes, the yarn deities will be pissed at you for asking what could go wrong. And the squirrels are praying that you get so frustrated that you throw the yarn out the window. . .
    . . .If none of the pattern suggestions work out, maybe you could develop one. I think I’d start with the short-row concept behind Knitty’s Lizard Ridge scarf, but on a smaller scale and incorporating some lacy openwork stitch to help the yarn go further. Of course, I could be so wrong that many, many squirrels around the world will have nice, soft, wooly stuff to keep them warm next winter!

  138. This sounds bloody exciting, I can’t wait to see what you come up with!

  139. I see leaves: Ravelry Jared Flood, ‘Wool Leaves’? or maybe one of the ‘pooling’ patterns would work?

  140. post-apocalyptic shabby chic is the best descriptive phrase I have read in a long while 🙂

  141. Have you thought about:
    Japanese Feather and Fan Shawl by IzzyKnits
    Saw this on Ravelry.
    Margaret in Milwaukee

  142. Gorgeous. My favorite that you have spun so far. What ever you choose… its gonna be beautiful!

  143. Gorgeous yarn! What about Wingspan? You can use extra stitches and make it longer to turn it into a shawl. Add a few random YO/K2tog for something somewhat organic. It could work! And I agree with you… I LOVE the postapocalyptic “my clothes are beautiful rags” look. ^_~

  144. 1. I say grab Debbie New’s “Unexpected Knitting” and go hog wild with the Swirl Knitting chapter.
    But that might just be because I recently reread that book cover-to-cover and kinda want to do the same thing.
    2. For the love of all my free time, will you stop spinning? All I’ve got is a boatload of spindles; a bout of the spinning-crazies is only going to end with me being frustrated that I’m not faster at it. 😉

  151. How about the Swiss Cheese scarf by Winnie Shih? Free Ravelry download. It’s soooo different! Love your yarn. Whatever you make with it will be gorgeous!

  152. what about Semele? gauge isn’tm crucial, it’s organic shape, would do well with long color repeats and can be made as long or short as the yarn goes

  153. Do wingspan..its very alterable..BUT you have the same pen as me!!! I knew we were connected in some way other than yarn……

  156. Why do I have to live in Western Australia where scarves are all but redundant! I absolutely love Heartbreak and am considering moving to the Northern hemisphere just so I could knit things like this and have a hope of using them!

  158. I’m in Amsterdam for a few days, and I left my knitting in the cab! so I found a lovely yarn store (penelope craft) and bought more yarn and needles. I showed up on thursday which is Knit night, and the lovely people there really understood my pain at having lost my sock in progress, and one of those wonderful knitters was Stephen West! So I bought his book and had him sign it for me. If you’re ever in Amsterdam you must visit the lovely gal who owns penelope craft. As for your project, I’m sure whatever you do will be beautiful. I can’t wait to get back home, and do some spinning.

  161. oh how beautiful your yarn is! You inspired me to learn to spin – I took a short class on Saturday on drop spindle spinning and have been hooked since. I can’t wait to learn to spin on a wheel!!

  162. I agree with all the others who have suggested wingspan for the patter, but have you considered swing knitting? It’s an unusual looking short-row technique I *disclaimer* have not tried.
    This is a particularly organic-looking version of wingspan, knit with “swing” :
    http://www.ravelry.com/projects/LanArta/wingspan-2
    Only because I know you have the skillz, and I most certainly will only admire vicariously!

  164. Sometimes I swatch for stuff anyway and play with the knitting. Either it will work or it won’t work. Usually you learn something during the process.

  165. I imagine neither of these will be *quite* right, and certainly not as much fun as inventing your own, but maybe the Waving Chevron scarf or Kureopatora’s Snake?

  166. I love how your blog impacts knitterly things: The patterns you’ve listed here have changed the sorting on Ravelry’s patterns in the “Hot Right Now” order!

  171. I think if you have really beautiful yarn and want to show off the yarn then the more simple the better. Take a look at The Age of Brass and Steam. It is a hankerchef but so easily goes larger or smaller. You could put the “lace” edgings at the start or finish of a row because it really does not matter where the lace is placed. The pattern is all proportional so weight and size of needles does not mater. If that is too plain take a look at Citron I think it would need some calculations but the cresents would work really good with a change of color. Check out http://www.twistedfiberart.com/Evolutions_s/58.htmfor their finished projects. Cheers!

  173. How about Ilga Leja’s Bermuda Scarf, which actually seems to me to be a shawl? Good for long repeats, seems to take about the right amount of yarn… http://ilgaleja.com/IYS-Bermuda.php
    You are one mean spinner! I don’t go for rusts and reds much, but that is a gorgeous colourway.

  176. one of your first commenters mentioned the Wingspan with leaves – I didn’t read the rest of the comments, sorry (I’m at work) but that is done in Swing Knitting – there’s a Rav group and some really lovely stuff you might like. I got the first pattern and haven’t had time to try it yet…

  177. Beautiful yarn!
    I’d probably do a rectangular chevron shawl myself.
    Can’t wait to see what it turns into!

  178. Entrelac? I love stripey yarns in entrelac. And consider doing the scarf by casting on the length, not the width. And one more idea: work the color repeats against each other by knitting from both ends of the skein.
    Beautiful yarn! Good luck-I’m sure whatever you finally decide on will be wonderful.

  180. What I did when I had some interesting handspun, that had a striping progression that I was all excited about was to do a moebius. I wanted lace, but I wanted the long stripes to look interesting, not colorblocked, and I wanted the progression to be obvious….so the mirroring aspect of the center out moebius is perfect, and feather and fan works well with stripes. I did it partial garter, one purl round out of 4 rounds, one lace round out of those same 4 rounds. A big advantage to this was that with the moebius turning itself over halfway, I didn’t need to do anything (usually with a moebius, you have to switch from knit to purl half way around, if you want the face to match), the sides were close enough to look great, given that both sides have plenty of purl blips showing, with those stripes!
    It worked really well!

  182. Yet another vote for Wingspan! 🙂 Not that I’ve knit it yet…but it’s lovely, and it feels organic-y and edge-y and like it would be a good fit…

  183. May you go fearlessly were no knitter has gone before.
    I love what you said about your husband–mostly because my husband is way past that stage. He says, as I proudly point out my clever colour combinations, “Hm, yeah, so.” You gotta love his non-knitter honesty. : )

  184. I saw the Pioneer Braid scarf and thought it might work. You know, since you made me go browse gorgeous scarf/shawl pattern on ravelry, which made me want to make Multnomah much more now 😉 GL with your casting on. Can’t wait to see what it becomes.

  188. If you want geometric and organic, then Norah Gaughan is your girl- or at least she’s a good jumping-off point for design ideas.

  189. I think you were good until those last 4 words. While not on the bias, I kept thinking of some variation on Lizard Ridge.

  190. I’m seeing all these refs for Wingspan, so I looked it up. Yeah, I’m gonna steal the pattern. Thanks for everyone who suggested it! 😛
    And I have to go with everyone else and agree that you should knit it also. 😀

  192. I’m not gonna lie, I’m kind of giddy at the prospect of watching you try this – will it be a train wreck of massive proportions? or a stroke of genius? Either way I am fascinated.

  194. Dorks of the world: unite! (with knitters in spirit in TO city hall. Really, though, doing homework with 4th and 6th graders. Would MUCH rather be knitting.)

  196. I’m not a spinner nor have I ever been to Rhinebeck or anything like it, so I have what may be a dumb question: is there a problem carrying that roving across the border? It seems to me it might be considered an “agricultural product”. Just curious…..
    Because of this post I’ve added way too many things to my favourites list, and I think Wingspan may be in my future! I do enjoy reading about the process and seeing the yarns you’ve been making lately – can’t wait to see what you come up with!

  197. One other person has mentioned my pattern recommendation “Coquille” but they didn’t have my idea for modifying it. I think it will work for you with out the pig hogging ruffles. I plan to make a 2nd one leaving out the short rows and adding an additional 2 stockinette rows with a 3rd needle size.
    Pattern might read thus:
    Row 1 (needle size small)
    Row 2
    Row 3 (change to needle size medium)
    Row 4
    Row 5 (change to needle size small)
    Row 6
    Row 7 (change to needle size large)
    Row 8
    Row 9 (change to needle size small)
    Row 10
    Row 11 (charge to needle size medium)
    Row 12
    Repeat
    Increase 1 stitch on odd numbered small needle rows until shawl is as wide as you want. Then mirror decreases back to cast-on number.
    Or something similar
    Goodluck with your beautiful handspun.

  198. I wait with bated breath to see what you decide on because I’ve been doing. EXACTLY. The. Same. Thing. over the past 24 hours, only my handspun is 300m of sock weight. I decided on a skinny Hitchhiker but am not entirely happy with that idea…I’ve ruled out Stephen West stuff because I tried that once before & found that the architectural nature of his designs demands very very even yarn thickness… I too am a fan of post-apocalyptic rags but in this case I suspect my muted rainbow yarn won’t quite pull it off. I think (gasp) Ravelry needs more scarf/shawl/kerchief/bandana-ish patterns!

  199. Are you keeping track of all the roving turning into yarn? I want to see the total volume/space taken up by the roving versus the space taken up by the yarn. I think you’re just spinning to make more space (which is totally cool – great method of stash management).

  200. What about using it for the “Top” part of Jared Flood’s “Cobblestone” from Interweave Fall 07′ (ie: helloyarn’s version) and sub in a generic W.W. yarn or a handspun yarn for the base spun by you !
    Have Fun !

  204. Two words: Planned Pooling. There is a Ravelry group. See projects by Rav user wenat. She does planned pooling weaving too.

  206. I know you want organic and pointy and cornery, but I think I might be tempted by the classic ‘noro striped scarf’ idea – starting with one end of the first skein and the other end of the second and let the colours do their thing.

  208. Beautiful yarn! Let the yarn colors dominate your knitted object. Don’t let the pattern fight the yarn. Choose a pattern that doesn’t overwhelm the yarn, one that lets the yarn stand out instead of making it the background.

  210. once again your loyal readers have come up with the goods! I too think Stephen West would be perfect for this project. But he might be an acquired taste for some…I am working on two of his patterns now and they are fab. Take a look–they are all on Ravelry.

  211. Has anyone suggested the Seaweed Scarf by Sarah Montie? I’m sure it will become a beautiful scarf no matter which way you decide to go.

  212. Hmmm-way cool yarn. How about a ruched panel down the middle of a sort of triangular scarf (instead of a point, one would have a ruched panel about 4 inches wide, knit parallel to the top of the shawl) And insteaad of a poitn at either end, you could put in two tails (think forked tongue, but on two ends)-it opens up all kinds of ideas for tying and drapind, and the ruched panel gives you great texture, particularly if you purl all the stitches of one colour and stocking stitch all the others. It is an idea I have had rolling around in my head. Currently, I am knitting “Colour Affection” by Veera V. in a sort of stripey/variegated yarn-not in the three colours suggested, and will end with a solid edging in one of the colours form the main yarn. Might be one to try.
    Have fun.

  214. Did you consider Wingspan? I found it on Ravelry. It is a pointy, curvy, wedge sort of piece.

  215. Wrong? No wrong. It’s yarn and knitting. To paraphrase your own books back at you: the worst that can happen is that you’ll end up ripping back, and the great thing about knitting is that you can redo and redo until you get it perfect, and re-knitting is still knitting, and you enjoy knitting.
    Right? So, I for one will enjoy watching your experiment (and watching your experiment possibly make you come utterly unglued… ahem).

  218. Duh! Should have read the previous comments before just repeating what the others suggested…

  219. Ok, i need to figure out how to quit my job and do yarn stuff for a living!!! You have so much fun!

  221. I’m making an Argosy scarf–which is entrelac from a Noro yarn that has long leads of color..I’ve also made the shawl..and it lends itself well to your kind of yarn–which is LOVELY..I so love Tina’s stuff…The Argosy is available in Knitty-fll 2006–I believe or you can google it…

  222. I’m making an Argosy scarf–which is entrelac from a Noro yarn that has long leads of color..I’ve also made the shawl..and it lends itself well to your kind of yarn–which is LOVELY..I so love Tina’s stuff…The Argosy is available in Knitty-fll 2006–I believe or you can google it…

  223. So pretty !!! I`m seeing a sorta patchwork scarf , mitered squares and logcabin knitting and randomly picking up stitches ! As I always say : ” When in doubt , go RANDOM !!! ”

  225. I have no vote, personally, I think with that gorgeous yarn and your experience, you can come up with something that you love.. I’m being sorely tempted by all these patterns that people have suggested to abandon the things that I need to make and just cast on about 40 new projects 🙂

  227. What about entrelac? Or would that eat up the yarn, too? Its been a while since I have knit entrelac.
    You could always find another self striping roving and then knit a scarf of the two self stripes set against each other in contrasts. What would be mathematical, but awesome.

  231. It’s just SO gorgeous I can see how it will be hard to find a pattern taht does it justice. Maybe you could design your own to suit the gauge, repeat, quantity etc.
    I’ll keep an eye on this spot. Very curious what it wants to become 🙂
    Oh and if you ever happen to find yourself in The Hague (Netherlands): we’ve got a very neat Escher museum here and of course you’d be very welcome to come and have dinner (seriously!).

  232. Feigning enthusiasm–AKA–“making the right noises in the right places”. A FINE skill that will take a mate or child a loooong way in this world. When my adult daughter does it it sounds like–ooooohhhh aaahhh oooohhh aaahhh.
    No feigning here–it’s LOVELY and refires the urge to stop housecleaning and go sit in a sunny patch and spin.

  234. Have you seen At The Market by Ilga Leja? It’s definitely geometric, not sure about organic. I used this pattern for some hand dyed yarn with long repeats and we very happy with the striping effects. It’s knit on bias and is rather lacy which helps stretch the yarn and let worsted weight drape.
    I love your yarn! It is sooo beautiful. I too would be totally stressed about finding the perfect pattern.

  236. So I’m thinking that you’ve already looked at this since it is another Stephen West pattern, but how about Herbivore?

  239. Oh my. I think I need to look into getting a loom. Because I need another yarn obsession like a hole in the head, but DH is bugging me about what I’m going to make with my handspun and that scarf from the 26th is exactly the sort of thing I want to make. It gives me chills.

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