FO: Entrelac Scarf

I'm ready for another cold front.


So is Poncho Pig.


I finally finished my Entrelac Scarf. It's a thick scarf, and a little on the short side. I think it lends itself well to the "I have a zit on my chin" look.

It's been pinned to the floor in my bedroom for about a week now. I finally unpinned it and wove in the ends tonight. It's done.

Mastering entrelac wasn't very hard. A lot of people recommended learning to knit backwards before embarking on it, but I didn't. I didn't mind going back and forth for the really short rows. (I think I tried knitting backwards, but decided not to do the whole scarf that way.)


Once again, this is the Entrelac Scarf, a good beginner entrelac pattern. (And it's free.) I used about 2 skeins of Noro Taiyo in colorway 5. I was wondering how the gauge would translate, since Taiyo is considered bulky. However, I didn't have any problems, although that's probably why the scarf is so thick.

I also used US size 5 aluminum straight knitting needles.

This project fulfills one of my 101 goals:

20. Knit an entrelac project.

Awesome!

It's Oiling Time

Tonight is my sleep study, and I'm about to head to South Austin early so I can crack open this box before I go. My spinning wheel has been sitting in a box way too long.


Last weekend I took a closer look, but I was so overwhelmed, I didn't get very far.

But today I went to Woodcraft, as Lyndsey recommended, and I feel much more confident now.

A very helpful employee named Douglas (It was on his wooden name tag) explained the difference between Tung Oil and Danish Oil. Basically, Danish Oil is Tung Oil with coloring in it. Mineral Oil works ok too. Linseed is a good choice, but it's hard to work with because it's gooey. He said Tung Oil is very non-toxic, and that convinced me it was the best choice. He showed me a sample table for a woodworking class that was finished with Tung Oil. It was very nice.

He also said wax would work, but I like the idea of the wood soaking up the oil.

Douglas told me to put the Tung Oil on with an old t-shirt, and give it at least a couple of hours between coats. Three or four coats should do it. (However, I've heard of some people only doing one coat. I think I need some more protection than that.)

I'm so glad I went. I feel much less intimidated. I'm ready to start oiling.

I think I may name my wheel Douglas.


While we're talking names, did I mention that "Chris" inspected my wheel? Awesome.

Remember This?

My Entrelac Scarf hasn't made an appearance on my blog since October. But last night I watched Jeff Dunham: Spark of Insanity while I finished the knitting the end of the scarf. Then I gave it a bath in Eucalan.


The Noro Taiyo bled a little, but not too bad.


Now it's blocking.

I had been making steady progress on cleaning. I've stalled, but I've maintained what I've done so far. That means I didn't have to block in the closet.

WIP: Entrelac Scarf

I started my Entrelac Scarf late Friday night, and it's going great. Here's where I was yesterday during my visit to The Knitting Nest.


Here's where I am now. I'm really pleased with the way the colors are going. The stripes are almost perfect. I'm using the Noro Taiyo that I bought at Gauge.

Speaking of Gauge, I stopped by today, and they have a new shipment of Handmaiden Sea Silk (and Double Sea Silk.) I was good. I only bought the knitting needles I needed, no yarn. It was tempting. I also borrowed 101 Designer One-Skein Wonders and Last-Minute Knitted Gifts. I going to make a Chevron Scarf.

Oh, and I saw a baby! I picked the wrong time to forget my camera.

Yarn Pr0n: Gauge

I don't feel like serious blogging tonight, but I will share some yarn pr0n from Gauge.

It was my 10th purchase, which meant I got 25 percent off.

From left to right starting at the top:

-Noro Taiyo in color 5 for an Entrelac Scarf.
-Noro Taiyo in Color 6 and Louet Gems Chunky in Crabapple, possibly for a Fake Isle Hat or something similar.
-Malabrigo Silky Merino in Bahia. I almost missed out on this colorway, but someone put two back. I had already paid, but Karli let me add them at the same discount. Sweet!
-Malabrigo Silky Merino in Marruecos.
-Nifty Gauge Tote Bag
-Malabrigo Seleccion Privada in Colorway Y
-Addi Turbo Lace Needles in US size 2.
-Classic Elite Soft Linen in "New Fern" for swatching. I've already gotten into this one.

I still stayed within my budget. Unlike every other area of my life, I think buying yarn in "binges" works for me.

Click here for more details and larger sized pictures.

All I bought were T-Pins, I promise

I did swatch today. I also bound off Strangling Vines. But I will blog about those later.

I stopped by Gauge today in search of blocking advice, T-Pins and either Eucalan or Soak. I found everything except the wool wash.

Gauge has in Noro Taiyo. Here is hat knit out of it. I took a picture of the skeins they had available, but the picture didn't come out.

Taiyo is what so many of us have been waiting for. It's a cotton blend, so it's softer than Kureyon, but still has the same beautiful colors.

I took a picture of this sample scarf in the shop for inspiration. I like the way two different weights of yarn were used together. It worked out well.

Cheva was there selling her hats. I wish I had gotten to take more pictures, but my batteries died.

One of these things is not like the other...


Remember the Battle of the Bamboo Silks? Gauge has in a couple of skeins of Ella Rae Bamboo Silk. It was a great chance to compare it with Vickie Howell's SWTC Love.


Here are the labels. The yellow one is SWTC Love and the green one is Ella Rae. The yarns basically have the same stats, just worded differently. More details here.

There are minor differences. Love is a little thinner and has a little more sheen. Ella Rae is a little thicker and more matte (Although it still feels "silky.") It's not much of a difference, but there is a difference.

Hopefully I can buy some of this great yarn soon. My next Gauge purchase is 25% off.