New Frontiers

Today was a lovely day at Knitorious. I taught all sorts of people all sorts of things. Short rows, intarsia, bobbles, you name it. [Fun Fact: I've never done any projects with intarsia before.] I also got to work with a new yarn: Debbie Bliss SoHo. It's a wonderful single-ply variegated wool. Such pretty colors. I'm making a short keyhole scarf as a shop sample. I got through almost an entire ball between all the pedagogy, and it'll take another ball or less to finish it. It's very pretty, and I highly recommend it.

And I finally got with the times and bought this:



Yes, ladies, I'm going to knit a scarf with novelty yarn.

It's not so much that I want to make something with railroad yarn, but I have these pink shoes that I really like, and I've been wearing them with all black, and wanted something to add some color near the top of me to go with the color at the bottom of me. I didn't want something ALL pink, so I got this, which has many bright colors in it, but the "tracks" are black, which mutes the brightness a bit.

I played with it a while before I settled on how I wanted to do it. I didn't want to do it in garter stitch, because I had seen some scarves at the guild that were done with some stitch pattern that I really liked. I don't think I hit on what I had seen, but oh well. I liked this the best of everything I tried:
I thought about doing a ruffle at each end, but I think I'm going to be a fringe person. I haven't decided yet, but I'm pretty sure I won't like it plain, and the ruffle boat has sailed. I also learned that there is no way you're going to survive this with metal needles. It's gotta be wood, baby, all the way.

For Thanksgiving, I'm going home to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, home of XRX Publishing. It is also home to a new yarn store. I should say "home to a yarn store" because before this new one, there was none. Yes, folks, XRX Publishing managed to exist in a yarn void. I'm excited to check the place out. I hope it's good. I suppose anything is better than nothing, right?