The Clincher Bandana Scarf from Ewe-Nique Yarns - Day 5

Getting loopy...

I made it!  I’ve started the fascinating I-cord loop trim that makes up the distinctive end of this scarf.

I wasn’t sure I’d like the charcoal trim on this multi-colored scarf, but I do think it works.  And when you factor in the huge amount of black and grey in my wardrobe, it’s useful.  

So color?  check.  Technique?  Eh, not so much.

This is one time I wish I had the opportunity to look over someone’s shoulder.  The directions are explicit, but like entrelac or turning your first sock heel, you’re prone to read them and go “Huh?  Wait, that cant work.”

The trick for me was making sure I did the final “knit 4” after the loop section of the I-cord.  Otherwise, you are not at the right spot to pick up the wrapped stitch and bind off where you need to for the inner loop edge.  Undoing complicated stitch-work in dark wool is always traumatic, and I confess to several nasty words while doing it the second time.  By the third attempt, I nailed it, and did a little victory dance around my couch. No, there isn’t a video.  Allow me my dignity.

I made it through the first of the dozen or so loops required.

Only now I’m stressed.  I can’t imagine how the tiny ball of yarn I have (25 yards) will make it across all the loops I need.  It looks like it can’t possibly be enough, and any restocking I’ll need will have to come all the way from Peoria.  Such is the risk of out-of-town knitting.  It’s not as if this is a problem Amazon Prime can solve, you know?

Nothing like a little creative “will I make it?” tension to give a clever project a nail-biter of a finale.  Stay tuned—anything could happen.

Knit Along: Knit Nook Knick Knack Sack - Day 4

The unsung heroes of knitting...

We visit two of knitting’s cleverest characters today, both of which are crucial to this project.  Behold the Kitchener stitch and the i-cord.

Sock knitters--especially the top-down variety, have probably made friends with the Kitchener stitch by now.  I was first introduced to it by the esteemed Elizabeth Zimmermann, who needs no more introduction than the initials EZ in most yarn circles.  In the cheeky tone for which she was famous, EZ called it “the dreaded Kitchener stitch.”  I suppose that forced me to approach it with the reverence it is due--for it is a dandy little trick--but it also wasn’t anywhere near as dreadful as EZ made it sound.  A bit counter-intuitive perhaps, but when explained well, it’s not too bad.  One of my favorite explanations came in our Crafty Hands Fingering Weight Socks pattern (from Bowling Green KY and known for introducing us to the tiny Hiya-Hiya circs).  It’s particular virtue is that if done correctly, it disappears into a seamless join of two pieces of knitting.  In short, it’s how our little bag gets its bottom.  I’m still in search of a rhyme or poem that can help me remember the four-part sequence without having to look it up all the time.

I-cord is a wonderful thing.  I’m convinced that had I time to whip all the left-over yarn in my stash into i-cord, I’d never need to buy another yard of ribbon.  Essentially three stitches knit into a column by two dpn’s, i-cord can be trim, drawstring (as it is in this case), edging, and there’s even a trick for using it to bind two pieces of knitting together if you’d like your seam to stand out instead of disappear.  

Ha!  Did you see that?  I made our two subjects relate to each other.  Us authors can do clever idea-wrangling like that.

We’re close to the finish line on this one.  Remember to leave a comment so you can win!