Her skirt was created using the Desire "yarn" .. and today I'm showing you how I've used some more of the same hank. It's not cheap, but a little certainly goes a long way.
I decided to create collars to jazz up a plain top. If you've watched the instruction video for this unusual yarn you'll see they recommend knitting it as icord, on 5 stitches. I'm not a fan of following instructions so I decided to just knit in rows. I used just 3 stitches as I wanted a collar, not a scarf. I measured the neckline of the top and cast off when I reached that length.
The first top I tried it with has a V neck so I used a brooch to make sure it kept to the shape.
This second top has a rounded neck so the collar sat in place without pinning.
If this was to be permanent I'd maybe stitch it in place, but I like being able to add it "as and when". I'm allergic to handwashing, so that's another good reason for leaving it detachable!
This is a little dressy for my style (do I have a style??), so I thought I'd see if I could crochet with the yarn...
It was much easier than I'd expected. I literally poked my hook through the first hole, then the second - pulled it through and voila, the first chain. I continued to make a chain till it was long enough for my neckline. The result was frilly but much less fussy than the knitted version. I tried making a second row of double crochet but to be honest it was trickier than it was worthwhile for me. I like the simplicity of this collar, and would stick with knitting if I wanted the thicker version.
My verdict? This yarn is great fun to work with and because it is sooooo fancy works well when combined with other yarns. Don't think it's only for scarves!
My final pick from the Abakhan website was to treat myself to some bamboo DPNs (double pointed needles). If you could see my stash you might wonder why! I have LOADS of knitting needles. I've been knitting for almost 50 years now, and I inherited needles of every size from both my gran and my great aunt.
So you can imagine I don't buy needles often! I hadn't tried bamboo before, and have to say I'm now a convert. Apart from anything else they are SILENT! No longer will poor MrNifty have to listen to me click-click-clicking away whilst watching TV. They're also very comfortable, I grip quite tightly when I'm knitting and my hands do become sore when using metal needles for long periods. My future meerkats will be knitted on bamboo!
4 comments:
This is funny...I had never seen this yarn before my girlfriend recently showed me a few scarves she made, and now here you are doing a blog post about it!! :-) She showed me how she crocheted with it. Here's one of the scarves in her Etsy shop...
http://www.etsy.com/listing/123018753/ruffled-scarf-natures-beauty-light-but?
She makes them really quickly too. That part...I like!
it's like buses wug, you wait for ages then they all come along at once!
I haven't seen this yarn before. I love it as the flamenco skirt. The collar looks lovely too, really adds something to an outfit.
I love the flamenco dress! I hadn't knitted for years until recently and as I'd given most of my needles to a charity shop I bought some bamboo needles - I love them, the wool doesn't slide off too easily and they feel nicer to hold.
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