Handpainted sock yarns and left afters

Invicta was a lovely coloured yarn we carried a few years ago and I had made a pair of socks for my good friend Mayah. She being a woman with average sized feet, meant I had a part ball left over. What to do... I liked the yarn a lot and wanted to remember my friend as well as the time and place I had made the socks, so I used a traditional lace pattern from the Shetland Islands.

It is a simple and very enjoyable chevron lace. I admire the economy of the Shetland Knitter practice of knitting 3 together for the decrease rather than slip 1, knit 2 together, pass the slipped stitch over. I find the practice elegant, as well as efficient. To make the coloured yarn last longer, I knit 2 rows with a plain and 2 rows Invicta, then 4 rows plain and 2 rows Invicta. The exercise served as an impromptu colour study with the bonus of making use of every last inch of the fancy material. I just relaxedly carried the yarn up the side of the work, which added a yarnover effect to the edges.  

This year, we decided to try the stunning Alegria by Manos Del Uruguay. In the spring we acquired the bright pink mix you see on the top right, just to try. Last week, a long awaited portion of the other colours arrived. The different shades came in long grouped skeins so it was fun to get acquainted with each one by opening the bundles up, releasing them from the small ties holding each version together and twisting them into soft squidgy skeins.

When fellow knitter and coworker Kim arrived on Saturday, we decided to make up one of the colours in the same pattern as I had used with the vintage Invicta. Swift and ball winder to work, then the rest of the afternoon knitting.

This is the result of just a couple of hours. I look forward to blocking and putting it on display.

Chevron Scarf 

100g (maybe) sock weight yarn

3.75mm needles

Cast on 61 stitches.

Row 1: Knit 1, (yarn forward, knit 3, knit 3 together, knit 3, yarn forward, knit 1) to end.

Row 2: Knit.

Repeat until scarf is desired length or until yarn is finished.

Compliments of: Myrtle Station Wool & Ferguson's Knitting