Knit and Plenty

Cashmere alla Carpaccio

I need your opinion. I purchased this beautiful 4 ply cashmere (in Baltimore) in a gorgeous red color someone called claret to make a sampler scarf. At first I thought I was going to double it which would make it 8 ply (duh). So, I made a swatch (wow) using size 7 needles, and it came out very dense. It would definitely be the kind of scarf to wear outside your coat on a cold winter day.  It would be beautiful, very,  very plush. But thick.

Like this:

But I was afraid that it might be too thick. So, I decided to try it with just one 4 ply strand - on size 4 needles. And it came out beautiful. I could wear it over a sweater, inside, on a winter night. Very soft, very flexible. But thin.

Like this:

Now, I hope you won't mind my carnevorous analogy and I hope we will come to a "meeting" of the minds as to what I should.

Either way, I want it to be really special. What do you think?

PSSO to Another Knitter

I've been knitting for close to 25 years - so why is it that there are certain things that I can never remember how to do?? Like SSK. I know it means slip - slip - knit. But I never can remember what I'm supposed to slip slip, and what I'm supposed to knit.

Make a buttonhole? Sure, I've made dozens of them. But do I know how to make a buttonhole? Nope.  Now I can't even remember the things I can't remember.

I'm betting that other folks have this problem...so I'm hoping to compile a cheat sheet to include in the Gettin' Knit Together kit. What do ya think? Have a mental block about  something that always sends you back to the knitting books? Do you have a trick to help you remember something or a real simple explanation for something that you used to find difficult?

Packs of Yarn Minders go to the folks who submit the best suggestions.

The Rain Gauge

It rained all day Saturday and Sunday - something only a knitter could love. I wanted to start on my vest from the Rowan Summer Tweed book and I swear, I spent half of the day trying to figure out my gauge.  We all know that GAUGE is the invention of the devil - but once you start to spend considerable $$$ on yarn (who, me??) or unless you are only going to make scarves and purses (not a bad idea, mind you) - the devil is in the details - and the detail is in the gauge. So my Monday Knitter's Poll is all about gauge. Do you go the whole 4 inch by 4 inch routine, hoping to save those little squares to make a quilt for Fluffy? Are you more like Noah - taking the "two by two" approach? Perhaps you're like me - and feel quite vindicated just for actually making a swatch that I usually cast on 20 stitches and knit three rows - only to discover that for some unknown reason no matter what needle I start with -  or switch up to - or size down to - it's always the same GODDAMN 3.5 stitches to the inch???? So, here's the gauge-old question: what size do you really make your swatch? And please - if you also wash it and block it, you might be reading the wrong blog. ;-)

Do you go for the middle?

Perhaps it is not the biggest questions to come along the knitosphere, but I am wondering:

what is the consensus of opinion concerning whether to use the outer end of the yarn or to pull the yarn from the center of the ball? 

I always preferred outside in, but someone told me that my yarn would be less likely to unravel if I pulled from the inside. On my first attempts, I went for the middle and had to pull out (what my friend calls...) "the mucus plug" in order to find the end. Then, upon using the center yarn, I also found that it eventually got twisted around the outer yarn that was left flapping in the breeze. So, I have returned to the outer world.

Certainly, we are not debating evolution vs. intelligent design here - but I am curious what others think. Do I need to evolve in my thinking? What is the most intelligent choice? What's the upside of the inside  - or the downside of the outside?  And finally, GOT MILK?