sock porn for knitting voyeurs.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

cashmere cowl at article pract yarn tasting

Who:
me :)

What:
P1010305
monthly yarn (and food and drink!) tasting

When:
Every 2nd Sunday

Where:
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Article Pract, best yarn store in world

Why:
Because going to Article Pract's yarn tasting always drives me insane, and in the process I (usually) end up with an off the cuff FO.

I haven't been to a yarn tasting in a while, what with all the fleece buying and washing and all :) Finally, all sheep local to me are naked and their fleeces sold so I can stop collecting and head back to Article Pract for a monthly sit and knitdown. An excellent month to return-- Christina's choices are centered around a theme, sometimes a genre like sock yarn, sometimes a product line (Noro), sometimes with a fabulous author in tow (just added Closely Knit to my knitting bookshelf). This time tho, this time the tasting was cashmere.

!!!

I thought it'd be mainly cashmere blends, those admittedly beautiful yarns that have a ~10% cashmere content. Uh, no. All 100% cashmere yarns (Jade Sapphire 2ply, Jade Sapphire Handspun Cashmere, Lobster Pot Cashmere Bulky, Tanglewood Cashmere Tex Handspun, Habu A-34) except for the Jade Sapphire 2ply Cashmere Silk (55/45). The 2 plys and the Habu were roughly the same gauge (in the lace on larger needles way), and the Lobster Pot was an 8-ply (4 plies of 2-ply)... so I took the hour of the tasting nuttily unplying the Lobster Pot into 4 smaller 2-ply balls in between talking elections and petting the Tanglewood handspun, and dragged the whole lot home with only vague intentions.

Casting on across a US 5 24", I aimed for a "mini cowl" (circular scarf) and alternated each of the four colors in garter st in the round til I ran out of yarns. Every 8th row I inserted YO/k2togs every 6 sts, planning on threading the Jade Sapphire Handspun thru them as a makeshift ribbon choke. If I'd have kept it for myself that's what I would have done, but it took me more time attempting pictures than it did to knit, so I enlisted mom as a model. In the process, she managed to talk me out of the little scarf so she'll wear it how she likes, minus the choking ribbon :)

P1010353
Designs by Romi sterling silver Elements pin, beautiful!

I've never made a cowl before but think they're way cooler than a scarf and a perfect project for small amounts of handspun. I should have cast on across a 16", as a cowl it draped too long (I was wearing it open then tucked under itself... more freeform than mom's folded and pinned miniscarf version). I like this though, the way mom wears it.

I also like the way the garter stitch hides the color changes...

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happy little seam inside

I knit one complete round + 1 st in each color, shifting the color change over and making it less obvious than a true one row stripe would be. The colors are really busy so that helps hide any jogs too.

If you're in the Bay Area, the yarn tastings are always a fun time (and sell out fast)-- and did I mention? A coupon good on all of the yarns sampled at the tasting! I loved working with these cashmere yarns so much, I'm toying with the idea of a cashmere cowl for myself now :)

Xtina was kind enough to let me take a few photos inside... LYS porn is its own genre now, isn't it?

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taking it in

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new spinning fiber section-- louet fibers in 2 oz bags, hand carders, niddy noddies, dyeing kits... AP also sells Louet and Schacht wheels now, too :)

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wall of koigu

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table of habu

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up the skirt of a verb for keeping warm

:)

Also if you're in the Bay Area-- stop by Color Fiber Festival this Saturday (October 18th!) Classes, fiber and yarn vendors, beautiful setting and good times. You don't even have to spin to hang out!

Have a good one!

12 comments:

Unknown said...

*drools a bit at the sight of the yarn shop* It's awesome!

lexa said...

Mmmmm.... wall of Koigu....

Ibunnysavetroy said...

I need to get back to the bay area! My aunt lives a measly mile from that store! and now they have lots of fiber! ooh.

adrienne said...

Awesome, I love the cowl! And Article Pract looks like an awesome store :)
Yarn tasting, it sounds like fun!

Mandy said...

Oh, my! Thanks for the LYS pron! I was actually looking very closely at the pictures because I'm working with Christina and employee Petra on using one of my patterns for a class there! And looking up the skirt of AVFKW seemed very, very bad. In a good way.

Anonymous said...

Wow! I love Article Pract and I'm green with envy over the cashmere yarn tasting. I pet the jade sapphire every time I'm in my LYS.
I hadn't seen the AVFKW and spinning stuff at AP, though--haven't been there for a while. It all looks so lovely.

Anonymous said...

some of the cutest pix of the shop i've seen ... would you be willing to share? seriously?!

LOVE the cowl you made! your tasting projects always rule and inspire.... xo!

insaknitty said...

yum!! I've never been to article pract, but I've driven by before (I think they were closed at the time). I think I need to visit one of these days!

Anonymous said...

See you on Saturday! :D

April said...

Must. visit. Article. Pract. SOON.

handknit168 said...

a very big yarn shop, I love it for there is not so many big yarn shop at Hong Kong.

Anonymous said...

fantastic and huge yarn store!

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