cashmere cowl at article pract yarn tasting

Who:
me :)

What:

monthly yarn (and food and drink!) tasting

When:
Every 2nd Sunday

Where:

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 :)


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...


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?


taking it in


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 :)


wall of koigu


table of habu


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!