Postcard from Yosemite

Thanks for all the sweet compliments on the After Dark Nightie. It's amazing what clever photography and a wonderful knit can do for your self-esteem. Va voom! To briefly answer some questions (more later in pattern notes): First, the linen is plenty soft to wear, and blocks and drapes beautifully - I plan to sleep in it. Second, straps are definitely necessary if I don't want it at my knees! And third, this would make a great knit for many figures, so don't sell yourselves short - you just need to know your body and how to work to accent your better parts - I do not have the gift of the gams, so I lengthened the nightie by several inches. You can easily make other adjustments to highlight your best features and swath the rest in a lovely linen. But before we get too far into nightie land, here's a little photo postcard of our trip to Yosemite last weekend:

Most photos are clickable, but some of Moxie aren't.

It occurred to me that Yosemite would be a great backdrop for a photo shoot, and I considered taking Bond with me since I owe you pattern notes. But Yosemite is still quite cold this time of year, and it's kind of a waste to take a sweater like Bond, which I get daily use out of in warmer weather, when I could instead pack Kilronin and the Lace Leaf Pullover, which were made for cold and snow. In addition to wearing Kilronin on the hike, I also made use of the opportunity to don my Reversible Cable Scarf, which had previously only been out on unseasonably cold nights here and, of course, on our trip to see the fam in Boston last Christmas. Truly not enough play for such a great scarf. The Lace Leaf Pullover never made it out of my duffel because it poured on Sunday, so we headed back early, but it gets more regular use than poor Kilronin does here, anyway. Kilronin was so warm that for the portions of the hike when we were in the sun it had to come off. It's a heck of a sweater, and easily saw me through my days in Chicago and Iowa with nothing more than a down vest over it.

Our trip was great, and had we not taken our furry friends with us, it might have been perfect. We didn't want to leave Zosh behind for a full weekend, however, and since dogs aren't allowed in many parts of Yosemite, we brought the kitties along to keep her company in our cabin for the times we hiked without her. Poor little Tuna was car sick the whole way, and poor big Moxie suffered for it. She was curled up in his lap when illness struck. Multiple times. It wasn't pretty. It was a little funny, though. (I know. I'm a bad, bad wife.)

Other than that there were hikes, movies in front of the fireplace, good meals and s'mores, so it was a lovely time, if fleeting....

Reversible Cable Scarf: Pattern Notes

Since the Redwoods were so incredibly beautiful, and because they were chilly enough to truly merit the wearing of cool-weather knits, we decided to do both of my FO photoshoots there. As an aside to Laura of the comments - the weather was perfect. I think the fog makes the Redwoods even more beautiful and spectactular. We would have loved to meet up with you as well, but as a matter of safety I only post my driving routes after I take them - unfortunately not everyone on the internet is a sweet knitter! - if you leave me your e-mail address I'd be happy to get in touch next time I plan to be in the area. We could have used a pal! You are so lucky to live in such a beautiful place. I know I'll be back.

A close-up of the Reversible Cable Scarf taken by Marnie on a bridge in the Redwoods.

Reversible Cable Scarf
Designed by Mary Heather Cogar
Knit with exactly two skeins (110 yards/skein) of Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande (100% Superfine Baby Alpaca) in color 401 (grey) on size US10 Addi Turbo Circulars.
Gauge: varies over cable, but casting on the required number of stitches in this yarn created a cable that about 5" wide.
Size: One. Close to 7 feet in length with fringe.

The Setting:
Redwoods near Stout Grove in Northern California.

Notice the Mata Hari Socks?
Stylin'!
The Pattern
This pattern is complimetary with a yarn purchase at Knit Cafe. There is no specified yarn, it's just a general recipe that can be used with a variety of yarn choices. See the possible substitutions section for some general ideas. The cable is completely reversible, which makes it ideal for a scarf. It looks snazzy, but even beginning cablers should be able to get the hang of it.

The pattern goes quickly and is really enjoyable. All the twists in the cables help to ward off the possible ennui associated with the usual scarf project.

Techniques:
Nothing new here for me. Beginners must know how to cast on, cast off, knit and purl, and have a basic understanding of cables.

Modifications: None! Weird, huh?

Finishing:
All I did was weave in four ends and add fringe using my usual method which allows me to utilize every inch of the yarn:

Here's a tip for fringe: my standard fringe is three 12-inch strands of yarn per tassel, which means each tassel takes one yard of fiber. This makes a lush fringe and is an easy way to calculate the yardage needed for the fringe as well. In this case, I had 10 tassels at each end of the scarf, so I used a total of 20 yards of yarn, or about a fifth of a skein. Neat trick, eh?

The pattern is designed to lie flat and does not require blocking.

Also modeled with the Lush HoodieImpressions of Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande:
This is the first time that I used this yarn and I really enjoyed it. Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande is a luxury fiber if ever there was one. It isn't cheap, but it is better-priced than cashmere, and will hold up longer as well. Plus it's as soft as butter, just like cashmere. Since it only takes two skeins to make a scarf (and a single skein to make a hat), it's well worth the expense. This is really one of those projects that you have to see in person to appreciate. From a distance it's a grey scarf. Tossed over your shoulder, it's a luxury item. It's just that nice a yarn.

Possible substitute yarns:
I used stash yarn for this project and knit along with my students at the Knit Cafe while they made their versions back in February. Knit Cafe doesn't carry Plymouth Yarns, but if you want your version to look exactly like mine, Suzan stocks Misti Alpaca Chunky, which is the exact same yarn with the exact same pricing. Misti Alpaca Chunky is a Knit Cafe favorite, so it is often in stock in a zillion colors. (See it in action over on Laura's blog - nice! And here is a really wacky way to use this yarn - OMG!) As with the Koigu vs. Cherry Tree Hill supersock debate, I truly don't prefer one of these yarns over the other, but instead knit whichever colorway entices me first.

The pattern, however, works for a variety of different yarns. You could do it in just about anything you can think of - wool, cotton, silk - you name it. Just stick to a chunky yarn for a scarf of average thickness, or a worsted if you want a skinny scarf. You might even want to try a DK weight to convert it into a belt - cute!

Gratuitous Behind the Scenes Photos:

All photos copyright Marnie Maclean 2006.