The Marvels of Technology

And the marvels of a tech-savvy lover.

Okay, Not So Marvelous
Thanks to Thaddeus and the help of technology, I have access to the pictures on my camera that I took this past weekend.

So...I get to show you the lovely green scarf as I described.



And the black, jewel-like scarf.



I even have a closeup of the "jewels."



Scarf Patterns
For the novelty scarves, I usually only do three different pattern stitches, and the selected pattern is based on the yarn characteristics of the scarf.

If the yarn is fuzzy and will show virtually no pattern definition, I simply knit all rows in garter stitch. It's easy and fast, and it doesn't make much difference anyway.

If the yarn will show some pattern stitch design (such as the green scarf above), I knit two rows and then purl two rows. This gives more length than garter, but it also requires a little more attention, because sometimes I can't tell whether I've just completed a purl row or a knit row on some of these yarns.

Finally, if it's a glitzy yarn, that will make an accent scarf (as opposed to a functional, warm scarf), like the black/jewel scarf, I use a simple four row repeat.

Rows 1 and 2 : Knit
Row 3: K1, YO, rep to last st, K
Row 4: K1, drop YO, rep to last st, K

This gives a very open, drapey scarf that maximizes the often low yardage of many of these novelty yarns.

Current Knitting
I'm working on another black/jewel scarf. I really like how that one turned out, so I thought I'd make about four of them for the craft show. Folks often like black and bright shiny colors, so this scarf should sell well. I'm about one quarter done with the scarf, and I'm hopeful to finish it by tomorrow sometime.

Regarding my antique circular sock machine, Marilyn asks, "Is it a Harmony sock machine that you have?"

No, it's a Gearhart. I've got two cylinders 80 and 100 needles (if I remember correctly) and the ribber attachment. When I had it all set up and working well, I created two standard ribbed socks in 45 minutes. It would take me a while to get it all set up and getting it tuned and oiled again, but when I do, I could crank out those socks. Also, I don't anticipate getting a loom anytime while I still live in my current house. I'd want a big muthafuckin' loom, and I just couldn't accommodate one now.

Alison asks, "Joe, did you know? Having taken over Scharffen Berger first (nooooo!), Hershey's bought out Joseph Schmidt in August."

No, and this is very disappointing. I'm hopeful nothing changes with Joseph Schmidt, because it has been a constant source of extremely beautiful and tasty gifts. Thanks for letting me know.