Fortunately, one can knit and contemplate simultaneously. Result.
This evening, as I worked on my entrelac scarf, I mulled over some of the elements in my stash and found myself itching for a big, plain project. Maybe even a stocking-stitch jumper (OK, with some nice detailing - I'm not a complete masochist). Nice, long, undifferentiated rows will be a relief after the finicky, fecky, seven-stitch-by-fifteen-row sections of the entrelac.
So. That scarf. It's Entrelac at a Different Angle, which I've been lusting after since I saw my friend Nuala wear hers about four years ago. It's my first project with Noro (having been petting it yearningly in yarn shops for years): I'm using Silk Garden, in bought in a little haste from the This is Knit stall at the RDS Knitting and Stitching Show last November.
First, let me say that the entrelac technique is BITCHING, and gives me total knitting thrills (one gets one's kicks where one can). I love this garter stitch variant, too - in fact, I possibly prefer it to the stocking stitch one. With the Silk Garden on 4.5mm needles, it gives a beautifully firm, flat fabric, which feels wonderful against the skin.
Here's the yarn (photographed this evening, so somewhat depleted):
From left to right, colours 84, 225, 8, 248.
Isn't it luscious? I love all the blue-green-purple variations, and I added the pinky one to give it a bit of zing.
Now, I decided that rather than use up each ball before starting the next one, I'd mix it up a little and alternate the colourways, giving a stripy effect rather than the more gradual colour shifts of the original. This may well have been a mistake, because what I've found is that the clear gemstone tones of the outsides of these balls conceal an often rather muddier, more autumnal interior. I've nothing against autumnal colours, but I really don't wear them.
Here's what it looks like so far:
Do you see what I mean? I'm just not sure about the juxtaposition of the tan and sage and copper with the turquoise and sea blue and hot pink. There are some lovely clusters of colour, which is what I was hoping for, but there's also more beige in there than I'm comfortable with.
My jury's out, in short, which is a bad place for the jury to be on a project in which the yarn has been broken every 525 stitches. (Hmm. I was going to finish that sentence by saying that this renders it entirely unreusable if I were to rip, but then my mind started to prance off in the direction of crazy Noro needlepoint in the style écrasement moderne.* I give up, I really do.) Let's not even think about the stupid number of ends I'll have to weave in on account of my yarn alternation decision.
The other problem is that four balls aren't enough to make this as long as I like my scarves (which admittedly is pretty long). I don't know that I want to shell out for another four balls on a project I'm this unsure about.
What I actually want to do, I confess, is to finish this out and then buy some more Silk Garden and make myself a version of this scarf that I love and will actually wear. In the meantime, the project continues to be a learning experience (I'm looking forward to the border: I like the idea of a scarf with a cast-off edge all the way around) - and as my dear friend La Glitz points out, if I really don't want to wear the result, I can always give it to someone who does.
* I made this up.
