Home › Blogs › scottly's blog

What I did on my summer vacation.

scottly's picture
Wed, 2011-09-21 16:58 — scottly

Well, there wasn't really a vacation involved but there was lots of kitting. I sort of had a mission to work with every kind of non-wool natural fiber I could get my hands while experimenting with different lace stitches culminating in a much more ambitious shawl project of my own design. So, I guess, these are my studies for my next big project. Most of what you see is either hemp, cotton, linnen or rayon or a combination of. I still need to play with some silk or a silk blend and I keep find new and interesting stitches to try.

Left to right "Pointed Stirpe" in Flax linnen, "Firefly Scarf" in Hempathy, I can't remember what the red one is but it's once again in Hempathy, "Thistle Stitch" in Classic Elite's Firefly, "Falling Water Scarf", again in Hempathy, "Zig & Zag Scarf" in Firefly again and finally the "Victorian Spring Scarf" in ... hmmm - can't remember. I'll think of it later.

Comments

Thu, 2011-09-22 15:43 — scottly
scottly's picture

Thanks everyone, knitting

Thanks everyone, knitting lace makes me happy and there's always something new to learn.

Thu, 2011-09-22 13:49 — Joe-in Wyoming
Joe-in Wyoming's picture

Nice work, Scottly. I still

Nice work, Scottly. I still have scars from weaving with linen so have avoided it and hemp as a yarn material. May have to reconsider...it won't be the same while working with needles.

Thu, 2011-09-22 07:28 — MMario
MMario's picture

stupid content filter won't

stupid content filter won't let me see your photos - looking forward to seeing them when I get home.

Thu, 2011-09-22 07:01 — BrentGC
BrentGC's picture

I'm in awe. Beautifully

I'm in awe. Beautifully done, with gorgeous colors. Thanks for sharing.

Brent

Thu, 2011-09-22 05:51 — chipsir
chipsir's picture

Love the scarves, a good head

Love the scarves, a good head start on Christmas knitting????????

Wed, 2011-09-21 21:16 — Tom Hart
Tom Hart's picture

You're a bit of a master, so

You're a bit of a master, so you are. Those are just flat out beautiful! And beautifully presented as well. I'm glad you're back, I missed you. It's nice to have a man around who can remind us what really superb knitting looks like. That's a beautiful collection.

Wed, 2011-09-21 20:51 — ronhuber
ronhuber's picture

Gee, that is a bunch of

Gee, that is a bunch of beautiful knitting. What a wonderful display of your talent.

Wed, 2011-09-21 17:29 — akkamaddi
akkamaddi's picture

What is working with the hemp

What is working with the hemp yarn like?
The raw hemp gets very soft when it is heavily worked (I use it for lifelines), but deteriorates quickly when weathered. I made a small hanging pot holder out of hemp (pot for a plant... shame on you!), and it lasted less than three months on the patio. Granted, it was exposed to rain and dirt, but I wonder about the hemp / cotton blends. I know processed hemp is supposed to be about as durable as cotton, but with stronger fibers.

Thu, 2011-09-22 00:36 — Tallguy
Tallguy's picture

That is most odd. Hemp, or

That is most odd. Hemp, or flax for that matter, is very durable and will not rot. It is used as a cover in many areas on the farm for that reason. You must have had a blend with cotton, or it was very inferior product. It stands up to water very well, since nets are made of it. Cotton is not very durable when exposed to damp conditions. I've seen a hemp shirt that shows no signs of wear, other than bleaching on the outside only (the inside is still tan coloured) and it is over 100 years old. I grant that most of the hemp string you buy today is the waste fibres and may not be of good quality unless tightly woven or knitted.

Thu, 2011-09-22 19:12 — akkamaddi
akkamaddi's picture

It's the raw hemp twine from

It's the raw hemp twine from the hardware store. I know it's not the highest quality, but it deteriorated very quickly, which gave me pause. The LYS I haunt has Hempathy yarn, which I will try as finances allow.

Thu, 2011-09-22 21:26 — Tom Hart
Tom Hart's picture

You absolutely sure it's not

You absolutely sure it's not jute twine? Most hardware store twine I've seen is jute. It's what burlap bags (gunny sacks) are made out of. I knit with it. (I'm double knitting a Fair Isle hall runner or wall hanging with it right now.) And it definitely does change when it gets wet. It looks a LOT older after it's been through the washer and dryer even once. Hemp is quite a bit sturdier.

Wed, 2011-09-21 17:40 — scottly
scottly's picture

This is a cotton/hemp blend

This is a cotton/hemp blend and it's sligtly less painful to knit then linnen but once your fingers toughen up it's nice and easy to work and blocks really nicely. I have no idea what the durability will be, but scarves are rarely treated roughly unless your Isadora Duncan of course.

Thu, 2011-09-22 09:22 — dobbysoxer

Yes, Bugattis are not good

Yes, Bugattis are not good for scarves.

Wed, 2011-09-21 21:08 — akkamaddi
akkamaddi's picture

Will you be posting any

Will you be posting any patterns?