There is a whole new class of novelty knitting yarns out there that look like rope or fat ribbon, or, in this case, netting that knit up into fluffy scarves and can add interest to otherwise plain sweaters or other knitting projects.
I was in Twisted Yarns the other evening before a KNOT (Knitters' North Of Town) meeting and saw one that looked like a fishermen's net called Flamenco by Trendsetter Yarns. Here is a link to Jimmy Beans' selection which seems to be the broadest I have seen.
I picked up a skein of plain white, knitted it up at five stitches to the row on 6mm (US 10) needles into every other loop and ended up with 10 feet of fluffy scarf.
Pretty neat, eh?
A couple of cautions about using this type of yarn. It is really tedious to knit. If you are used to just barreling along through one stitch after another you will hate knitting this yarn. For every stitch you need to open up the weave, find the edge loops and knit into the one you find at the right distance from the previous used loop. Then you do it all again...and again..and again. Another thing to be aware of is that it is 100% acrylic so it may be sweaty to wear.
On the other hand, knitting with this yarn gives you instant gratification. At the end of each row I fluffed out the weave and was instantly pleased by the pretty ruffles formed by the knitted yarn. I intend to wear it as a scarf but I think it would look great great as a trim on a sewn garment where that kind of girly embellishment would work. Then again, wouldn't it look great on a denim vest or jacket? Or how about hand sewing it into a ruffly flower? I'm sure you get the idea and can come up with some of your own.
My skein came with a knotted join a couple of yards from the end of the skein. I knew I did not want that kind of join in the scarf and was too lazy to hand sew the ends together, so I have set it aside and intend to dye it. In fact, I have some in the dye pot right now and hope to have it set in the next couple of hours.
Try Flamenco or any other of these new yarns for a quick knit and a fun addition to your knitting repertoire. Other names/types are Flounce, Triana, and Cha Cha. There are a host of videos in You Tube about how to work with these yarns. Needles to say, I did not watch any of them before I started and I still got a great result.
What else is on my needles right now? My albatross is a sweater I started two years ago now and am still not more than half way done, a pair of extra chunky wool socks for keeping my feet warm in the winter on cold tile floors and my very first real lace project.
Yup, I have decided to try to knit a lacy shawl thingy. So far I have had to un-knit about every other row and it took me about a dozen tries just to get the darn thing through the first ten rows without messing up too badly. It is called the Ethereal Shawl from Patterns in My Head and mine should look something like this when it is done, except mine is made from a varigated yarn with peach, blue and green sections:
Wish me luck... only about forty rows to go!
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