Monday, March 16, 2009

knittin' on the bandwagon

Because I don't have enough scarves in my life...



pattern: Lace Ribbon scarf from Knitty Spring 2008
yarn: 4 balls of Patons Silk Bamboo (20% silk, 80% bamboo) in "Stone"
needles: 3.25mm



Though I guess a girl can't own enough scarves right? RIGHT? ugh, time to pare down some of the older ones I think...

I just checked on Ravelry to see how many people on there had actually knit this scarf. Three thousand, one hundred & sixteen! And now that I've knit it I can see why it's so popular. It is HIGHLY wearable and is already in heavy rotation in my wardrobe. In less humid climates I could see this being a regular summertime accessory as well. So many people seem to have knit it in fact that I was about to declare it the new Clapotis (two of which I have already knit for myself and I am STILL now contemplating a third...), so off to Ravelry I went again to check out those particular stats. How many peeps have knit the clapotis you ask? (on ravelry alone that is...) 10,400!!!! Sweet, merciful crap! How is this possible???

Blocking the lace ribbon scarf though I would say, a definite necessity. It completely brought it to life.



The pattern came alive, it came out smooth, beautiful and virtually perfect. Anyone I've shown this scarf too can't believe that it's hand knit (is that a compliment or not? is it a dig that everything else I knit looks too "handmade/craptacular"? haha).

And this yarn? fabulous. Leave it to Patons to create another reliable yarn...silk and bamboo for less than 5 bucks a ball with decent yardage. It didn't split and I think in four balls I encountered maybe one knot. My one complaint here might be the weight of it overall. Though I'm not sure if that's down to the fact that there is 80 inches of scarf here, but it is not heavy by any means...I feel more like it is a thing of substance. Which is great for me, but someone looking for something slightly more airy might want to use just straight bamboo.



I'd like to be able to say that I was done with scarves for a bit (especially now that Spring is rolling in) but I've actually just finished another and two more are on the sticks. huh? Yeah, that's right.

So if you were ever thinking of knitting this one, and judging from the 5000plus people who have it in their queue I could very well be talking to YOU, all I can say is DO IT. You won't be disappointed. And as lace patterns go, this is an easy enough one to commit to memory.

9 comments:

LittleCanoe said...

Beautiful! The color is perfect for spring.

erngrn said...

i can't knit scarves and be happy about it. they make me insane, the same thing over and over and over. kind of like an all stockinette sweater. "WHEN IS THIS EVER GOING TO END" is a common thought of mine throughout the entire process.

Virtuous said...

You ARE talking to me!! :o) I plan to use that yarn now for this project!! And I like "weight" on my neck!

I finally finished the last ooh 6 rows on my Kusha Kusha and just love it!! Now THAT is light like a feather!

Heeeey who can get enough scarves around here! :o) Funny I do more of them now than as a beginner! Haha! The irony in that! ;op

Julia said...

Yes, maam, this bandwagon is crowded, ain't it? Awesome scarf! I loved knitting it. And of course you can never have enough scarves! Or hats. Or bags. Or shoes...

kgirlknits said...

one can never have (or knit!) too many scarves.

beautiful colour, and the thought of the light lacy silk/bamboo is scrumptious!

Anonymous said...

I recently jumped on that very same bandwagon, and I love it already! I'm maybe eight inches in, it's going to be a slow one, but it's ohso pretty already!! Love yours!!

Anonymous said...

It looks fantastic

I myself have knit 1 1/2 of these and seeing yours has inspired me to pull mine out of storage and finish off the other half :)

Sarah said...

This and Clapotis are both definitely bandwagons in my future - love your version

Wendy said...

I actually started this scarf as a gift for an old roommate but it got put aside. I may have to pick it back up again and finish it. Yours looks great!