Last week I told you about my new Quick and Cozy Bulky Yarn base, but what I didn’t tell you was that I have another yarn base I have been waiting to share with you. I wanted to wait until I could share the knitting pattern I made to go with it at the same time, but it has been difficult because I’m so excited about this luscious new yarn base!
Here it is:
It’s called Alpaca Lace Cloud, and it is a lace-weight yarn that has all the wonderful texture of the brushed mohair yarn that is so popular right now, but it’s so much better because it isn’t itchy the way mohair can be.
Instead of mohair, the “cloud” part is made of baby suri alpaca, and the core is made of silk. Not only is it wonderfully fuzzy and soft, but it’s also quite strong thanks to the silk. It’s also similar to angora in that it has a halo that just grows the more you work with it.
Here’s a closeup so you can see the wonderful texture:
It comes in 50 gram or 1.75-ounce skeins with 328 yards per skein.
I dyed it up in several semi-solid colorways that match a lot of different colorways in my shop.
It looks great on its own, but I think it looks even more amazing held double with another yarn. To that end, I created a new infinity scarf pattern specifically for the yarn and also to solve another problem that I’m guessing isn’t unique to me.
Here’s the problem. The last time I went to my knitting group, I found that I could chat or I could knit, but since I was working on a pattern that involved counting, I couldn’t do both at once.
Tell me I’m not the only one!
I got to thinking about how nice it would be to have a pattern that is interesting to knit and pretty to wear but doesn’t involve counting, so I came up with the Knit and Chat Infinity Scarf.
It’s knit in the round, and each round just involves doing one stitch or stitch combination, so there’s no need to count after you cast on. It’s appropriate for an advanced beginner.
I used about half of one skein of Alpaca Lace Cloud in Lilac and half of one skein of Dream Sock in Smitten to make this, and since both yarn bases are unbelievably soft, the infinity scarf is amazing. You could, however, combine one skein of Alpaca Lace Cloud with any of my sock-weight yarn bases.
Here’s my lovely daughter modeling it.
Most of the time, the two yarn bases are held together, but there are a few rows where you just use one or the other. All told, I used about 177 yards and 27 grams out of 50 of the Alpaca Lace Cloud and about 205 yards and 47 grams out of 100 of the Dream Sock, so just about half of each skein. Here it is folded in half and showing the yarn I had left at the end:
And here’s a closeup so you can see the lace and the wonderful fuzzy texture:
Before I blocked it, it was 56 inches in circumference and 4 inches high. After I blocked it it was 60 inches at the bind-off edge and 72 inches at the cast-on edge in circumference and almost 5 inches wide. It’s a nice size to wear wrapped double.
You can see the size of it here:
I’m including the pattern here. Feel free to share it, but please give me credit if you do.
UPDATE, 01/12/20: A friend of mine named Marion (thank you, Marion) suggested a few adjustments to make the pattern truly symmetrical from side to side and also suggested a shorter cowl version as well. She said that she was able to get one full-sized infinity scarf plus two of the smaller cowls from one skein of Alpaca Lace Cloud plus one skein of Dream Sock.
The only difference for the cowl is that you cast on half as many stitches. I’ll include instructions for the cowl in parentheses below.
Knit and Chat Infinity Scarf and Cowl Pattern
by Carla Hanson of Purple Lamb Fiber Arts
Supplies: You will need one stitch marker plus one set of size 6 US circular needles. For the infinity scarf, I recommend 36-inch needles. (For the cowl, I recommend 24-inch needles.)
Yarn: Approximately 200 yards of Alpaca Lace Cloud or other lace-weight fuzzy yarn AND Approximately 240 yards of another sock-weight yarn such as Dream Sock. (For just the cowl, you’ll need about 100 yards of Alpaca Lace Cloud and 120 yards of another sock-weight yarn.)
Gauge: It doesn’t really matter, but the fabric should be drapey without being too loose.
Instructions:
Cast on 240 stitches using only the Dream Sock using a knit cast-on. (Cast on 120 stitches of Dream Sock for the cowl.) Place stitch marker and join in the round using your favorite join that doesn’t leave a gap.
Edge Rows to Keep from Curling
Row 1 Knit all stitches with just Dream Sock.
Row 2 Purl all stitches with just Dream Sock.
Row 3 Knit all stitches with just Dream Sock.
Row 4 Purl all stitches with just Dream Sock.
Toward the Center
Add the Alpaca Lace Cloud yarn and hold both strands together for all rows unless otherwise specified.
Row 5 Knit entire round with both yarns together until you reach the stitch marker.
Row 6 Eyelet row: *yo, k2tog*. Repeat until you reach the stitch marker.
Row 7 Knit all stitches
Row 8 Knit all stitches
Row 9 Purl all stitches
Row 10 Leave the Dream Sock attached, but use only the Alpaca Lace Cloud for this round. *k1, yo* and repeat until you reach the stitch marker.
Row 11 Pick up Dream Sock again and carry both yarns. Purl across, dropping the yarn over loops along the way. You can recognize them because they slant slightly to the left while the knit stitches slant slightly to the right. Since you knit the first stitch after the stitch marker, you should purl that stitch and drop the next, continuing in this pattern until you reach the stitch marker.
Row 12 Knit all stitches
Row 13 Knit all stitches
Row 14 Eyelet row: *yo, k2tog*. Repeat until you reach the stitch marker.
Row 15 Knit all stitches
Row 16 Knit all stitches
Middle Section
The middle inch or so is made using Seed Stitch, continuing to hold both strands together. If you stop to chat during this portion, just remember to knit the purl stitches and purl the knit stitches.
Row 17 *Knit, Purl* and repeat to stitch marker
Row 18 *Purl, Knit* and repeat to stitch marker
Row 19 *Knit, Purl* and repeat to stitch marker
Row 20 *Purl, Knit* and repeat to stitch marker
Row 21 *Knit, Purl* and repeat to stitch marker
Row 22 *Purl, Knit* and repeat to stitch marker
Reverse of Beginning – Toward the Edge Again
Row 23 Knit all stitches
Row 24 Knit all stitches
Row 25 Eyelet row: *yo, k2tog* and repeat to stitch marker
Row 26 Knit all stitches
Row 27 Knit all stitches
Row 28 Purl all stitches
Row 29 Leave the Dream Sock attached, but using only Alpaca Lace Cloud, *k1, yo* to stitch marker.
Row 30 Pick up Dream Sock again and carry both yarns. Purl all stitches until you reach the stitch marker, dropping the yarn over loops as you go as in Row 11.
Row 31 Knit all stitches
Row 32 Knit all stitches
Row 33 Eyelet row: *yo, k2tog* and repeat to stitch marker
Row 34 Knit all stitches.
When you reach the stitch marker after knitting Row 34, break off the Alpaca Lace Cloud yarn, leaving a tail to weave in.
Edge Rows to Keep from Curling Again
Row 35 Using only the Dream Sock, purl all stitches
Row 36 Knit all stitches
Row 37 Purl all stitches
Bind off.
You can use a regular bind off as I did, which will make the work curve a bit, or if you would prefer the sides to be parallel, you can use a Russian bind-off. Here’s a great video from Very Pink Knits demonstrating the Russian bind-off.
You can see how the regular bind-off creates a bit of a curve here–at least it did for me:
In other news, Spin Together is coming to a close, which seems so strange after working on it so hard for the better part of three months. The competition itself ended last Saturday, and the other organizers and I are voting on the Most Beautiful Skein and Wildest Art Yarn Skein today, and boy, is it hard to choose which one to vote for. There are so many amazing skeins of yarn! We are hoping to be able to announce the results and awards and the prizes that go with them on Sunday.
It really has been an incredible journey for me. I’ve learned a lot about my own abilities and my own limits in the process, and I’ve learned how wonderful it is to work with others who share my passion and just how rewarding it has been to give other spinners a chance to spin and compete and chat and learn together.
I’ll be announcing the November club colorway next week. If you have suggestions of paintings you think would inspire some great yarn and fiber, I’m always happy to hear them.
Last but not least, there are just two more weeks to order a Yarn Advent Calendar. The kit includes 25 mini skeins dyed to go beautifully with Ambah O’Brien’s Adventurer Wrap pattern, which is also included. You can learn more and order yours here.
I’ve been on the lookout for a nice little gift to include with your Yarn Advent Calendars too, and I think I have found one that is both unique and useful. I’m not going to say more, though, because it’s a surprise, so forget I mentioned it.
Until next week, happy fiber artistry!