To Keep the Chill at Bay

Knowing that the first snowflakes to fall are only weeks away, I am doing what I can to prepare for the chilling wind and distant sunlight. About a month ago I finally turned to an all but forgotten weaving project to make sure I wasn’t rushing at the last minute to put these to use. I wove two scarves for me and Kyle back in April, but once I cut them off the loom and warmer weather settled in, my interest shifted to other projects. After all, there was no urgency to complete a wool scarf in the middle of summer. But as the months on the calendar continued to turn, I knew I needed to return to this project. I finally finished the twisted fringe, which meant all that was left was an aggressive wash in hot, soapy water to full the fabric into one cohesive unit.

This is Kyle’s scarf before washing. I knew that fulling the fabric would obscure the twill pattern slightly, and then there was the optional step of brushing the fabric to raise the nap even more to make the surface of the fabric fuzzier. I had a small sample of fabric that I wove before starting the scarves to play around with different patterns, and I used that as my guinea pig to see how fulling and raising the nap would affect the pattern visibility.

Above is Kyle’s unwashed scarf and the fabric scrap after fulling, without brushing. And below is the other side of the sample, which I brushed.

It doesn’t look like a significant difference in these photos, but in person it was very noticeable. Kyle opted to not brush his scarf in order to keep some of the pattern definition.

I think he made the right choice here. The pattern was much less distinct after washing; brushing would have hidden it even more. I, on the other hand, decided to brush my scarf after fulling. When I started weaving my scarf, I realized there wasn’t quite enough contrast in value between the warp and weft colors, so the pattern was already hard to discern. I was curious how the scarf would feel, so I decided to throw caution to the wind and, well, I now have a beautiful wool scarf with almost no definition in the twill.

I’m not unhappy with my scarf by any means, but this was definitely a “notes for next time” scenario for future consideration. Both scarves used Jamieson & Smith 2-ply jumper weight yarn as the warp. Kyle’s used the same in the weft, and for my scarf I used Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift as the weft. (Yes, “Jamieson & Smith” and “Jamieson’s” are two different yarn brands, both based in Shetland.) It was interesting to see that Kyle’s scarf shrank a little bit more in width than mine. I don’t know if this is due to the difference in weft yarn or just inconsistent fulling between the two, though I suspect it is the former.

I can’t say I am looking forward to needing a wool scarf, but at least these are finished and ready to grab when the day comes. A slightly more immediate need that I have is a new pair of fingerless mitts. I have poor circulation in my hands and they are always freezing as soon as the temperature begins to drop. Last winter, inexplicably, my trusty pair of mitts went on a grand adventure and never returned. I had knit that pair back in 2012 and it was the only pair I have ever made myself. I suppose a decade of service is all I can ask from a single pair of fingerless mitts and it was time to make myself another pair. I work at a computer all day for my day job and my office stays pretty chilly even when there is a roaring fire in the fireplace downstairs. I pulled this handspun yarn from my stash in February fully intending to make myself another pair, and it has taken me this long to get around to starting.

I spun this yarn over ten years ago and never did anything with it. It is some of the first yarn I ever spun after getting my wheel, and the wool/alpaca blend was a gift from my dear friend Kate so it is such a shame that it has taken me this long to knit with it. I must have been waiting for the perfect project. Now that I have begun, the first mitt is almost complete and I love it so far. I can’t wait to keep these at my desk, ready to slip on in the morning to keep my hands and wrists warm as I respond to emails and stare at spreadsheets.

I am also nearing the end of a sample I agreed to make for The Yarnery. I had been hoping to have this complete by October 1, but it has really been a slog. I feel like I work on this project for hours and hours and it just never gets any longer. I am determined to have this finished before next weekend, though. I need to get this off the needles and shipped out the door so I can focus on other projects again. The cable pattern makes for slower knitting than I would like, but I am hopeful this will be finished soon. I better sit down to work on it before this day gets away from me.