Last week I left off with possible yarn combinations for my latest design - a poncho mini (or poncho maxi). My first swatch, carrying HH merino lace in hush along with HH skinny singles in budgie was not what I had in mind -- the pink glow of the lace yarn overwhelmed the soft pastels in the budgie colorway.
Fortunately I had one skein of skinny singles in insomnia left (I will be ordering more!), and it makes a great pairing with Merino Lace in hush. The Alpaca Boucle I plan to use for the lace-patterned "sleeves" would be fine knit on its own because it has a strong silk core. I decided to carry the hush along with it for the lift of color and sheen it brings to the fabric. Last night I started the center panel and here it is, on the needles, with the lace swatch alongside to give an idea of the finished look.
The half-linen stitch pattern used for the center panel is one of my all-time favorites. It works up into a denser fabric, to provide structure and support for the lace side panels. It is also a great stitch pattern for breaking up color in a variegated yarn. The effect reminds me of a woven tweed fabric.
For those of you who prefer calm, cool colors, I came up with this combination -- after a bit of reswatching!
This kodachrome combination of nearly-flourescent green with cobalt blue will make a sizzling combination, though I haven't swatched it yet. When (or if) I do, you'll see the update here. Until then, here's a pic to refresh your memory one last time:
Shop for Hedgehog Fibers Alpaca Boucle, Skinny Singles, and Merino Lace . PS) The velvet colorway is on sale.
Before casting on, I planned the project to use one skein each of the skinny singles, the lace, and the alpaca boucle. This makes a nice accessory-sized mini poncho for layering on cool nights around the campfire. The kit is "coming soon". Soon, in the knitting world, means a planned release date in about a month, or June 1st.
May the sun shine on your knitting, may your skeins never tangle, and have a great day!
Catherine