Diagonal Rib Scarf Pattern

In which even horribly spun and Very Badly Plied yarn can become something warm and lovely!

See, I had this yarn that I had "spun" before my stroke:

It was badly spun, thick and thin, and very horribly plied. I must have been drunk when I plied it. I mean, really:

Anyway.

I had this ball of yarn hanging around for a long time, but I didn't know what to use it for. Then I discovered that my pattern for a Diagonal Rib Scarf had no picture at all! Wowzer. It required sport weight yarn .... hmm, my ball of hand spun yarn was anything from fingering to DK or light worsted, but mostly sport weight ... or something. Anyway, I decided it would become a diagonal rib scarf!

It is a very easy pattern, only four rows in the pattern repeat; it's the same on both sides, so it hangs straight and is very good for a scarf; and you can make it as long as the yarn lasts. Sounds perfect for a skein of hand spun yarn!

It came out great when it was done, and I only had this much after I trimmed the ends off after I wove them in:

The finished scarf weighs 4.41 ounces, or 126 grams, and it is a merino/silk blend (sorry, I don't remember how much it was of each fiber). The scarf measures about 8 inches wide by 58 inches long, though if I blocked it, it would be longer. I just put it on immediately because my house is chilly.

DIAGONAL RIB SCARF

Materials: 100 grams sport weight yarn
           Size 8 (5 mm) straight needles
           Tapestry needle

Gauge varies and really, it's only a scarf.

Pattern is a multiple of 4, plus 2.

Directions:

Cast on 42 sts. Knit 2 rows. 
Work in diagonal rib pattern until piece measures 48" or desired length. 
Knit 2 rows. Bind off all sts. Add fringe, if desired.

Diagonal Rib pattern:

Row 1: K 1, *p2, k2, repeat from * to last st, k1.

Row 2: K1, p1, *k2, p2, repeat from * to last 4 sts, k2, p1, k1.

Row 3: K3, *p2, k2, repeat from * to last 3 sts, p2, k1.

Row 4: K2; *p2, k2, repeat from * to end.

Repeat these 4 rows for pattern.  

Stop when you run out of yarn! 

Lunch Ladies Rule

I remember my school cafeteria with many fond memories, partly because it also was where band practice was held and also where study hall was held, but mostly because my Aunt Lucy worked there. Aunt Lucy was the friendliest woman in the world, and she always brought a bit of sunshine into my day. 

The food that was made by the lunch ladies always tasted good. I don’t remember ever not liking anything. It was good, home cooking that filled you up, even though it was in a sterile cafeteria.

I particularly remember the apple crisp that they made. I always suspected that it had peanut butter in it, but I couldn’t be sure. Apple crisp that I made at home never tasted the same as theirs did. 

On a hunch, I recently did a search for “apple crisp with peanut butter”. Wow! Tons of hits! Why had it taken me so long to find this?? So I made some, and at the first bite I was transported back to my high school cafeteria, loving my apple crisp. 

My recipe was adapted from this one, mostly because I am diabetic. Sorry there's no picture; we ate it too soon.

Peanut Butter Apple Crisp

4 cups apples, cored and sliced

1 tbsp flour 

1/4 cup Splenda

1/2 tbsp cinnamon 

1  tbsp water

1/2 cup oats

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1/3 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350° and grease an 8-inch pan (I used a medium casserole dish).

Combine apples, flour, sugar, cinnamon and water in large ziploc bag, shake to coat apples thoroughly. Place in casserole dish.

In a medium bowl, mix together oats, butter, peanut butter, and brown sugar until well blended. Sprinkle over the apple mixture.

Bake for 45 minutes until simmering and topping is brown.

Knit Camp

I love Knit Camp. Marie Greene has made a great place online to meet other knitters, chat, share, and have fun. I'm enjoying myself quite a bit there. Best part? No mosquitoes!

I bought a bag, a nice roomy bag that holds a sweaters worth of yarn, or a family and a half of socks or a dozen mittens.

If you would like to join Knit Camp, just just ask me and I'll get you a deal on it. Registration for the fall and winter closes in 8 days, and the next time registration opens for new campers is sometime in the spring, so get a wiggle on if you want a chance to get in. You can email me at beth@yarndemon.com, or give me a shout on Facebook.

In other news, I'm doing some palate cleansing after working on sweaters. I knit some hats:

That is the Muckle Toque, one of Mary Jane Mucklestone's designs. I used some scraps and it came out really nice. It's very warm!

This simple little hat was quick to knit and feels wonderful. I used two yarns held together to make it, a fine mohair and silk with a heavy fingering to sport weight handspun.

I didn't really use a pattern. I used size 5 needles, cast on 100 stitches, knit until it was seven inches, and decreased quickly for the top. Like k2, k2tog. then k1, k2tog, then k2tog until only a handful of stitches were left. I'm thinking about getting a bunch of those faux fur pompoms for the tops of my hats.

Last night I started a plain pair of socks with this yarn:

It's Universal Yarn Bamboo Pop Sock, 55% Bamboo/37% Cotton/8% PBT, color 408 Cherry Pie, 100 g = 492 yards. I have no idea what PBT is, but don't smoke it. I got it at Webs on sale this summer. It feels really good, silky ... but kind of flimsy. Although, I have only gotten the cuff done so far. I'll let you know how it turns out. It knits up in stripes!! It has been a long time since I used a self-striping yarn, and it's fun. Self Striping Silky yarn, say that three times fast  while clicking your heels together, and you will be transported to Knit Camp where yarn is everywhere, people are friendly, the S'mores cocktails are abundant, and there are no mosquitoes!  See you around the campfire!

 

New Stuff!

I got some new stuff in the mail! I ordered a yarn bowl and stitch markers (because you can never have enough stitch markers), and they came today.

The yarn bowl is great for many reasons. First, it is from a small company in Vermont, and I like to support small, local companies. Second, it is lightweight and durable. I've never gotten a yarn bowl because if it was ceramic, I'd break it, and if it was wood, I'd scratch it, so I just didn't get one. But this one is made from PLA plastic, a biodegradable material made from plants! It feels soooo good too. Thirdly, it is 3d printed, which is something I am fascinated by. I think there is a 3D printer in my future.

The stitch markers are great for a couple more reasons. Not only are they 3D printed from the same material from a small company, but the ones on the left are glow in the dark!!!! Yessss!!!!  And the ones on the right were free, but the reasons I love them are a) one is an alien, which is cool, and I visited the alien museum in Roswell, New Mexico years ago, and b) the other one is a black cat like Nicky, and I loved Nicky.

Some of the bowls are glow in the dark too, and who knows, I might just need one ....

Steep Hill Farm in Vermont. Their service is fantastic. Go and see what they have!

https://steephillfarmvt.com/