Letters
Seamless. Garter Stitch. In the Round.
Dear Ann,
I don’t want to alarm you, but I have a pretty bad case of Repetitive Helical Syndrome right now. I can’t quit the Helical Stripes.
Specifically, the Helical Garter Stitch in Two Colors.
I have some lovely bits of Berroco Indigo recycled denim and cotton yarn, left over from knitting a denimy Metronome Shawl last summer. I gave that beauty away. (Here’s the evidence, on Instagram; isn’t that a nice photo of Metronome in the Wild? Thanks, Betsy!)
That left me still longing for a cottony spring/summer scarf. It’s a perpetual quest, and one that has never been totally satisfied, for a chic, non-woolly neck napkin. Seeing the leftovers sitting there on my desk, and having just learned Helical Stripes from Jen Arnall-Culliford’s video for A Year of Techniques, I suddenly thought: this is the cottony summer scarf, right here.
Berroco Indigo recycled denim and cotton yarn, in shades that really are called Cut-offs and Overall.
To get this two-tone, seamless garter scarf, cast 220 or so stitches onto a circular size 8 or so, join and place a beginning-of-row marker, and then just follow Jen’s instructions for single-row helical stripes, in two colors, but with one difference: one of the colors is always purled. That’s it.
Seamless. Garter stitch. In the round.
At some point I’m going to do some solid color helical gartering on this scarf just for research.
And then, can you guess what’s coming next? How about a seamless Breton Cowl? WE HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY.
Stash Local Podcast
We’re on a podcast! Remember a few weeks ago when we talked with Sonia Ruyts on the phone for her Stash Local podcast? Afterwards I was worried that I’d Said Too Much, or sounded Borderline Batty. Well, the podcast is live now, so whatever we said, we said. It was good fun. Here’s the podcast. I love the fun list of links to stuff we talked about in our wandering chat.
Don’t Forget to Vote
A reminder to all that voting in Round 2 of March Mayhem ends in the wee hours tomorrow at 3 a.m. Central. Help your faves make it to Round 3!
Love,
Kay
I feel like I ought to apologise for inflicting this terrible disease on you… 😀 😀 My Helical Honey Cowl is languishing while I try to work on a commission deadline, but I’m itching to get back to it. The indigo looks beautiful in the two colour garter stitch!
It’s been burning a hole in my brain so I have to ask: is it “HELL-ih-kuhl” or “HEE-lih-kuhl?”
Jen says “hee-lical” on the video, so that’s what I go with!
Helical Honey Cowl! I know Kay mentioned a short while back about working it out. I have been hoping for the info on same to soon be forthcoming, as I purchased yarn for a Honey Cowl during my recent maiden trip to the great and cozy Cornwall Yarn Shop. Can’t wait to see how it works!
It looks like there was an update on the last helical post with a link to the Rav page, does this help? http://www.ravelry.com/projects/JenACKnitwear/honey-cowl
Thank you! I just added that page to my phone’s home screen.
Thanks, Art—yes, that’s where Jen tells how to do it. I haven’t yet tried it myself but it is terribly exciting. TERRIBLY. EXCITING.
I just finished my mitts last night! Itching to cast on a helical hat for my granddaughter, but I think “In Threes” is happening first. Why oh why can’t I knit all day???
In Threes is a priority so Gin can get maximum wear out of it as she grows. It’s her future cropped cardi and her way-in-the-future bolero!
The darn job keeps getting in my way of knitting all day too!!! Oh how I long to be able to just knit knit knit!!!!
Sigh! I’m struck with the helical bug also. A few hats from stash. Mittens on the needles. Can’t wait to do something in garter stitch.
I’ve been using helix stripes (one color knit, one color purl) for my favorite hat pattern – the mighty Rikke…now going full helical!…stop drop and knit!
Lol “Full Helical.” As a garter fan, I’m sure I’ll keep thinking of things that can Go Helical.
Love blue and white, and those yarns! The scarf looks great, but I’m glad that it’s you purling the 220 stitch rows, and not me. Also Sonia Ruyts is the owner of my Almost Local Yarn Store, Stash! Though now that I think about it, because 2 yarn stores in the area have recently closed, even though it’s 50 miles away, it IS the closest yarn store. She is great, as is everyone on her staff.
Luckily I am one of those lucky souls who likes purling as much as I like knitting. Must be from all those Honey Cowls.
When a new knitter, I disliked purling and garter stitch. Now I enjoy purling and absolutely love garter stitch. Go figure.
Finished my mitts over the weekend and might cast on a second pair today! But I’m worried about running into the next technique when it starts. Knitting faster….
It’s like a college course where if you do the “extra reading” you cannot keep up with the regular reading! One pair of mitts is the regular reading. If you cast on anything else, you’ll have to start worrying about missing something that will be on the test–except there’s no test!
The absence of a Year of Techniques test is very attractive indeed!
I wonder if each side of the pond says helical differently, similar to how the BBC says proTESTer while North Americans say PROtester. In my (North American) mind I said HELLical.
Think of the word “helix”, which is Greek for spiral. I think most of us “Yanks” would say HEE-lix, which would naturally lead to the pronunciation “hee-lical”. Just saying.
As someone who is about to knit garter stitch cuffs on a top-down sweater, this post is LIFE-CHANGING.
Purl Soho just released a cowl pattern that is screaming (you know, in a quiet, understated, neutral way) for helical striping: https://www.purlsoho.com/create/2017/03/22/newsprint-cowl/
Not sure if you know this, but Purl Soho has a non-helical or an unhelical version of this already…Garter Gator….I made it before A Year of Techniques came along…so mine has a line where the color change occurs. I might need a cottony version though….
Loved this (and have some Rowan linen that might suit perfectly) but really dislike purling.
Then remembered this trick
http://fleeglesblog.blogspot.co.uk/2010/01/modestly-named-fleegle-corner-trick.html
for purl-less garter in the round. Using two different balls of yarn – which you are already doing!
Casting on tonight!!
Kate in Glasgow (first time commentator but reader for eons)