Letters
Toot Sweet: Honeycomb Scarf
Dear Ann,
I had the best time knitting my first Honeycomb Scarf.
The first week of June, as I packed for a family adventure (and wedding) in Morocco, I tossed a Freia Yarn Bomb (shade: Oyster) and 4 assorted Freia Minikins (Lichen, Canyon, Woodsman, and Autumn Rose) into my bag. This was my own homebrew, a riff on the special bakery boxes Tina Whitmore put together for the Honeycomb Scarf Bundle.
I was inspired by Cristina, who straight-up followed the pattern (can you imagine?)—using two Freia Shawl Balls. The slow, smooth color shifts of her version are sublime.
Cristina’s Shawl Ball shades are Lichen and Ember (restock of all shades happening soon!), but trust me: all the Shawl Ball colorways meld beautifully for this project, so follow your heart to the available shades you like the most. You can have full confidence that they will work well together for this pattern.
Seriously: who would’ve thought these two Shawl Balls would knit up the way they did? Tina Whitmore’s dyeing is pure artistry, and full of delightful surprises.
I was also inspired by you, ma’am, and the photography sample you made for the Spring colorway of the Honeycomb Scarf Bundle. And do I understand correctly that you’re at work on another Honeycomb, in one of the other colorways? Save a few bundles for the rest of us!
Here’s mine.
My early-morning yard styling session got sort of Twin Peaks all of a sudden! Look for my f0rthcoming coffee table book Knits on Logs (2024).
The knit side is great, but it’s the purl side for me. Love those teeny triangles.
I think that among the three of us, we’ve proven that there is no bad way to combine Freia yarns for this project. Get ’em, or use what you’ve got, and go! It’s going to be beautiful.
Technical Tips What I Learned
Quiet Time. The broken-rib brioche stitch that Nancy Marchant chose for the Honeycomb Scarf is fun and easy—4 simple rows, over and over, revealing their clever logic to your brain and needles. But be advised: the beginning stages of this project are not the best knitting choice for boisterous family travel. You can mess it up, therefore you will mess it up. I started in Marrakech, but I had to start over twice.
The third time was the charm, mostly because by then I was boxed into a plane seat for the 13 hours it took to get home. I was in my own world, with no distractions other than the occasional murmur of turbulence or the question “pasta or chicken?” So that’s my tip: give yourself a couple of hours of quiet to establish the rhythm of this stitch pattern; you’ll be glad you did, and the project quickly becomes portable after that.
Lickety-split. If you’re using Minikins, when you change colors, spit-felt the new color to the tail of the old color, and carry on knitting. At the end, you’ll have just 4 ends to weave in: bliss!
Tink for the win. If you mess up, undo your knitting—do not be a hero and try to drop an individual stitch all the way back to the mistake, like that Ann Shayne did with her Cushiest Cowl. If you catch the mistake in the same row, un-knit, stitch by stitch, back to it. If you have to go back a row or more, rip back to a Row 1 B or Row 2 B before the mistake. Why? On the B rows, there are no slipped stitch yarnovers to reconstruct. It’s easier to get an accurate stitch count, and easier to get your Honeycomb back on the straightaway.
Training wheels. Before you start your Honeycomb Scarf for real, cast on 33 stitches in two colors of cotton, linen, or other dishcloth-worthy yarn, and otherwise follow the Honeycomb Scarf pattern exactly as written, until it’s dishcloth sized. By then you’ll have the pattern down cold—and you’ll also have an entry for our upcoming Kitchen Sink-along, a dishcloth knitalong that starts on July 15! Some people would call this a swatch. I don’t know anything about swatches.
Bonus blocking tip. I gave my finished scarf a nice soak in the Soak, to get the travel dust out and lend a delicate, breezy scent of figs and clean wool. The fabric really bloomed! The tip here is to use the raggediest towel you own, the thinner the better—for faster drying. Rule of thumb: if it’s a souvenir beach towel with a web address on it, it’s too new. Ideally you’re looking for a relic of the 20th century for this job. You want a towel that watched Blue’s Clues with a child who’s now 25.
My next knit: a Honeycomb hand towel, using Creative Linen. The cool thing: the math works out precisely—with no changes to the pattern at all, other than the yarn substitution. Momma’s bathroom is in need of an upgrade in Spa Ambiance. Up next: wind chimes!
Love,
Kay
That’s beautiful Kay- I’m so looking forward to the book! Knits on Logs. Guaranteed NYTimes bestseller.
It’s beautiful! I’m just getting ready to start the fourth minikin on my double-wide, have the pattern totally memorized, and it’s SUCH a relaxing fun knit. Thanks for the spit splice reminder, I’ll do that for the rest of them.
One repair tip I found: When you are doing, say, row 2A, and find an error in row 1B right below, you don’t have to tink back your current row! Just drop that yarn, tink back the previous row from the other end, fix, reknit, then continue on. Saves a little time.
My log told me that – love the Log Lady from Twin Peaks!
I recently did a spit splice for the first time. I never really thought it was a safe join…but it is! I’m now in the market for new blocking towels, since my souvenirs from our honeymoon in Myrtle Beach in 1982 are shredding…..
Two of my blocking towels are family towels from the 1960’s. I don’t know how they’ve survived, but they’re perfect for the job and come with fond memories.
My oldest towel goes back to my 1972 wedding (#1). It has so many holes in it that it looks like lace and could use blocking itself 🙂
You got me beat! My “best” ones are from 1990, so they’ve still got some good years ahead.
What a gorgeous scarf! I can’t wait to start mine.
How did you manage to fly with knitting needles? In Canada knitting needles are weapons of mass destruction according to airline/airport security
US resident, but I’ve flown through Italy, Germany, and England and I always have knitting on me. I use bamboo needles (always, but especially when flying) and usually I’m taking a WIP in my carry on. I’ve never had an issue with the knitting. Germany did NOT like that I refilled my water bottle between security check points (we deplaned in one spot, went through security, and then had to go through it again to get on the new plane – and there was no outside access between the two – and we had not expected a second security check point)) but had no issue with my WIP.
The other thing I’ve learned, is that as long as your scissors are 4 inches or less from the pivot point (at least in the US), TSA will let you through with them. Prior to that, I was using nail clippers if I needed to cut my yarn mid-flight!
I will say, I have heard horror stories of people buying gorgeous sets of needles when traveling abroad and security will toss the whole package. I’ve never heard of anyone having a WIP tossed though. It doesn’t even need to be very worked, just cast on and knit like one row and suddenly it’s fine to take on the plane.
I have had no trouble at all flying domestically or internationally from airports in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal and Halifax (most recently 2 weeks ago)
Thanks! A friend had her sock project taken off needles on her way to Cuba a few months ago; I’ll try plastic needles the next time and keep an extra set in my luggage just in case
I always fly with a project already started on needles and have never had a problem internationally. 1. How much threat is an older woman with a knitting needle? 2. Who is going to pull an “in progress” project off needles to attempt a hostile takeover? (I get enough frogging practice without that!)
Please check the Canadian security website for air safety. I flew in and out of Canada with far too many knitting needles for vacation, Toronto, Halifax and Montreal airports. No problem!
They’re not contraband in the US…but if you’re changing planes in a foreign country, they might be. One needs to do a little homework before leaving home…sigh.
No trouble encountered in Australia, New Zealand, LA, Honolulu, Amsterdam or London Heathrow or any Canadian airports(Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver)
I have not flown into or out of Canada but I never fly without knitting, and haven’t ever had a problem.
I have knitted flying through Canada this past April and last September with no problems
Your hand towel idea is brilliant! I’m, umm, borrowing that one right away. Thanks!
Sharing is caring!
I’m knitting one up right now I noticed a mistake on a row too far back to fix where I worked the wrong row on the back end of the row so I’m just going to live with it but the color of this yarn is stunning! I’m planning on another one with my stash yarn!
I would definitely do the same!
Hand towel? Let the Christmas knitting commence!
Oooh, I love the hand towel! All of this, really. I need to cast on in my Spring Freia set. The Blue’s Clues towel had me laughing. I have an old E.T. towel from the 80s that we keep but don’t use because it’s getting thin, not ideal for blocking. But I do have some that are from the Blue’s Clues era. Steve, not Josh or Joe. Special times.
We used to have a teenage mutant ninja turtle towel, but it was used by one of the kids as a shroud for a beloved pet. Old towels rock!
I found that if I’ve made a mistake I find where it is first then I put a marker next to it before I tink back. That way I don’t have to rip out the whole row. Of course that only works if the mistake is in that row. Love your colors.
The scarf is beautiful. The towelette is elegant. But did I read that last paragraph correctly? You want to knit wind chimes? Olive, I think your assistant needs a nap!
Your “training wheels” tip is brilliant! I was hesitant to start on my beautiful kit but after a dishcloth I should feel freedom to run wild!
Kay, you have heard this before, but you are hilarious! Thanks for walking us through the honeycomb scarf process with chuckles and giggles! I going to pull out the towel my mom made (added ball fringe on the end!) for me to take to college for my next knit soak!
I followed your advice and did two little dishcloths. Excellent idea and cutest dishcloth ever.
How lovely. Really enjoying this pattern using the kit with the minikins. Thanks for all the tips and I LOVE the spa towel idea! So much fun!
i just ordered 2 Freia Yarn Bombs so I can make it wrap size. I hope that’s enough. That’s 800+yards each. Let me know if I should double up and order another of each????
2 yarn bombs is the perfect amount for a double-wide Honeycomb, and I cannot wait to see it! The fabric is so perfect, it feels woven, so will be very light and lovely to wrap around your shoulders.
I have found more ways to mess this honeycomb scarf up than I can believe! The pattern is worth it when I do it right, so I will keep trying! I have until November to finish the scarf for my sister’s birthday. These technical tips help! I’m learning so much about brioche and the cowl turned out great! Thanks for this project!
That is very comforting, Becky, because I too have been able to mess up this pattern three times….finally on the right track though!
I had that towel up to a few years ago. I do still have the sister, a Barbie one that gets used to dry the dog. The child is 25.
Your scarf is lovely
How serendipitous that my set of linen miniskeins just arrived from the MDK sale 😉 I have the Freia yarn for the Honeycomb scarf but I love the idea of making some linen washcloths to get the pattern nailed first. Plus then I can continue contemplating which Minikins to use…
I LOVE this pattern! I am in the middle of knitting the scarf in the Winter bundle, but then took a break to knit a few dishcloths with the pattern. Amazing! They are just the right size and wonderfully scrubby on one side. Like you, I also like the reverse side with the little triangles.
I ordered more cotton yarn just to knit a mess of dishcloths for the upcoming dishcloth challenge … look for a lot of Honeycomb cloths!
Love this pattern. I started with a skein I bought in France + Freia. I am determined to finish this weekend as it is just beautiful. I like the tonal solid mixed with the gradient….more toned down than others, but suits me perfectly. Going to try the small sample too as knitting the 4 rows is addictive, AND tv knitting after the first 4-5 inches.
Oooo I might have to finally cave and order the kit. Thanks for the tips!
Mistakes WILL happen knitting the honeycomb and I appreciate Kay’s tips. But don’t miss the tip from MARTHAW posted July 7 about not needing to undo all the way back to the mistake. If you discover a goof in an A row as you’re working through a B row you can indeed back up to the A row mistake, fix it, finish A row and then finish B row. Just tried it and it works like a dream. Thanks!
Just flew Seattle-Boston-Azores Islands and visited 5 Islands and back to Boston-Seattle with a scarf project on bamboo circs with no problems! Good luck!
Shop your Goodwill for ragged towels. I shop for the towels to bathe dogs, so I have collection!
I feel inspired!! Like your tips a dishcloth will be perfectly
Help! I just received the Honeycomb Scarf bundle and it looks wonderful, but I need the Pattern. Where can I find it?
I’m thinking about doing the honeycomb but double wide in the round. I’m working through the instructions now, but I’m wondering if anyone has tried this yet and has made their own instructions.
Unfortunately, for whatever reason, I find myself unlikely to finish a scarf if it is worked flat, but I’m eager to work anything in the round!
I would REALLY benefit from a casting on starting point video. I bought the brioche field guide and have been crocheting my entire life and knitting the past ten and I’m still stuck on the beginning instructions. A video like the one you posted mid way in was great but maybe one from the jump would get a lot of people off the ground faster and less frustrated thanks!