Improvements

While sitting under my double-stranded wool-mohair rectangle for many weeks, I jealously eyed a few skeins of Twig that I received as a gift early in the summer. Twig is a linen blend yarn (46% linen, 42% recycled silk, 12% wool). I envisioned an effortless scarf, perfect for throwing on in chilly offices or wearing in the early fall when mornings and evenings can be cool. .

I started this pattern, but I wasn’t feeling it and so I ripped it out. I wanted something kind of easy to knit (for summer TV and social knitting), but not dead dull like stockinette stitch. I finally landed on a pattern that seems to be a derivation of Hitchhiker:

You can see that it alternates between garter stitch and a simple lace section. It has teeth like Hitchhiker, but they are deeper.

I almost quit this pattern, too. It contained a repeating error and was written in a maddening style. I finally decided to rewrite it, and in doing so, made some Hitchhiker-inspired improvements. I won’t share either (because the original pattern is copyrighted and so is Hitchhiker – I’ve purchased both), but I think this smudged photo gives you an idea of how much I edited it. Original pattern on left; mine on right:

Twig is interesting to work with. It has a dry, almost crunchy, hand. The stitches are very crisp. It will be interesting to see how it behaves after blocking.

This color is called “graphite,” but I’ve always thought it was more of a blue-gray than a true gray. This may be in the eye of the beholder.

I don’t know if I’ll end up thinking of this as my second Hitchhiker or not. I’ll probably never catch up to Bonny in the “# of Hitchhikers knit” department. But I do like to repeat good patterns, which is how I find myself with another pair of Hermione’s Everyday Socks on the needles:

I took this ball of yarn with me to Cleveland last month, knowing that I would finish the Boy Kroy socks early in the week. Even though I intended to make a simple 3x1 ribbed sock out of this yarn, someone I started knitting the Hermione’s Everyday pattern, instead. I looked at Lake Erie a lot while working on these, so I will call them my Lake Erie Socks. Yes, they are for ME - my personal palette!