Super Super Bulky Yarn

We're fast approaching the time of year when Polar Fleece goes on sale. These days, though, the material is so popular that unless you're right on the spot when the new price goes up, all you'll see is the well, really weird prints. Really. Weird.

Who in their right mind, for example, though it would be a good idea to print yardage with cartoon-like dancing vegetables? I was gobsmacked when I saw it. And had to buy it. That became my first fleece fabric scarf, knit in simple garter stitch. The colors looked super and the veggies disappeared when I turned the material into yarn.

That scarf went into the first annual Chase the Chill bombing four years ago. And I promptly forgot about it.

Then a friend showed me some examples of arm knitting. How cute and fun.

The really loose gauge, however, doesn't appeal to me. You can double strand two super bulkies. It occurred to me, though, that I could cut polar fleece to any width and use it as the yarn. And thus we have "To Arms".

Which you can download the instructions to by clicking here.

Impatient Girl

Unconventional materials have been part of my textile art and retail products for a handful of years. I've worked with VHS tape, electrical wiring, Christmas lights, and the more common t-shirt yarn (tarn).

My husband, B, didn't even blink when I started cutting up some material to stitch.

The inspiration, as is obvious by the scarf's name "So Sari", are the yarns made with sari mill ends. The beautiful fabric scraps are plied with a long-beard conventional yarn, such as mohair or fun fur. It's gorgeous stuff.

I'm not keen on purchasing it when I want to stitch NOW. So I made my own.

Today's instructions explain my complete process, from yardage through to fastening off the knitting.

Click here to download the instructions for "So Sari".

Oops...

There's a saying that goes something like this: "They don't know what you don't tell them."

In other words, if your presentation omits a bit of information, the only person who knows is you...unless the missing item is included in the class description or handouts.

I bet you know what I'm going to do now: Tell you what is missing.

A couple of days ago I decided to make my own fabric yarn, like the kind you can purchase that's made from sari material.

The scarf is finished, the how-to photos are finished. The tutorial explaining what—and how much—yardage to buy, as well as how to create continuous lengths of the fabric-yarn . . . they're all finished.

My photographer, Robert Gerheart, even created the most fantastic scarf shots outside in the dark.

The layout? I. Just. Ran. Out. Of. Time.

So today's offering, "Your First Project", is the fall-back plan. If you teach, go ahead and use it for the beginner classes to teach working a color repeat that doesn’t change at the same time as the stitch pattern repeat, as well as stockinette and reverse stockinette stitches, working sideways, and end-of-row color changes.

Click here for the directions to "Your First Project".