Ashland Bay

Product Updates: Dye Skeins for Cedar Creek | Over blended Jamaica

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 10:41:10 -0700

So here we go again….

We have received our newest order of Jamaica merino/tussah and it has been over blended. It is now available at a discount. As you can see from the photo below, this over blended Jamaica overdyes beautifully! We are working to process a new batch of Jamaica merino/tussah.

In our last shipment of Cedar Creek Yarn (Superwash BFL) we found a few cones that had one or two small spots of blue dye on the bottom of the cone. From lemons to lemonade, these cones have been put into 4 oz (115 gm) 330yds skeins. We have approximately 20 lbs of these skeins. These are perfect skeins for dye trials and knit testing. Not every skein has a spot on it. Once we skeined the yarn, it was difficult to go back and find the skeins that have the spots on them. We are offering these skeins at a discount for this limited batch. These are not listed on the website, if interested in purchasing please call or make a ‘comment’ on your order.

Conditioning Yarn

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 08:48:00 -0700

Have you ever looked for the answer to a fiber or yarn question only to find you don’t understand the answer? The fiber industry might not have as much jargon as other industries, but there are some terms and processes you should know. Ashland Bay is trying to help make sense of this crazy fiber world with answers to a few questions we receive on the regular!

What does ecru mean?

One way to describe the term ecru is the natural color of the fiber as it comes off the animal. In our world, ecru means undyed not white. Therefore, both our Blue Face Leicester Wool Top and Black Blue Face are ecru, but both are not white. We borrow the word ecru from the French, where it translates to ‘raw’ or ‘unbleached.’

What does unconditioned yarn mean? And how does this affect the yarn?

Unconditioned yarn is yarn that has not been washed or steamed since it has been plied. Most Ashland Bay yarns arrive in this state. Tension is used when spinning fibers into yarn which can leave the yarn looking flat and limp. Some fibers also require added spinning oil to control the static when spinning.

How do I condition my yarn?

Washing (also referred to as scouring) the yarn before knitting removes the spinning oil and relaxes the fibers. Conditioning changes the look of your yarn by evening the twist and increasing the diameter of the yarn. We suggest letting your yarn soak in warm, (gentle) soapy water for about 20 minutes. Rinse, squeeze out excess water and let completely dry. As you can see from the photo, conditioning greatly affects the yarn. If you are dyeing the yarn, it will be conditioned during the dyeing process.

Pictured: the skein on the left is unconditioned and the right skein has been washed and dried.

If you have two skeins of the exact same yarn from different orders, and one looks drastically smaller and flatter, try conditioning the skeins. Wool is like a sponge. In its natural state 18.25% of wool’s weight is water and it can absorb a lot more moisture. Our yarns from Peru are spun at high altitude with very little humidity and then press packed for shipping. If you receive a yarn that has just arrived to our warehouse, it will be noticeably thin and flat. Once the yarn is released from the press pack in our warehouse the wool will start to absorb the moisture from the air and start to relax and fill out. Washing and drying the skeins will give both yarns to the same look.

New Shetland Product!

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 09:05:00 -0700

We are pleased to announce a new introduction to our line; Medium Grey Shetland Wool. This is a companion to our Shetland Moorit wool. We just received a new shipment of Shetland Moorit, and it’s by far the best we’ve offered! Both wools are Shetland Wools, grown on the Shetland Islands. As you can see from the picture below, both can be beautifully overdyed.

Don’t miss our introductory sale on 22lb bumps of Grey Shetland and Shetland Moorit! Sale prices available until April 30th!

Product Review: Carbon Fiber Knitting Needles

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 09:32:00 -0700

I have a particular weakness for handcrafted spinning and knitting tools. I have recently come across Newhouse carbon fiber knitting needles that are an absolute joy to knit with! The fine pointed tip initially drew me to them. After knitting a few rows, I was hooked. There is more to these carbon needles than a super tip. The yarn glides smoothly along the needle and the stitches show themselves very clearly against the black needles.

Pictured above: Ashland Bay’s Cedar Creek on Carbon Fiber needles.

The advantages of Carbon Fiber needles:

1. Strength. They will not break like wood and they do not bend like metal, especially in the small sizes.

2. Lightweight

3.Perfect combination of slip and grip. They are not cold and slippery like metal needles and not as grabby as wood or bamboo needles.

The advantages of Newhouse Carbon Fiber Needles are long taper for smoother knitting. Each point is hand ground and polished. They make them with a fine point that doesn’t dull like wood points can. The fine hand polished tips keep the yarn moving smoothly, and the slightly grabbier shaft keeps your stitches from sliding off the needles. But best of all is their ability to make custom lengths from 3” up to 48”, and will even dull the tips if one prefers. The carbon fiber used in these needles is made in the USA.

They have size US size 0, 1, 3, 5, 7 available now in double points and straights. 00, 000, 0000 will be available by mid April. The straight needles have Fresh water pearls set with Swarovski crystals…oh so pretty on the black needles! Click here to find Newhouse carbon fiber needles!

Bast Bamboo vs Viscose type Bamboo

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 09:14:00 -0700

While both products are 100% bamboo, bast and viscose have a dramatically different look and feel.

To borrow from one of our previous blog posts about dyeing bamboo, the viscose type bamboo, or regenerated cellulose bamboo fiber, is the bamboo most people are familiar with. The production process is similar to paper production. The bamboo is ground into a pulp and then extruded through a spinneret. The spinneret forms the pulp into long strands which harden into the fibers. We have definitely given you the simplified version here. If you are interested in learning more, this is an excellent blog post about the manufacturing process of viscose rayon, which is almost identical to viscose bamboo. Viscose bamboo has a very soft lustrous look much like tencel and silk.

The bast bamboo process is very similar to the retting process used for flax production. The Handspinner’s Handbook by Bette Hochberg tells us that “bast fibers are taken from the center stalk of the plant. They are long fibrous strands found between the outer bark and inner core of the stem.” Bast bamboo has a similar feel to flax and linen and can be used in many of the same applications. Bast bamboo feels courser than viscose but softens with each wash and wear. Bast bamboo is ideal for creating light weight garments, and many choose to use bast for weaving because of its strength. One last great thing about bast bamboo is that it is less expensive to produce than synthetics and a renewable resource. For more information about bast bamboo please visit: http://bastfibersllc.com/home.html.

Pictured below: Viscose bamboo on the right, bast on the left.

100% Product of USA

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 11:10:00 -0800

We searched far and wide to find you the next Ashland Bay yarn! And where did we end up? Practically in our own backyard! Our new Targhee yarns are 100% domestically raised and spun; 100% products of USA.These products qualify under NAFTA which allows them to be shipped to Canada duty free.

We are very excited to be able to offer you these two new exceptionally wonderful yarns. Not only is the yarn domestically raised and spun, but the breed itself was developed in the US at the Experimental Sheep Station in Dubois, Idaho in the mid 1900’s.

Introducing Dakota and Montana

These yarns have the soft springy hand that Targhee wool is so well known for. They accept the dyes quickly and effortlessly with captivating results.

Dakota: This 3 ply worsted yarn is 1120 yds/lb and available in 250 gm skeins.

Montana: This robust 4 ply bulky weight yarn is 840 yds/lb and available in 250 gm skeins

The picture below shows how beautifully the Dakota takes dye!

WIN FREE YARN!!

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 09:43:38 -0800

As we gear up for another round of yarn introductions, we want to give everyone a chance to win FREE YARN! Ashland Bay looks all over the world to bring you the best products available. Head over to Ashland Bay’s Facebook page and tell us where you think our new yarns are sourced from. The new yarns will be introduced and winners will be selected at random on Thursday, March 7th. Winners will receive a 250 gram skein!

Felting with Silk Hankies

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 10:58:00 -0800

Today we are going to help solve that problem of what to do with Silk Hankies. Silk hankies and merino wool felted together make a gossamer scarf that weights almost nothing and yet provides wonderful warmth and a great spark of color!

In addition to your hankies and merino you will need:

6 feet of bubble wrap that is approximately 1 foot wide
5 nylon ties each about 1 foot long
dish soap
1 foam pool noodle (you can cut your noodle to around 14 inches to make it easier to work with)
1 old bed sheet or piece of fabric ripped to the size of your bubble wrap

I started out with less than 0.5 oz of silk hankies and less than 0.75 oz of wool. The finished weight of the scarf is just shy of 1 oz. The shrinkage on this project was minimal. I lost about half an inch in width and about 1 inch in length.

First, lay out your bubble wrap on a sturdy surface. Next, carefully peel the silk hankie bundle into cobweb thin squares and lay them on the bubble wrap.

Since I wanted a scalloped edge to this scarf, I laid the sheer silk hankies at a diagonal to each other. If you want a straight edge to your scarf, lay the squares right next to each other. Now you are ready to add some more color!

In my project I wanted two colors of merino to contrast with my silk hankies. You, of course, can choose as many color combinations as you want! Lay a thin layer of each of the colors of merino wool over your silk hankies. Finally top with another layer of stretched silk hankies. Top your silk and wool with a piece of fabric. Sprinkle your scarf-to-be with some warm soapy water. You want all of the wool to be damp but no puddles.

Now comes the real work. Take the foam noddle and place it at one end. Start rolling your scarf around the foam until all the bubble wrap is around the noodle. Take your nylon ties and secure the scarf and wrap.

Roll up your sleeves and start applying pressure! This step works best if you are standing. Roll the scarf wrapped foam along the table by applying pressure from your forearms. This can take some time! Completely unroll your scarf and check your progress. You can remove the piece of fabric at this time. Take the noodle and rewrap from the other end of the scarf. This insures even felting. When the fiber has felted to a point where it does not move around or pull away from the scarf you can start tossing the scarf on the table to finish it off! Rinse and dry. To make that silk really shine, iron your dried scarf on the silk setting. Wear and enjoy!!

New Yarns and Fibers to fuel your imagination!

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 09:36:00 -0800

Introducing Cedar Creek: a Superwash Blue Face Leicester wool yarn. This 3 ply yarn has been spun to the same specs as the La Grande, one of our longest running yarn bases. The gauge on this fingering weight yarn is 6-7 sts/in knit on US needle size 0-2. The luster of this yarn is intensified in the dye pot creating unsurpassed color. This yarn is available on approximately 3.4 lb cones.

Introducing Umpqua Yarn: 75% Superwash merino / 15%nylon / 10% tencel sock yarn. We have had this yarn for about a month, but we don’t feel that it received a proper introduction! This 4 ply yarn has been spun to the same specs as our Clackamas yarn. Umpqua has a nice twist for strength and durability and shows great stitch definition for cables and bobbles. The nylon adds additional elasticity for a great fit on foot and calf. This yarn is available on approximately 3.4 lb cones.

Just a side note: Although the Umpqua is a beautiful river in Oregon, we think of it fondly as the Rice Hill exit on I-5 with the 64 flavors of Umpqua Ice cream. Those who travel on I-5 know what we are talking about!

We want to remind you about our newest fiber special

Yak/cultivated silk (50/50)- This top is beautifully prepared for easy spinning.

The blend on the left is the yak/silk and the blend on the right is the cashmere/silk. Think of the possibilities in dyeing and combing these 2 blends into one fabulous yarn or garment.

So I know we said our next post would be about felting silk hankies...but who can resist a GIVE AWAY?!

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 09:55:41 -0800

I know we have said this a lot lately, but we really are excited about our new yarns! This Thursday we will be introducing 2 new sock yarns. To be entered into a drawing for a free 4oz skein of one of our new yarns, head over to Ashland Bay’s Facebook page and tell us, how many socks have you knit?!

How are Silk Hankies made?

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 09:12:06 -0800

Who can resist the look and feel of silk? Silk is one of the strongest, most lustrous natural fibers. The natural beauty of undyed silk is stunning, but dyed silk is exquisite. An absolute must-have in every textile artist’s stash!

Silk hankies, how are they made?

The factory that produces Ashland Bay’s silk hankies is in the Jiangsu province of China. The factory, a family business, has been passed down from father to son. Their main production focus is silk yarn for Japanese kimonos. They have continued the tradition of producing the silk hankies and caps mainly to provide employment and support the local economy. They produce approximately 500 kg of silk caps and 450 kg of silk hankies per month. A relatively small percent of these caps and hankies make their way into the spinning/felting/paper making market, the majority of the hankies are used for batting for quilts and kimonos.

The process starts with the sorting of the cocoons.

The hankies, also referred to as silk squares or mawatas, are then degummed and stretched onto a square frame.

Each cocoon is one layer in the bundle of silk hankies. The cocoon is opened up, the pupa removed (which I believe is what is on her lap) and stretched onto the frame.

Silk bells or silk caps are also made using the same process only instead of being stretched on a square frame they are stretched over a cap shaped form.

If you are interested in more information on the process of making silk hankies and caps check out this website, http://www.wormspit.com/mawatas.htm. It has a lot of great information!

Now, what can you do with silk hankies? Check back for our next post about felting with silk hankies!

New Specials and Product Updates

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 09:08:58 -0800

We have just unpacked our latest shipment of fibers and yarns! Along with taking many products off the ‘out of stock’ list, I’m looking at you Begonia; we have received a new special, Yak / Cultivated Silk 50/50 blend. It is so lustrous you can almost see your reflection in the top! The blend is easy to spin and would look fantastic over dyed.

The other new arrival is light honey tussah silk. Our silk supplier no longer stocks the dark honey tussah silk that we have previously carried. The light honey is a softer color version of the original. The silk on the left is our bleached tussah silk for comparison to the new light honey tussah silk on the right.

Happy Holidays!!

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 13:20:13 -0800

First of all, HAPPY HOLIDAYS!! We wish everyone a safe and happy holiday with plenty of time off to enjoy! Ashland Bay will be closed December 24th, 25th, 31st and January 1st.

ALSO, for those of you waiting for our shipment of Tussah silk, the airlines seem to have misplaced one of our 400lb bales of silk. Because our import documentation says we are receiving 2 bales, they will not release the bale that arrived. The airlines is doing their best to find the missing silk, and we will hopefully have the product soon! We will let you know as soon as we have it!

Color Updates!

Mon, 03 Dec 2012 12:09:00 -0800

Just a few updates!

Multi Merino Line

It has been a number of years since we have updated the multi merino line. Over the course of the next 12 months, we are going to take several of our colors and tweak them. The first three: Sunflower, Midnight and Daffodil, are in development, and we hope to have new inventory in the spring. Inventory of the old color ways have run out and we will not reorder.

Merino/Tussah Line

Due to the introduction of Del Mar, Diablo, Jamaica and BayBreeze, several of the older colors have run their course. Therefore we are discontinuing Pewter, Blue and Purple. We do not have any stock in the Pewter, some Blue and Purple remains.

BABY WOOBOO IS BACK!

Lastly, Baby WooBoo, due to an overwhelming response, we have decided to keep it in the line! 550lb pounds are currently on order plus the inventory we already have.

As always, we want to hear what colors you want to see! You can either let us know through the website or tell us what you want to see on Facebook!

New Colors Coming Soon

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 10:45:34 -0700

We have just returned from our annual business meeting. After overcoming the distractions of the sun and the snow capped Cascade Mountains, we put together some exciting new products.

Keeping in mind all your suggestions, we have been putting together new dyed colors in both the solid and multi-colored combinations. We have also come up with new fiber combinations and yarns, canvases for your creative dying talents.

But we want to know, what do you want to see on colors, fibers and yarns?

Cottonwood Cuffs - The Violets

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 10:06:52 -0700

Cottonwood Cuffs-The Violets

Materials

6- 60 yd/skeins of Ashland Bay’s Cottonwood Blue Face Leicester wool dyed in a color progression

#2- double pointed needles

Stitch marker

Finished size – 7 ½” long, 6” around flared to 7 ½” at the bottom of the cuff. The width of the cuff can be resized very easily.

Arrange your colors in the dye progression, from the lightest to the darkest. Choose the lightest color as #1.

Project notes: The first section of the cuffs is a flat piece knit in garter stitch on straight needles. The rectangle is sewn together to create the tube. Stitches are picked up on both ends of the tube and are knit in the round. I originally planned to have the cuffs match each other but when I was knitting the second cuff, I accidentally choose the wrong color sequence. This knitting continued longer than I was willing to rip out and start over. I am writing the pattern as though the cuffs match. You, of course can choose whatever colors you would like to use.

Cast on 20 stitches with color # 1.

Pattern

Row 1. With color #1 knit 2 rows in garter stitch; knit all rows.

Row 2. With color #3 knit 2 rows in garter stitch.

Continue pattern rows 1 and 2 with the 2 colors until the piece measures 6” or the length it requires to wrap around your wrist, snug but comfortable.

Option #1 - Leave the stitches on the needle. Using another needle pick up 20 stitches along the cast on edge as shown here. Sharp pointed needles work very well for this or use a needle several sizes smaller to pick up the stitches. With right sides together knit the stitches off in a three needle bind off. Turn right side out.

Option #2 – Bind off last row. With right sides held together, sew the two ends together. Turn right side out.

Using color #6, and with 3 double pointed needles, pick up stitches along one end of the cuff. If your piece was 6” pick up 44 sts. This will be 1 stitch for every garter ridge. If you knit a longer piece, pick up the additional number of stitches. End with an even number of stitches. Place a marker at the end of the round.

The next 2 rows are in seed stitch.

Row 1. K1, P1, K1, P1 continue this pattern for the complete round.

Row 2. P1, K1, P1, K1 continue this pattern for the complete round.

Change to color #4 and knit for ½ inch.

Add color #6 for 2 color knitting in 1X1 rib pattern.

K1 color #4, P1 color #6

Continue knitting this for ¾”

With color #4, bind off with the elastic bind off method.

On the other end of the cuff, with color #6 and double pointed needles pick up 44 stitches place a marker at the end of the round.

The next 2 rows are in seed stitch.

Row 1. K1, P1, K1, P1 continue this pattern for the complete round.

Row 2. P1, K1, P1, K1 continue this pattern for the complete round.

Using color #3, knit in the round for ½”. Increase 1 stitch on the last round (45 stitches). If you picked up more than 44 stitches on the end of the cuff adjust your stitch number to be divisible by 5.

Bobble Row – This row will use color #3 and the bobbles will be knit with color# 5.

K4, MB*, K4, MB*, continue this pattern for a complete round. You will have 9 bobbles if you started the row with 45 sts.

MB* (make bobble)- With color #5 Knit into the front and back of the stitch. Turn work and P 2 stitches, Turn work and slip 1 stitch, k 1 stitch, psso.

With color #3, knit in the round for another ½”.

The last section of the cuff starts with a K2, P1 rib with 2 colors. The increases are in the K2 sections slowly so that there is a soft flare at the end of the cuff. The color changes occur in the P1, stitches.

Change to color # 3 and #4. With Color #4, K2, Color#3 P1, #4 K2, #3 P1, etc. Follow this pattern for 4 complete rounds. On the 5^th round continue with the pattern except with color #3 increase 1 stitch (K into f &B for the increase) in every other knit stitch set plus the last knit stitch pair (53 sts)

With color #4, continue with the knit stitch pattern set up in the row above, change to color #2 for the purl stitches. Follow this patter for 4 complete rounds. On the 5^th round increase 1 stitch in the knit pairs that only have 2 stitches (60 sts).

Continuing with color #4 as the knit stitch pattern (K3), change to color #1 for the purl and follow pattern for 5 complete rounds.

Bind off loosely with color#1.

Gotta Love Knit Cuffs!

Tue, 25 Sep 2012 09:12:27 -0700

Fall is my favorite time of year. There is crispness to the air that is so invigorating after the hot summer. This is when I bring out my hand knit wool wrist warmers (cuffs) and fingerless mitts, my go to accessory for warmth and whimsy. I am truly, seriously crazy about cuffs!

Top 10 reasons that every knitter needs to knit wrist warmers (cuffs)

10) They are a fantastic canvas to try new stitch patterns and techniques. I always try to use a new technique from a workshop soon after the workshop is over so that it will still be fresh in my mind. How many times have I gone back to notes from years past and could not remember or decipher my notes?

9) They are fast to knit. Think of them as socks without the heel and foot. Knit a pair with the leftover yarn from the sweater you just finished. I have a couple ¾ length sleeved sweaters. I knit companion cuffs to wear with them when it is particularly cold.

8) You can incorporate luxury fibers into a garment without breaking the bank. Doesn’t everyone have a special skein of yarn that is in need of a project? My next set will incorporate a skein of handspun silk boucle yarn.

7)They add amazing warmth. They are a real comfort for people with arthritis and chronically cold hands. These are great thermo-regulators!

6) They make great gifts.

5) They make a great fashion statement. You can incorporate bold and bright colors that you love but don’t have in your wardrobe.

4) They are the perfect size knitting project for travel, small and compact.

3) A great way to use leftover yarn that is too precious to get rid of. It is very easy to combine multiple small skeins to create a very unique pair. Think of it as stash reduction.

2) They are fun to wear.

1) They are fun to knit!

Stay tuned! Next post will be a cuff pattern! Head over to our Facebook page and post a picture of your favorite pair of cuffs and be entered into a drawing for 4oz skein of our Panda yarn! Great for knitting a new pair of fall cuffs.

Portuguese Merino Wool

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 10:32:27 -0700

The Portuguese Merino Sheep has its roots going back 400 plus years to the original Spanish Merino Stock. Even though the breed is called Portuguese Merino, it’s merino with a little “m”. The micron count on the wool is just under 25 microns. The wool is relatively short at 2” to 2.5” depending on the clip. What makes the wool so interesting is its elasticity. The top has incredible body which produces a yarn with the same characteristic.

The wool is produced into top at a plant in Portugal. I’ve been told that their equipment might not be the newest—the term “vintage” comes to mind. So the top may not the prettiest and there is a little more vegetable matter in it than what we normally like to see. But it just adds to the unique character of the wool.

The genetics on this breed is very interesting. As mentioned earlier, the breed has some of the same genetic markers as the original Spanish Merino but there is no doubt that the Portuguese existed on a parallel track with the Spanish as long as 500 years ago. In the early 20^th century, the French Mutton Merino was crossed with the Portuguese to improve early maturity of lambs. The French Mutton Merino was established in Rambouillet, France to improve the meat characteristics of the many merino breeds. The foundation stock of the French Mutton Merino and the Rambouillet sheep is, of course, the Spanish Merino.

This wool is very fun and easy to work with in dyeing, spinning, felting and knitting. We decided on a felting project for our Portuguese. The wool quickly absorbed the vibrant colors and could have easily been spun (did not felt in the dying process). However, we decided that our office could use a few more colorful coffee coasters!

Head over to our Facebook page and feel free to post pictures of your favorite Portuguese Merino project!

Minor Changes...

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 10:14:16 -0700

Some small changes to the Bamboo Ladder Vest pattern have been posted. To be specific, there were two additional rows on the left side that needed to be taken out (they were row 5 and 6). But the pattern is fixed and re-posted!

Lima Lace Cowl Pattern

Wed, 30 May 2012 10:59:11 -0700

The first time I held a skein of the Lima Lace yarn I knew I had to knit something with it immediately! This yarn is a 70% baby alpaca and 30% silk blend that is incredibly soft and light weight. We were getting ready for a vacation so I needed to quickly dye and design something that was easy to transport and an easy knit for vacation mode mind set. I wanted something elegant but simple. The Lima Lace Cowl was designed with this in mind. The natural roll of the knit/purl stitch combination allows the cowl to lay comfortably and look effortlessly artistic around your neck. Click here for PDF pattern.

Lima Lace Cowl- version #1

This is a very easy cowl to knit and looks great on, not to mention the baby alpaca/silk yarn feels fabulous against your skin. This cowl is knit with six different colors and alternates the knit and purl pattern with each color change.

Finished size: 48 inch round and 3 inch wide. Can be worn doubled as shown in the picture.

Materials:

· 360 yds or 6- 60 yd skeins of Ashland Bay’s Lima Lace yarn in a dye progression colorway.

· Size US 6 24” circular needles

· Stitch marker

Arrange your 6 colors in the dye progression, from the lightest to the darkest. The lightest color will be your color #1 in the pattern.

With color #1, cast on 214 stitches on the circular needle. Mark your join with a stitch marker and be careful not to twist the stitches when joining the stitches in the round. Knit in the round with color #1 for 1½ inches.

Color change row: attach color #2 and knit a complete round.

Purl the following rows until the purl section is 1½ inches.

With color #3, knit for 1½ inches

With color #4, knit the first round and then purl until the purl section is 1 ½ inches.

With color #5, knit for 1½ inches .

With color #6, knit the first round and then purl until the purl section measures 1½ inches.

Bind off with the elastic bind off.*

*Elastic bind off (EBO)- Slip first stitch, *K 1, with the left needle go into the front of these 2 stitches and knit the 2 stitches together,* continue * * until all the stitches have been bound off.

Lima Lace Cowl- version #2

This cowl is also knit with six different colors and alternates the knit and purl pattern with each color change. With the addition of a simple YO, K2 together row in the middle of the purl sections of the cowl.

Finished size: 42 inches around and 4½ inches wide

Materials:

· 360 yds or 6- 60 yd skeins of Ashland Bay’s Lima Lace yarn in a dye progression colorway.

· Size US 5 24” circular needles

· Stitch marker

Arrange your 6 colors in the dye progression, from the lightest to the darkest. The lightest color will be your color #1 in the pattern.

With color #1, cast on 210 stitches on the circular needle. Mark your join with a stitch marker and be careful not to twist the stitches when joining the stitches in the round. Knit in the round with color #1 for 1½ inches.

Color change row: With color #2 knit a complete round. Purl the following rows until the purl section is ¾ inch.

Next row: YO, K2together,YO K2together for 1 complete round. The next row purl and continue with purl rows until the color #2 section is 1½ inches.

With color #3 knit all rows until the color# 3 section is 1½ inches

Color change row: With color #4 knit a complete round. Purl the following rows until the purl section is ¾ inch.

Next row: YO, K2together,YO K2 together for 1 complete round. The next row purl and continue with purl rows until the color #4 section is 1½ inches.

With color #5 knit all rounds until #5 section is 1½ inches.

Color change row: With color #6 knit a complete round. Purl the following rows until the purl section is ¾ inch.

Next row: YO, K2 together, YO K2 together for 1 complete round. The next row purl and continue with purl rows until the color #6 section is 1½ inches

Bind off with elastic bind off.*

These 2 cowls can be worn together or alone.