What's that, Jason?

A few days ago a large group of folks and I were sitting in the knitting circle doing what we do. I had just finished up a Christmas stocking leg for a client project in Brown Sheep Nature Spun -- an enjoyable and festive project for sure -- as several knitters were busy with their glamorous projects in Kidsilk Haze, La Boheme, and Rayon Boucle. Surrounded by this elegance, I was taken by a sudden, irresistible envie to knit something fabulous. Step one: make a quick trip down the way to Subway for a fresh new cup of Fuze Southern Sweet Tea for inspiration. Between VBYC and Chloe's shuttered store-front (smirk), I envisioned the project. Since I had been in the intarsia groove most of the day already, I figured why not stay in it, but using a different medium: one of the spiffy Kidsilk Haze solids combined with one of the new Kaffe Fasset varigated colorways, Kidsilk Haze Stripe. If you're not familiar with Rowan Kidsilk Haze (and how could you have eluded its allure, if you're not?), the yarn is a sublime, laceweight blend of silk and mohair. It's a dream, like knitting with a silk cloud. If you're a fan of color and color combinations like I am, Kidsilk Haze allows you plenty of liberty, and the halo of mohair enables a sort of unique color shading and blending impossible with just any yarn. When I returned from my tea run, I went to the bins and selected Kidsilk Haze in "brick" and Kidsilk Stripe in "circus" for a salmony/coral background with the varigated that moves from a neon irridescent green to a similar corally pink as the background with some pops of fuchsia and brown thrown in. I wanted a background color very similar to a bit of the coloring in the Kaffe Fasset so that my pattern would vanish, split apart, and reappear throughout the length of my piece. The pattern isn't a brain teaser, really. It's very symmetrical: a zig-zag intarsia motif against a solid background. As the zig-zag travels across the field, the colors change, creating a spectacular game of hide-and-seek, like the moon dipping behind the clouds and peeking out again as the sky clears. The swimmy edges of the intarsia on a single rectangular piece reminded me of a brightly colored obi, the long sash/belt traditionally worn with a Japanese kimono. So, I have decided to name this project "La Nipponaise" (Nippon is the Japanese name for....Japan). When I've completed the entire piece, I'll write out the math for the project and make it available in the shop and online. Is it hard? Intarsia colorwork is, I believe, actually much easier in Kidsilk Haze because the texture and look of the silk/mohair is extremely forgiving. Any tension issues in the color changes vanish into the fabric, so if you're still a bit unsteady with the twists at the color zone edges, don't worry a bit. Kidsilk Haze covers a host of sins and iniquities for which one otherwise would be heartily sorry. Also this plus: because the yarn is so light (practically weightless), the yarn butterflies that hang off the wrong side very seldom interact with each other. Instead, they behave and wait for their turn to work their magic. Folks who have learned the intarsia technique from me will remember that I don't prefer to use bobbins or clips that are manufactured to hold yarn supplies. I prefer to wind the yarn into butterflies to minimize the annoying pendulum swing and tangle effect. I stick to that opinion here as well: use of a bobbin will likely add just enough weight to create a swingy tangly mess, so wind butterflies and be happy. "La Nipponaise" is a fairly easy -- and fairly quick too, made on size 9's -- rectangular scarf perfect for newbie intarsia artists as well as folks more familiar with the technique. Experience the magic of Kidsilk Haze and the enchanting instant color surprises of Kidsilk Stripe!