Mohair Scarf Extravaganza

Years ago, before even yoga was the new yoga, 1995 to be exact, I worked down the street from a yarn store (which I believe was called Fiber Works). They had a basket of yarn leftover from other projects and you could fill a bag with the yarn scraps for only $8. even back then, that was a deal. So, one day, I noticed a lot of mohair in the basket. I left with three bags full of yarn (yes sir, yes sir)--one of the bags contained random balls of black yarn (photos of what I have accomplished with that will one day appear here) and two bags of mohair.

From that mohair haul I made a sweater (photo of which I will someday post) and then ignored the mohair for years. Then, a couple of years ago, I was inspired to make a mohair scarf and hat, which I did, but it was all wrong. I ended up giving most of the yarn I had left (yes, I had mohair left) to Kristen, who probably has lost it beneath her stash which ate Tokyo. I shoved the scarf and hat in my bag of finished objects which have no destination.

So, a couple of months ago, I was walking by a store and saw a yellow mohair scarf in the window. It wasn't anything special, really, just a yellow mohair scarf. Why this scarf inspired my long slumbering knitting urge, I cannot say. It is possible I had passed that scarf a number of times and not noticed it. It is possible I would have not noticed it if I had passed it minutes later. But I passed it when I did and saw the scarf and something about it made me say, "I have a ball of lime green mohair in my stash."

I knitted up the green mohair and then I found the hat and scarf set that I had made years ago and ripped it up so I could use the green mohair trapped within their sad useless loops.


Here is the pattern (it is super easy):

I did a provisional cast on (as described by Barbara Walker in her book Knitting From the Top). 18 stitches. On #11 needles.

Row 1: K1, P1
Row 2 and all other rows: K the K stitches and P the P stitches.

When you run out of one color (A), knit two rows of the next color (B) and two rows of the third color (C) and bind off loosely (here is the method I used: purl the first two stitches together, then loosen that stitch up and place it back onto the left needle. Do the same thing again...purl the loosened stitch, now the first stitch on the left needle, together with the second stitch. Loosen it up and slip it back over to the left needle. Continue purling 2 together and slipping the loosened stitch back to the left all the way across. Pull the end through the last stitch left).

Remove and knit with the second color (B) until you run out of that yarn and then knit the third color (C) until you have just enough left for binding off.

Bind off loosely.

Here is what the end looks like


Fred thought it looked so cool, he said he wanted one (well, he has said he wanted a mohair scarf for years, ever since I made my brother, Jeff, a ginormous striped mohair scarf--think Doctor Who but in mohair and jewel tones. Jeff's scarf is very cool. One of these days, I'll actually get a picture of him and the scarf and you will see what I'm talking about). I had about a skein of navy blue mohair and decided to used that as the base, and then I just went to the leftover yarn from the now torn up scarf/hat.


Same pattern as the other one except that Fred wanted his a bit wider, so his scarf is 28 stitches across. I think Fred's is by far the coolest as far as the color combination. I prefer Fred's scarf to my own, truth be told.


So then, I had a little bit of mohair left and Julian (with much prompting from Fred) began asking me for a scarf.


His is only 14 stitches across on #10 1/2 needles.


I am very pleased by how they turned out and I managed to reduce my yarn stash.

Now, if only I could find a use for all the black mohair...