DIY Network

Baskets
Beading
Boxes
Candles
Children's Room Decor
Clay
Clothing
Dolls
Faux & Other Finishes
Flowers & Foliage
Furniture
Garden & Patio
Glass
History
Holidays
Jewelry & Accessories
Kids Crafts
Lamps & Shades
Linens & Fabrics
Memory Crafts
Metal
Natural & Homemade
Needle Arts

Knitting
Serging
Sewing
Weaving & Spinning
Other

Organizing & Storage
Painting & Staining
Paper
Photo Projects
Quilting Techniques
Recycled Objects
Ribbons & Bows
Rubber Stamping
Scrapbooking
Special Days & Gifts
Stenciling
Storage
Tabletop Decor
Toys & Games
Walls & Floors
Wedding
Wirework
Wood & Leather

BEST OF CRAFTS

Puttin' On the Knits
Knitty Gritty
Creative Juice
Sewing for the Home
Scrapbooking: Flowers
Scrapbooking Basics
Scrapbooking: Holidays
Scrapbooking: Vacations

SPONSOR LINKS

No Sheep Needed

A look at some of the exciting new yarns on the market

From "Knitty Gritty"
episode DKNG-710

Propelled by a severe wool allergy and a desire to knit from patterns intended to be used with wool yarn, Amy Singer, the editor of the online magazine knitty.com, published No Sheep For You, a manual of nonwool fibers. In this episode of Knitty Gritty she introduces viewers to the wonderful world of alternative fibers.

Soy yarn

Corn yarn

Milk protein yarn

Wood fiber yarn

Seaweed yarn

Manufactured Natural Fibers

Amy Singer introduces the family of manufactured natural fibers, plant products including soy, corn, milk proteins, wood and seaweed that have been processed to create fibers.

Needle note: A good rule of thumb is to use a sticky needle with a smooth fiber and vice versa.

Scarf

Materials:

worsted-weight yarn (3 skeins of Tilli Tomas Simply Heaven in #160 [Glazed Ginger])
knitting needles, US size 9 (5.5 mm) (or size needed to obtain gauge)
tapestry needle.

Finished size: about 6" (15 cm) wide and 64" (162.5 cm) long

Gauge: 17 stitches and 24 rows = 4" (10 cm) in stockinette stitch; 20 sts and 24 rows = 4" (10 cm) in basketweave stitch

Notes:

As with most hand-dyed yarns, color can vary from skein to skein with this yarn. You may choose to work from two balls, alternating every second row if the color difference between the skeins is significant. If the skeins are very closely matched, work from one skein until there remains enough yarn to knit just a few more rows; then join in the second skein and alternate skeins every two rows until the first skein is finished.
This scarf is designed to have a rustic look, so the edge stitches are worked in pattern instead of being slipped. Give the first two stitches of each row an extra tug; this will tighten them to keep the edges from becoming messy.

Basketweave Stitch (multiple of 10 sts):
Rows 1 and 3: (RS) *P7, k3; rep from *.
Row 2: *P3, k7; rep from *.
Row 4: P.
Rows 5 and 7: *P2, k3, p5; rep from *.
Row 6: *K5, p3, k2; rep from *.
Row 8: P.
Repeat rows 1-8 for pattern.

Scarf:
CO 30 sts. P 1 row. Repeat rows 1-8 of basketweave pattern until piece measures about 64" (162.5 cm) long, ending with Row 4 or 8 of chart. K 1 row. BO all sts purlwise.

Finishing:
Weave in loose ends. No blocking necessary.

Yarns Used in This Episode

Corn yarn: SWTC/Amaizing #159 (Blue)
Soy yarn: SWT/Pure #073 (Vivid Viola)
Tencel: Suss Designs Yarns/Love #10b (Taupe)
Bamboo: Classic Elite/BamBoo #4920 (Citrine)
Cotton/Lycra: Blue Moon Fiber Arts/Sock Candy (Lapis)
Cotton/Acrylic Microfiber: Rowan/Calmer #477 (Blush)
Cotton/milk fiber: SWTC/Vickie Howell's Collection Craft (Martha)
Pure Cotton: Blue Sky/Dyed Cotton (Dark Brown)
Linen: Louet/Euroflax Geneva (Grape)
Hemp: Hemp for Knitting/Allhemp 6 (Sprout)
Silk: Handmaiden/Silken (Ocean)