Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Pearl Grey Kusha Kusha Scarf

Apparently I have been holding out on a project that I thought I had documented back in July.  Oops!


I have wanted to do a Kusha Kusha scarf for several years - basically since I realized I had access to Habu yarn at Woven Art (before I even worked there!). I didn't want to buy a kit mostly because I wanted to replace the Habu Fine Merino Wool with something a little thicker. Above were the three color choices I came up with. The three balls are Classic Elite Silky Alpaca Lace, paired with the Habu Silk & Stainless Steel cones.  After much hemming and hawing (and a Facebook consultation) I decided on the middle color combination.

The pattern is very easy - and is a great introduction to the Japanese style of pattern writing.  Not entirely intuitive, but once you get the hang of it, it is no big thing.


Pattern: Kusha Kusha Scarf, kindly available on the Purl Bee website
Yarn: 1 skein Classic Elite Silky Alpaca Lace, 460 yards, 2 small cones Habu Silk and Stainless steel in grey
Needles: US 3, 4, 6, & 8.
Mods: I lengthened my scarf a little bit through the area of the scarf where you hold yarns A & B together.  Before felting the scarf measured 60 inches long, with a 43 inch section of yarns A + B. After felting the scarf measured 50 inches long with a 38 inch section of yarns A+B. I wish I had bound off with the size 8 needle, but I think I used the 4. 



The last section is quite challenging - knitting with just the tiny Silk & Stainless steel yarn on size US 3 needles? Yeesh.  It is hard to maintain tension. I found I had a much easier time just giving up on tension and just knitting.  This also could have been just project fatigue - I was really ready to be done with it. 

I lightly hand felted the Silky Alpaca in my kitchen sink. I may felt it a little bit more, but I enjoy seeing some stitch definition.



This was NOT a stashbusting project - I bought both yarns and I have a good portion of my second cone of the silk & stainless steel left, plus a nice bit of Silky Alpaca remaining as well. Maybe I will swatch with these to come up with another project.  Although I REALLY want to knit another Kusha Kusha scarf with Elemental Affects  lace and Habu Copper Bamboo. Sigh.  But I am back into working on my stash for the winter, so no new yarns for me for a while.

4 comments:

  1. I just wheeled the metaphorical car around once I realized that Copper Bamboo was a yarn type, not a color. That is CRAZY and now I wish I'd seen that...ok, I probably did, but didn't register that I saw it, if that makes sense. I can see how you'd be tempted by it!

    Anyway, I love your Kusha Kusha and I can see why you'd want a second one :)

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  2. @Kristina Yes, the Copper Bamboo blew my mind when I saw it at TNNA in June. The lighter color bamboo threads get a pinkish hue to them, the darker colors really allow the copper color to shine through.

    sigh.

    An obsessed knitter's work is never done.

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  3. I was just browsing that Habu Stainless Steel yesterday. I would love to make something with it.
    I was also surprised at how there's only one or two places in the US to purchase it.

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  4. @Monique Totally recommend the Stainless Steel - so lovely! If possible, go to the main store in NYC. Most shops don't have Habu, but it is more widely available now than it was a few years ago.

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