My Road Trip Scarf

OK I just completed this road trip scarf. It is named that because the woman who designed it did so while on a road trip with her husband.

I gotta say this: given the yarn I used (Red Heart Super Saver) and the fact that I did not change hooks as I was supposed to do (oops), it does fit me sort of funny. It's like a big old bib. What I think I'm going to do with the next one I make of this pattern is a big shawl, not a scarf. In fact, I've already started it and I'm using this yarn:

This is Red Heart Super Saver in Mexicana colorway. It's BRIGHT!!! We'll see how this goes!

Yarns

Here's a stash buster project I've started on - partially to burn up some cheap yarn I have, and to practice the chevron stitch I've just learned:

The thing is, the red yarn and the variegated yarn here are Craft Smart yarns, bought at Michaels craft stores. I gotta say - this yarn feels like SANDPAPER. It's SO scratchy and rough! There is nothing soft about it!

I'm hoping that I can wash this with some fabric softener and it will feel a lot better; I know I had some good luck on that front with Red Heart Super Saver yarn, which also feels very rough. I made a mesh market bag with some of their deep red Claret color yarn, and with Red Heart, their dark colors are often very scratchy. Black is the worst. Well, I tossed that bag in the wash with some fabric softener, and the difference was amazing.

The pink yarn in this project is Red Heart Super Saver, and it's not too bad as far as roughness is concerned. I made a scarf with some of this, as well as some black RHSS. I've used the scarf all winter long and it's held up well, it's not too scratchy, and it has some nice drape to it (but I did make the scarf in a mesh pattern, with a slightly larger hook than is normally used with this yarn, and this gives the work some nice drape). I'm not sure if I want to continue using this pink yarn with the Craft Smart for this; perhaps I could use the pink RHSS for something else?

Well, RHSS is cheap enough yarn; if I need more hot pink I can get some.

I did find a new favorite yarn: Bernat Super Value yarn. I'm doing this with a couple of colors I found:

It's sooooooo soft and buttery. I love this yarn. This may be my go-to yarn from now on.

Milk Fiber Yarn?

Took myself up to St. Richard's Episcopal for Holy Eucharist on Sunday. Got to conversing with one woman about prayer shawls. She has lent me a book about prayer shawls, and in this book I noticed a reference to milk fiber yarn. I got curious about this so decided to look it up.

Milk Yarn? How Does That Work part 1

Milk Yarn part 2

Well well well. Learn something new every day. Who'd have thought of spinning thread and making yarn from milk proteins? Well, if someone can spin yarn from cat hair I suppose milk yarn isn't that odd.

We'll see how things go with the prayer shawl thing. I was told there's no wrong way to do it, yet at the same time the shawls have to be up to certain standards (of softness and sturdiness). Red Heart Super Saver yarn just isn't soft enough to use for these prayer shawls; Lion Brand Homespun or Caron Simply Soft or Red Heart Soft are better yarns to use. Hmmm.