I did finish the stole but I haven’t been able to get outside for a modeled shot.  Not that I’m anything like a model (heh!) but it should be shown that way for the best look at the completed garment.  As soon as I have been able to do that, I will upload a couple more photos.

This stole is a prime example of how entrelac can be used for color work.  While intarsia, stranded knitting and Fair Isle techniques can be sophisticated and beautiful, they can also be a bit intimidating - or, perhaps, simply not ideal options for the person who prefers to keep things simple.  Entrelac offers another way to play with colors :)

This stole grew out of the need for a new cold-weather wrap as the old one, having done yeoman’s work for several years, was showing its wear.  As I was rooting through the stash, several things fell together that seemed to be compatible.  They are quite disparate in their origins and weights, but in the end they united nicely :)

There are three different yarns here.  The first type, I acquired at a thrift shop last January - five hanks of Manos del Uruguay in assorted but compatible colorways.

This is bulky yarn, approximately 135 yards/hank.

The second is Peer Gynt wool found at the same thrift shop at the same time as the Manos and which I later overdyed :)

This is a DK weight yarn, about 99 yards/ball.

The last is Paton’s Classic Merino, acquired in cream and dyed a slightly orangey gold.

This is a worsted weight yarn, about 220 yards/ball.

Clearly this was a stash diving/busting project :)  You could, of course, purchase yarns of consistent weights and colors and it would simplify things somewhat.  But, as you know if you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, I often tend to build my projects around what I have - and this is what I had :)

You’ll need about 1300 yards of yarn, call it worsted weight, and size 8 US (5.00 mm) needles.  I used, roughly, 300 yards each of two solid colors and about 135 yards each of three different variegated colors and about 200 yards of a fourth variegate.  You can and should, of course, use any combination of colors that suits you and pleases your eye.  I named this stole after the myriad warm, autumn colors of Indian corn because that’s what it reminded me of.  Your stole might be A Day at the Beach or The Tulip Fields or Summer Sunset or The Forest Floor - depending on what sets of colors strike your fancy :)

I made this by creating a center section and then picking up (and swapping off) on both ends to better keep track of the color usage since I didn’t really know how far each of the colors I had would go.  You don’t have to do it this way but it is an interesting option if you’re uncertain of how much yarn you’ll need for any given tier of colors.  I can tell you that each tier will use very approximately 35-40 yards of worsted weight yarn.  Your yarn choice and gauge will affect this number, perhaps greatly, so swatching might be a good idea :)

The basic formula is this:

Cast on 54 stitches, loosely!  Use larger needles if you need to.  These stitches are going to be stretched along the diagonal so they cannot be tight.  Following standard entrelac procedure (see All Aboard the Entrelac Express) start working blocks of 9 stitches x 18 rows - you should have six blocks per tier.  Continue, swapping your colors in and out as suits you until the stole is the length you want (mine came in at about 25” wide and about 70” long) and end off.  Really, there’s nothing more to it than that! 

I like symmetry which is why I started in the center and worked out toward both ends.  You may prefer the serendipity of random color changes or the serenity of simple stripes.  The technique is very simple and straightforward - no tricks here :)  In this piece, all the excitement comes from the colors and how you decide to use them.

I’ve also finished Myria’s Here, Kitty, Kitty… scarf…

...and she is very pleased with it.  So am I, for that matter :)

Chat is on for Saturday night - come and bring your knitting.  We’ll dish :)