the shell scarf and cotton

I started on a new scarf Friday morning before the shop opened. I decided to make a pretty scarf, something in a softer pattern than what I normally wear. I opted for the Cafe Curtain shell pattern in Nikki Trench's Vintage Crochet book. The original pattern is worked in a linen/nylon for outdoor use, but I thought it might translate well to cotton. I'm quite happy with the pattern and am now testing out colour changes and assorted yarns. I thought I'd share a little of what I've learned.

The main body of my scarf in blue will be Debbie Bliss Ecobaby Fairtrade organic cotton which is new to my stash. The rust and citron are Rowan Cotton Glace that came to my stash from Japan and from my friend, Belinda. It was nice to work both the Ecobaby and Cotton Glace in the same pattern, because now I can reasonably speak to the differences in the yarns when prompted at work.

Ravelry puts both yarns in the same sport weight category, despite their gauge differences. I found they worked up quite similarly in size and intermixed well. To me, the Ecobaby is a bit softer and has more drape. It's well suited to baby cardigans and gentler patterns. The Cotton Glace, on the other hand, feels a bit more structured and is suited to projects that need more body. I think it would be great for amigurumi which is why I bought the rust-colour while I was in Tokyo. Every time I see it, I know there's a red fox inside that skein waiting to break free. In the humid, sticky weather we've had this week, the Ecobaby slides more easily through my hands and along my hook which makes it my preference to crochet with.


For the yarn nerds, you can see that the Ecobaby and Cotton Glace have different twist structures. The Ecobaby is made up of very fine pair-twisted strands which are then plied. The Cotton Glace is a much coarser twist. I'm not a yarn expert, but I believe Ecobaby is a multi-strand yarn and the Rowan is conventionally plied. If there are any ply gurus out there, feel free to correct me. I'm always happy to learn.

For those who have no idea what I'm talking about, I posted a great link on the yarn plies last year. It shows how different yarns affects basic knitting. I'm still looking for a similar link for crochet.

Of course, the deal breaker in picking yarn for any project is color availability. I found mixing the two lines gave me just the combination that I was after. I took my teal and orange inspiration straight off the page of the Vintage Crochet book. I added in citron to lift things a little.


I'm really pleased with how this scarf is coming together, but I find myself distracted. I think the same shell pattern would look great in the kitchen. Tea cozies and dishrags anyone? Or maybe wrist warmers...

If you'd like to compare these yarns yourself and live in Sydney, you can pop by Calico and Ivy. Sarah, Donna and I would love to meet you!



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