Editor’s note: Sylvia Smith created the Au Lait Scarf for our Summer 2024 issue using her handspun ombré yarn and a fun stitch motif that looks as great on the wrong side as on the right side. We included instructions in Spin Off for working the Pleats and Ladders stitch motif both flat and in the round. Katrina King, assistant editor of our sister publication, PieceWork, put her own spin on Sylvia’s scarf by turning it into a colorful cowl worked in the round. Current subscribers to Spin Off can log in to find bonus instructions for spinning and knitting the cowl version.
Sylvia Smith’s Au Lait Scarf using her handspun ombré yarn.
With so many fabulous colors of dyed fiber out there, how do you choose? I must admit that my color skills are not very strong—I have yet to outgrow my childhood love of rainbows! To me, more is better. When the opportunity came up to create a colorful cowl version of Smith’s beautiful Au Lait Scarf, I knew I had to be more selective in my color choices. Nature is a great place to look for inspiration, and I leaned on an old favorite from my days as a cake decorator: the flame rose.
The flame rose is golden yellow rose with deep red tips, which provided inspiration for Katrina’s color palette. Photo by Couleur via Pixabay
Katrina’s Blending and Spinning Notes
The base of the flame rose is a bright yellow, with tips that gradually shift to a deep magenta at the top of the petals. When I found some solid, handpainted combed tops from Greenwood Fiberworks in magenta, coral, and gold, I knew it was just the right fit! The squishy Ramboulliet would be perfect for a long cowl wrapped twice.
By following the coloring of the rose, I knew that I would need more gold fiber than the other colors, and I would use the coral as a transitional hue between the gold and the magenta. However, the shift between these three colors would appear more like stripes than a smooth gradient, so I needed to do some problem solving. I wanted to spin singles for chain-plied yarns, so I pulled out my handcards to try creating some color blends.
I finally settled on a blending sequence (see image below) that created five transitional hues by decreasing the amount of gold and increasing the magenta, with the coral as the bridge between. Since I did not want a section that was only coral in the middle, the center section would then be a blend of all three colors, with coral dominating. I settled on two-thirds coral to one-sixth units of gold and magenta for this center section.
Katrina’s five transitional blends create graduated steps that shift from gold to magenta. Photos by Katrina King
The spinning itself was an absolute joy as Ramboulliet is so bouncy! This crimpy fiber made it easy to stay above my default laceweight gauge and plumped into a beautiful three-ply after the skeins were washed and dried.
To stay true to my flower inspiration, I spun from the gold through my blends into the magenta and knitted in the same direction. This stitch motif and easily adjustable pattern can be adapted to whatever gauge and cowl size you prefer. The pattern below includes the details for my DK-weight handspun and a cowl that easly wraps twice around my neck.
—Katrina
Pleats and Ladders Cowl
The Pleats and Ladders stitch motif is wonderfully reversible and easily worked flat or in the round. Find instructions for both flat and circular in Spin Off Summer 2024. This pattern can be easily adjusted for any yarn, any gauge, and any cowl size. Have fun and give it your own spin!
To change the gauge or finished circumference: When working in the round, simply knit a swatch in the stitch motif to find stitches per inch and estimate how many inches in circumference you would like your cowl to be. Multiply these two numbers and then adjust the cast-on number to be a multiple of 8 sts.
MATERIALS
Editor’s note: Sylvia Smith created the Au Lait Scarf for our Summer 2024 issue using her handspun ombré yarn and a fun stitch motif that looks as great on the wrong side as on the right side. We included instructions in Spin Off for working the Pleats and Ladders stitch motif both flat and in the round. Katrina King, assistant editor of our sister publication, PieceWork, put her own spin on Sylvia’s scarf by turning it into a colorful cowl worked in the round. Current subscribers to Spin Off can log in to find bonus instructions for spinning and knitting the cowl version.
Sylvia Smith’s Au Lait Scarf using her handspun ombré yarn.
With so many fabulous colors of dyed fiber out there, how do you choose? I must admit that my color skills are not very strong—I have yet to outgrow my childhood love of rainbows! To me, more is better. When the opportunity came up to create a colorful cowl version of Smith’s beautiful Au Lait Scarf, I knew I had to be more selective in my color choices. Nature is a great place to look for inspiration, and I leaned on an old favorite from my days as a cake decorator: the flame rose.
The flame rose is golden yellow rose with deep red tips, which provided inspiration for Katrina’s color palette. Photo by Couleur via Pixabay
Katrina’s Blending and Spinning Notes
The base of the flame rose is a bright yellow, with tips that gradually shift to a deep magenta at the top of the petals. When I found some solid, handpainted combed tops from Greenwood Fiberworks in magenta, coral, and gold, I knew it was just the right fit! The squishy Ramboulliet would be perfect for a long cowl wrapped twice.
By following the coloring of the rose, I knew that I would need more gold fiber than the other colors, and I would use the coral as a transitional hue between the gold and the magenta. However, the shift between these three colors would appear more like stripes than a smooth gradient, so I needed to do some problem solving. I wanted to spin singles for chain-plied yarns, so I pulled out my handcards to try creating some color blends.
I finally settled on a blending sequence (see image below) that created five transitional hues by decreasing the amount of gold and increasing the magenta, with the coral as the bridge between. Since I did not want a section that was only coral in the middle, the center section would then be a blend of all three colors, with coral dominating. I settled on two-thirds coral to one-sixth units of gold and magenta for this center section.
Katrina’s five transitional blends create graduated steps that shift from gold to magenta. Photos by Katrina King
The spinning itself was an absolute joy as Ramboulliet is so bouncy! This crimpy fiber made it easy to stay above my default laceweight gauge and plumped into a beautiful three-ply after the skeins were washed and dried.
To stay true to my flower inspiration, I spun from the gold through my blends into the magenta and knitted in the same direction. This stitch motif and easily adjustable pattern can be adapted to whatever gauge and cowl size you prefer. The pattern below includes the details for my DK-weight handspun and a cowl that easly wraps twice around my neck.
—Katrina
Pleats and Ladders Cowl
The Pleats and Ladders stitch motif is wonderfully reversible and easily worked flat or in the round. Find instructions for both flat and circular in Spin Off Summer 2024. This pattern can be easily adjusted for any yarn, any gauge, and any cowl size. Have fun and give it your own spin!
To change the gauge or finished circumference: When working in the round, simply knit a swatch in the stitch motif to find stitches per inch and estimate how many inches in circumference you would like your cowl to be. Multiply these two numbers and then adjust the cast-on number to be a multiple of 8 sts.
MATERIALS[PAYWALL]
Fiber 100% Ramboulliet in three colors. Shown in Greenwood Fiberworks Embers Magenta, Embers Coral, and Embers Gold, one 4 oz braid each.
Yarn 3-ply (chain-plied) 1,600 ypp; 11 wpi, 645 yds.
Needles Size 5 (3.75 mm) 32" circular needle. Adjust needle size if necessary to obtain the correct gauge.
Notions Tapestry needle, marker.
Gauge 17 sts x 33 rnds = 4" x 4" in Pleats and Ladders patt.
Finished Size 8½" wide x 67" circumference.
Visit spinoffmagazine.com/spin-off-abbreviations for terms you don’t know.
The repeated geometric pattern with rows of eyelets creates a light pleating effect.
INSTRUCTIONS
Using the cable method, cast on 320 sts; join in the rnd, being careful not to twist the cast-on row.
Knit 4 rnds.
Work Rnds 1–14 of Pleats and Ladders chart or written instructions below. Note: Work only the stitches in the red repeat box of chart for this cowl version.
Knit 4 rnds.
Bind off as folls: K1, *k1, insert left needle into front of both stitches on right needle, ktog* rep from * to end. Secure last st, block lightly, and weave in ends.
Pleats and Ladders in the round (multiple of 8 sts):
Rnd 1 *K6, k2tog, yo; rep from * to end.
Rnd 2 *K7, p1; rep from * to end.
Rnd 3 *K5, k2tog, yo, p1; rep from * to end.
Rnd 4 *K6, p2; rep from * to end.
Rnd 5 *K4, k2tog, yo, p2; rep from * to end.
Rnd 6 *K5, p3; rep from * to end.
Rnd 7 *K3, k2tog, yo, p3; rep from * to end.
Rnd 8 *K4, p4; rep from * to end.
Rnd 9 *K2, k2tog, yo, p4; rep from * to end.
Rnd 10 *K3, p5; rep from * to end.
Rnd 11 *K1, k2tog, yo, p5; rep from * to end.
Rnd 12 *K2, p6; rep from * to end.
Rnd 13 *K2tog, yo, p6; rep from * to end.
Rnd 14 *K1, p7; rep from * to end.
Rep Rnds 1–14 for patt
Read how Sylvia Smith blended and spun her ombré yarn from natural-color Merino fleeces, including her detailed recipe with blending ratios from white to dark gray, and find the complete instructions for knitting her Au Lait Scarf in the Summer 2024 issue of Spin Off.
Katrina King is the assistant editor of PieceWork magazine, an avid crafter, and a continuing student of life.
