2KCBWDAY1 | PDXKnitterati

…but not just any yarn. My favorite yarns these days are those with a long slow color change like many of the Noro yarns, the Crystal Palace Mochi line, Crystal Palace Taos, and Knit Picks Chroma. I’ve been designing with entrelac lately, and these yarns are perfect for it! I think you’ll agree.

Infinity Entrelac Infinity Scarf in Noro Silk Garden Lite

Infinity Entrelac Infinity Scarf in Crystal Palace Mini Mochi

Lacy Entrelac Infinity Scarf in Knit Picks Chroma

Athena in Crystal Palace Taos

I’m not the best at choosing colors that work well with each other. (I picked colors for my parents’ house once; what should have been vanilla and tasteful pine turned out more peach milkshake and garish green…) These yarns have the colors already set, and the entrelac makes it look like I changed colors as I was knitting each section, but really the yarn did all the work. Clever!

My other favorite yarns are semi-solid, tone on tone yarns for lace. I’m working on a design project now, with these lovely stormy gray yarns from Knitted Wit (individually, not together).

And here are some other semi-solid lace projects I’ve knit.

My Pacific shawl, in Malabrigo Sock yarn.

Evelyn Clark’s Shetland Triangle in Painted Skeins’ Merino Silk & Silver

Ysolda Teague’s Ishbel in Malabrigo Sock Yarn

Ysolda Teague’s Ishbel in Claudia Hand Painted Yarns Silk Lace

One color at a time. Safe, right? I love the way handpainted variegated yarns look in the skein, but I’m not always happy with the way they knit up. I find color pooling at the ankles of my socks irksome. That’s not going to happen with a semi-solid! Oh, here’s a picture of one of my least favorite projects, a Frankenstein’s monster of variegated and entrelac. Not a good combination. Check out the pooling/flashing, and general awkwardness. (This is not a handpaint, BTW)