It's all about string

It's no exaggeration to say that I've worn this scarf almost every day since I finished it.



It's so eminently wearable, versatile, smooth, and made out of my all-time favorite yarn: Malabrigo sock in Archangel. This yarn was actually the inspiration for the scarf; when I bought it, I kept wearing the naked skein wrapped around my neck because it felt so good and the colors of all those strands was just stunning.



being the self-respecting knitter that i am, that era could not last long (yarn? unknitted! bah!) and String Theory was born. Then friends and co-workers wanted to try it out, too, so it grew up into an honest-to-goodness pattern, with formatting and everything. A heady experience, I tell you what. I'm already on the road again..sshhhhhh. Enough time for that. For now, a word about practicalities.



One of my favorite features of this scarf is its function -- the number of wraps determines its effect, both in style and warmth. And no matter what, it's staying on, none of that Isadora Duncan-style undoing. For all that and its mysterious looks, it's really quite a humble pattern, nothing very fancy about it at all in the making, which makes for some good movie knitting. The transformation is in the bind-off, which kind of is mind-blowing, very caterpillar/butterfly. Written for two gauges, the possibilities are endless; I want to have one out of a dozen different yarns for a dozen different moods. As it is, I'm pretty pleased to have two.



This second one, out of Araucania's sugar cane (!) yarn, Ruca, is definitely much more the diva version. The silky plant fiber is at once cool and insulating, and it somehow feels like water flowing around the neck. And the character of it is so different. Where the sock version is perky, this one is languid.



Incidentally, if you want to get this pattern in your hot little hands, you can do so right here (this technology never fails to amaze) for $6.00 and a little moxie, this scarf can be your best friend, too!



The patterns includes an in-depth phototutorial of that unusual bind-off, and as soon as I wrest the little video I took off Alex's phone, I'll have that up here, too. Until then, enjoy, and happy knitting!