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| The Yak: An unlikely source of beautiful yarn. |
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When I think yak, I think yuck. Honestly, the yak is not an animal that I'd picture myself thinking is cute and cuddly, like the alpaca or a little lamb. But after reading Carol Huebscher Rhoades' article about the yak in the Winter 2011 issue of
Spin-Off magazine, and seeing the yarns that yak fur results in, I think I've changed my tune.
Here's an excerpt from Carol's article:
Yak
by Carol Huebscher Rhoades
If you happen to live in the Himalayan mountain region and need an all-around
useful animal, the yak is ideal. Domesticated yaks are used for hauling and
transportation and provide meat, milk, and a wide range of fibers for various
end products.
Their horns, bones, hides, and dung are also used. The only
drawback seems to be that they are not often in a cheerful mood (or so I've
been told by a few Tibetans). Yaks were domesticated many thousands of years
ago, and wild yaks are now endangered. Yaks are in the same genus,
Bos,
as cattle. Wild yaks,
Bos mutus, are large (males weigh up to 2,200
pounds and can be 6½ to 7 feet tall at the shoulder).
Bos grunniens, domesticated yaks, are smaller: males weight 750 to 1,300 pounds, and females
average only 500 to 600 pounds.
Yaks produce fibers that range from very fine to very coarse. Outercoat fibers
can measure from 4½ to over 15 inches long. They protect the animal from the
elements and are spun for ropes, cords, and very durable rugs. Mixed in with
the outer- and undercoats are intermediate fibers in a range of fibers in a
range of diameters and lengths. These fibers are useful for sturdy clothing.
—from Spin-Off magazine
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Reprinted with permission from A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns
by
Barbara G. Walker (Pittsville, Wisconsin: Schoolhouse Press, 1998), page
293. |
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One of the swatches that accompany Carol's article is the Lotus Pattern, a beautiful lace stitch, knitted with Bijou Basin's Bijou Spun. I've felt this yarn and it's super soft—and beautiful.
I thought you might like to try the Lotus lace pattern, so here it is:
The Lotus Pattern
The Lotus pattern is a multiple of 10 + 1 stitches. The author, Carol Rhoades, made the swatch that you see in the photo by casting on 35 sts for 3 repeats plus 2 garter edge sts at each side. (Note that edge sts are not included in the pattern.)
Rows 1-5: Knit.
Row 6 (WS): P1, *yo, p3, sl 2, p1, p2sso, p3, yo, p1; rep from *.
Row 7: K2, *yo, k2, sl 2, k1, p2sso, k2, yo, k3; rep from *, end last
repeat k2.
Row 8: P3, *yo, p1, sl 2, p1, p2sso, p1, yo, p5; rep from *, end last
repeat p3.
Row 9: K4, *yo, sl 2, k1, p2sso, yo, k7; rep from *, end last repeat k4.
Row 10: P2, *k2, p3; rep from *, end last repeat p2.
Row 11: K1, *yo, ssk, p1, yo, sl 2, k1, p2sso, yo, p1, k2tog, yo, k1;
rep from *.
Row 12: P3, *k1, p3, k1, p5; rep from *, end last repeat p3.
Row 13: K2, *yo, ssk, yo, sl 2, k1, p2sso, yo, k2tog, yo, k3; rep from
*, end last repeat k2.
Row 14: P2, *k1, p5, k1, p3; rep from *, end last repeat p2.
Row 15: K2, *p1, k1, yo, sl 2, k1, p2sso, yo, k1, p1, k3; rep from *,
end last repeat k2.
Row 16: Work as for Row 14.
Repeat Rows 1-16.
Get yourself some yak yarn if you can find it, and knit a Lotus Lace scarf or shawl—or any knitted accessory! It'll be so beautiful. And if you don't already
subscribe to Spin-Off, give it a try!
Cheers,
