What would we do without Barbara Walker. Perish, plain and simple. Her Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns contains the code for the scrap-yarn-using afghan loved by Grannies 'round the world. Make one in strips for a portable project easy to lug around where ever you go. Sew it together later when the weather turns chill.
Multiple of 12 sts plus 3. Colors A and B
Row 1 (right side) with A, k1 ssk, *k9, sl2-ki_ p2sso: repeat from *, end k9, k2
Row 2 with A k1 *p1, k4, (k1, yo,k1) in next st, k4; repeat from *, end p1, k1.
Rows 3 and 4 with B repeat rows 1 and 2.
Barbara has a lot to say about colors and yarn choices, so I suggest investing in this book if you don't have it already. I use what ever I can get my hands on, doubling some yarns, mixing and blending others to get about the same heavy worsted weight. Choosing to use very fine yarn results in a feather-light wrap perfect for cocooning in. You can also change the stitch multiple for different widths of zig-zags. Possibilities!
How do I decide which colors to use? I get the balls of yarn I think I'd like to use and set them in a place where I'm sure to see them as I go about my daily business. I rearrange them in passing, and toss out one here and there. When I get a group I like, I sometimes make these quick little i-cord worms to see how the colors work together, knit up. Then I carry the little dears around with me, out and about, so I can observe them in different lights. Sometimes they're wee little things like the ones above...some become long coiled serpents, waiting in my pocket.
