The Cat Scarf
kestrels_nest made me a cat scarf! :D 3q3q3q!!! Many thanks for the adorable fuzzy, originally discussed here.
This is made from yarn that has reflective filament spun into it. As I expected, the result it quite scratchy. It's not next-to-skin yarn -- except maybe for some sensory-seekers -- but worn over my hair and a T-shirt it didn't bother me. I wasn't sure how that would play out, so I'm quite pleased.
It's also the warmest scarf I've worn; I started getting too warm inside the house after just a couple of minutes. It stays put really well too, although the ends are a little thick and short to tie well. They stay put very nicely when just crossed over each other, though; a pin or a couple of buttons would fasten them just fine. I suspect that the warmth and security are due to a combination of the dense stitching and the hood.
As for the cat part, the body of the scarf is dark charcoal gray and the hood is off-white. One pointy cat ear is gray, the other white. I have photographed the gray one so you can see the contrast. It is adorable. <3
The first picture shows the scarf folded with the body tucked under the hood, gray ear showing, and no flash. Remember, the scarf isn't brown, that's just how it looks in ambient light for sake of contrast.
With the flash on, you can now see the dark gray and off-white color of the yarn. The reflective filament definitely stands right out as little dashes even at close range.
Here is the scarf unfolded. You can see the little holes of a decorative pattern on the legs. The hood goes over my head and provides good coverage, the solid part of the body covers my upper back, and the legs wrap around the front. By the way, that couch is a bright teal.
EDIT 12/18/20: The lace pattern is called cat's paw. :D
With the flash on, it shows the real colors. Even from a few feet away, you can see how the reflections are starting to spread out. Farther away, it should spread more. Also, look at the couch immediately around the hood and compare that to the couch in the picture above. The brightness of the hood is making the couch show up darker. That means if I were wearing this, and someone aimed a camera at my face, the dazzle and contrast would either impair the quality or wreck the photo entirely. \o/
As you can see from the flash photos, the reflective filament really works. This would be the scarf to wear in low-visibility, high-traffic conditions as well as for portable privacy purposes. Such a scarf would make a terrific gift for anyone who exercises outdoors, especially at night and/or in snowy conditions. In car headlights, this thing would be as scintillating as bicycle reflectors.
Red Heart makes a bunch of colors in the yarn, currently on sale at Joann, if you want to make some.
EDIT 12/8/20: kestrels_nest adds:
Hand wash, no matter what the ball band says. It frays beyond belief in the washer.
Of the 5 balls of grey yarn I bought, two were severely knotted or otherwise defective.
I myself note that these are likely results of attempting to machine-craft what is effectively a low-complexity art yarn consisting of a thin stiff filament added to a more standard yarn. That makes it prone to problems. Reflective filament is available separately for working alongside any yarn, but would likely have the same effect in a washer, as the stiff filament acts like a tiny flail on adjacent fibers.
*ponder* Which could be a terrific asset if someone wanted to make reflective wash-felted wool.
This is made from yarn that has reflective filament spun into it. As I expected, the result it quite scratchy. It's not next-to-skin yarn -- except maybe for some sensory-seekers -- but worn over my hair and a T-shirt it didn't bother me. I wasn't sure how that would play out, so I'm quite pleased.
It's also the warmest scarf I've worn; I started getting too warm inside the house after just a couple of minutes. It stays put really well too, although the ends are a little thick and short to tie well. They stay put very nicely when just crossed over each other, though; a pin or a couple of buttons would fasten them just fine. I suspect that the warmth and security are due to a combination of the dense stitching and the hood.
As for the cat part, the body of the scarf is dark charcoal gray and the hood is off-white. One pointy cat ear is gray, the other white. I have photographed the gray one so you can see the contrast. It is adorable. <3
The first picture shows the scarf folded with the body tucked under the hood, gray ear showing, and no flash. Remember, the scarf isn't brown, that's just how it looks in ambient light for sake of contrast.
With the flash on, you can now see the dark gray and off-white color of the yarn. The reflective filament definitely stands right out as little dashes even at close range.
Here is the scarf unfolded. You can see the little holes of a decorative pattern on the legs. The hood goes over my head and provides good coverage, the solid part of the body covers my upper back, and the legs wrap around the front. By the way, that couch is a bright teal.
EDIT 12/18/20: The lace pattern is called cat's paw. :D
With the flash on, it shows the real colors. Even from a few feet away, you can see how the reflections are starting to spread out. Farther away, it should spread more. Also, look at the couch immediately around the hood and compare that to the couch in the picture above. The brightness of the hood is making the couch show up darker. That means if I were wearing this, and someone aimed a camera at my face, the dazzle and contrast would either impair the quality or wreck the photo entirely. \o/
As you can see from the flash photos, the reflective filament really works. This would be the scarf to wear in low-visibility, high-traffic conditions as well as for portable privacy purposes. Such a scarf would make a terrific gift for anyone who exercises outdoors, especially at night and/or in snowy conditions. In car headlights, this thing would be as scintillating as bicycle reflectors.
Red Heart makes a bunch of colors in the yarn, currently on sale at Joann, if you want to make some.
EDIT 12/8/20: kestrels_nest adds:
Hand wash, no matter what the ball band says. It frays beyond belief in the washer.
Of the 5 balls of grey yarn I bought, two were severely knotted or otherwise defective.
I myself note that these are likely results of attempting to machine-craft what is effectively a low-complexity art yarn consisting of a thin stiff filament added to a more standard yarn. That makes it prone to problems. Reflective filament is available separately for working alongside any yarn, but would likely have the same effect in a washer, as the stiff filament acts like a tiny flail on adjacent fibers.
*ponder* Which could be a terrific asset if someone wanted to make reflective wash-felted wool.