Cascade Yarns Blog

  Highland Duo is an amazingly soft blend of Baby Alpaca and Merino Wool.  It is the solid dyed family member of the Duos (which also includes Eco Duo, Eco Highland Duo and Color Duo).  A while ago I designed a cowl in Highland Duo since it feels so nice and warm against your skin. I love cables - especially reversible ones. With enough wool to make the Alpaca behave, Highland Duo cables quite nicely and works up into a lovely, soft scarf. This 16 row pattern works up fairly quickly into a warm scarf. Materials: - 2 skeins Highland Duo (70% Baby Alpaca/30% Merino Wool - 197 yds/100 g) - shown in 2324 (Dark Blue) - US 9 needles - Cable needle (or dpn in at least 1 size smaller) - Yarn needle Gauge: 40 sts = 5" (in ribbed cable pattern) Abbrevations: - K - Knit - P - Purl - C8BRib - Hold 4 stitches in back with cable needle, [K1, P1] 2 times and [K1, P1] the 4 stitches on the cable needle - C8FRib -  Hold 4 stitches in front with cable ne...

What's not to love about Baby Alpaca and Merino Wool?  It is soft, squishy, warm and feels so lovely when you work with it.  Adding Merino Wool to Baby Alpaca gives it memory and stability.  So, another new yarn - Highland Duo - 70% Baby Alpaca/30% Merino Wool - 197 yards of squishy softness per skein.  This combination is perfect for a cowl, but I wanted something a little open that offered breathability and insulation. Part way through this cowl (after discovering a glaring error), I had to rip out at least 6 rows.  Fortunately, the yarn, the cowl, and I survived the frogging and I was able to finish the cowl.  One skein makes a cowl approximately  9.5" long by 15.5" wide (about 31" circumference). So here is the pattern: 1 skein Highland Duo - shown in 2305 US 9 - 16-24" circular needles Abbreviations K - Knit YO - Yarn Over Sl1 - Slip 1 K2Tog - Knit 2 together PSSO - pass slipped stitch over Cast on 101 stitches. ...