Rico Cancan

I have always loved Paris.When Moulin Rouge came out in the cinema ,I couldn't wait to go & see it.I have never visited the Moulin Rouge ,but have a poster we bought in Paris depicting the show & the dancers.I really need to get it framed & hung on our dining room wall.

Rico have just brought out a new yarn,Cancan.

I was given a ball of it to try out by my dear friend Caroline who owns The Wool Bar.I thought I would give you a little insight into what it is like.

Rico Cancan comes in 200g balls.It is like a ribbon ,similar in type to fishnet stockings!It is 100% acrylic & feels similar to cotton.Its very soft to the touch .It knits up to make lovely ruffles which are ideal for a scarf. It replicates to me the frills on the dancers skirts.

Washing instruction are clearly written on the ball band & you can put it in the machine at 30degrees.It is not recommended that you tumble dry ,iron or use bleach on it.

The colourways are lovely.

The ball band comes with directions on how to use it ,recommended needle size which is 7-8mm.

The instructions on the ball band are quite small ,but then there is a lot of detail & some pictures.I have taken some of my own to show you how to use it.Please forgive the bad quality ,I took them quickly .

Rico recommend you finish the yarn by sewing the ends.I started by tying a knot in the end so it wasn't tempted to fray.I have to say it didn't appear to want to fray at all whilst I was knitting my scarf.

The yarn has a right & wrong side.It is important you work out which side is which as this helps the yarn to roll ,creating its curls.The wrong side is the one which rolls in on itself.

The right side is your cast on on side.This will face you as you cast on by picking up a few

threads at the top of the ribbon yarn.Do this at the recommended 4 cm space.To get the distance I measured & cut a gauge in the ball band.You don't have to be as anal as this but my judgement is not that good!

For a scarf that will be about 20cm wide ,pick up 7 stitches.

You then insert needle into the stitch & proceed to knit as for garter stitch .



Instead of wrapping the whole of the yarn around the working needle, catch a few threads at the top of the "ribbon"


The wrong side of the yarn will now face you as you work your garter stitch.


This is how it will look after one row...
Two rows & you can see the ruffle take shape. Repeat until you have reached the length required.Rico state that the yarn stretches with wear & gravity.

The yarn is very strong if you tug it lengthwise, but obviously it will rip if you catch it & it gets pulled across the width.It will take a certain amount of tugging that way & I think is good for its open delicate structure. During the knitting I used half a ball of the yarn.You will be able to get 2 scarves out of this & for approx £10 retail value ,is a bargain!

During the knitting I came across only one join .This was joined by being neatly sewn on the bias & became hidden in the ruffle.I was happy with that.

I cant wait to wear this.I bet it will be really warm & keep out the seaside wind.

I reckon this is going to be the big winter hit in knitting terms.You can get the yarn at Rico stockists.Mine obviously came from The Wool Bar who have a website(its my local yarn store & has great coffee & the most lovely staff!).If its not online yet ,you will be able to give Caroline a call & order it over the phone.She has most of the colours in stock at the moment ,but I warn you ,its going fast.I will be getting some more very soon.

I forgot to show you my new knitting basket...

Isn't it great.I got it from Matalan for a fiver!

It has no sharp bits on it to catch my yarn on & will hold a large project & yarn to stop it getting on the floor.I can let the yarn unravel in the basket avoiding the work picking up any fluff the hoover may have missed .