Shibori Shizzle wrap came into being when I was stranded on a long airline flight and, horror of horrors, thought I had nothing to knit. Thanksfullly, after frantic digging, I found (4) skeins of yarn (in brand new colors) tucked into my carry-on, and one pair of US size 6 circular needles. I cast on & started knitting, working in the easily memorized feather & fan lace stitch ~ but to make it more interesting, I played with simple intarsia in bouncing rhythms of lace repeats, alternating my two pure silk yarns, Silken Straw & Sparky.
Working interim stripes of the silk/wool Sanctuary yarn, which felts with a beautiful halo, the gorgeous undulation created by the lace stitch is accentuated ~ fo shizzle, pure gold.

A Word about the Special Technique of Shibori Knitting
While the Japanese word “shibori” cannot be directly translated into English, it basically denotes a “shape resist textile.” Most people are familiar with the concept of Tie Dye (originally called “tie and dye”), which is the most popular understanding of shibori. Ties such as rubber bands or strings are secured on a piece of fabric, and then that fabric is dyed; the fabric resists the dye where it has been bound.

Gina Wilde’s shibori design is an exploration of manipulating knit fabric, harnessing the effects of working differing types of yarns together (combing felting and non-felting fibers in one piece). In this scarf, the silk yarns (A and B) act as a resist to the wool/silk felting yarn (yarn C). When felted in a washing machine, the silk yarns actually grow in the process, while the wool/silk blend shrinks and felts (or fulls). The result produces a textured and dramatic fabric, one that is light and airy, rather than the heavy dense fabric achieved when using traditional felting methods and yarns.