Web-Letter, Issue 46 – Provence Summer Breeze Headband The idea for this week’s project is a favorite of mine. Of all the small projects that are fun to knit, headbands aren’t just quick to do, they’re interesting to shape and pretty to wear. See what Kristen TenDyke has to say about her experience making the Summer Breeze Headband in Provence, CEY’s lovely Egyptian cotton yarn. Take a look at this week’s Yarn section. As satisfying as it is to learn about fibers and yarns, I’m completely intrigued when I discover how a given fiber—plant and/or animal—has played an important role in a country’s history. Far from being an isolated industry, fiber—its cultivation, harvesting, processing, spinning, packaging, and shipping—can be intimately connected to how a group of people simply survive or flourish. But more than that, fiber has been an intimate part of historical events that effect even greater numbers of people. One could argue that cotton’s requirement for a large, cheap labor force had a great deal to do with the advent of the Civil War. But while the U.S. cotton industry ground to a halt during that era, cotton became a gold mine in Egypt—as Cecily Glowik explains below.
The Story: Since I dreadlocked my hair, about a month ago, I've constantly worn something to tame the wild things and keep them away from my face. I have a cloth wrap that I tend to use a lot, since it's black; but as the warmer weather is upon us I realized that I needed something that will let the air through. The dreads keep my head warm enough, they don't need the help of a solid piece of fabric. So I cast on for a knitted headband with an open stitch. For my first headband, I cast on and knit evenly for a few inches then bound off, but it was really bunchy at the bottom, under my hair, and pretty uncomfortable. I still wear it, but it's not something worthy of a pattern. Since that disaster, I've been stirring this design around in my head, perfecting it. This headband is cast on using a provisional cast on, increased where the lace is worked, then decreased and grafted to the cast on stitches. The provisional cast on prevents any seam from chafing my neck, plus fewer stitches in the section under my hair makes it more comfortable and less visible. The Yarn: Provence — 100% mercerized Egyptian cotton Cotton fiber comes from a plant related to the hollyhock. It requires a warm climate to thrive. The humid climate and rich soil along the Nile are perfect for growing fine cotton. The long, thin fibers of Egyptian cotton make yarns that are durable, softer, have a subtle sheen, and are easy to mercerize. In the 1800’s cotton production in Egypt brought money and the credit system to Egypt, which helped to modernize it. When cotton production came to a halt in the U.S. during the Civil War, the Egyptian cotton industry exploded. However, due to over spending by the leaders in Egypt, the wealth was gone when the U.S. began again to produce cotton. Here is some more information. The Stitches: A provisional cast on is used when you want to cast on stitches and leave some live stitches at the cast on edge. These live stitches can then be picked up and worked, or grafted to other stitches. This techinque is perfect when you want to work something seamlessly. Learn a provisional cast on.	more photos The Pattern: Here is the free downloadable Provence Summer Breeze Headband pattern.
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