I started to work on a scarf last night.
I decided to start with the dark, evergreen yarn and cast on 36 sts to start the Cameron Scarf (see sidebar under “Patterns”). Got a couple of inches along and realized that the yarn was so dark, I couldn’t distinguish the Tweed mock-rib from the cables.
Frogged it.
Began again, taking a thought from the Landscape shawl and cast on 38 sts. This would go Garter - 5 sts, Seed St - 5 sts, Stockinette - 5 sts, Center Panel with single-st. cable - 8 sts - and then back out the other side the same as the first side except in reverse order. This was a little better. The seed stitch would have been better placed after the stockinette than after the garter stitch but I didn’t think it was too bad. But again the yarn was too dark to effectively show off the stitches - except for the single-stitch cable which was loose and sloppy-looking and on which no amount of “neatening-up” seemed to make any difference. I got about three inches done this time before I realized it was a lost cause.
I turned the light out at about midnight. Note: I didn’t say I went to sleep :) After fighting with the quilt and going from freezing to stifling in the space of what seemed like seconds (but probably wasn’t, really) and throwing Jade off me at least a dozen times (Persistence, thy name is feline!) I gave up. Turned the light on in the living room and finished my book. Still not sleepy.
Hungry, though… An onion bagel and a bit of provolone cheese fixed that right up!
So I watched some stupid television and tried the scarf one more time. This time I cast on 40 stitches and did a plain simple Tweed mock-rib (Even # of stitches, Row 1: K1, *sl1, K1, YO, pass slipped stitch over both K1 and YO; end K1, Row 2: Purl). This actually held some promise except that I cast on to size 7 needles and the yarn isn’t liking that. So I’ll rip this too and try it again on size 8’s.
Finally I did a few more rounds on the sock and realized that at last, I was getting sleepy enough to lay down. I opened my window and gave it another try. It was after 4:00 AM then. The garbage truck woke me at about 9:30 :)
So I don’t have any pictures this morning. For one thing, the yarn is so dark, I’m not sure it will photograph well though I’ll probably give it a try at some point. I’m trying not to worry about having bitten off more than I can chew with the idea of getting presents done. Worry is something I do very well, though :)
And you know what they say: Go with your strengths.
Have a great weekend everyone!
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the ‘thinking’ about a scarf is often more time-consuming than the making of the scarf- if i put all the ‘first couple of inches’ of all the scarves i’ve experimented with and then frogged together, i think it just might fit quite nicely around the equator-
wouldn’t it be nice if there was just an ‘off’ switch for the brain at night? of course, some might tell me that my brain stays in that mode!
cats triple in weight and furriness at night- a small kitten landing on you when you are trying to go to sleep feels like a fuzzy elephant is trying to share the bed-
stay happy-
Barb - Boy are you right about the cat! I have “restless legs” and all Jade has to do is settle down and they start giving me fits.
The starting process for the scarf only seemed endless :) One stitch at a time gets you where you want to go!
When yarn speaks sometimes the hardest thing to do is listen. :)
Wen - Especially if it’s saying something you weren’t prepared to hear!
Too true. Mea culpa, I’ve turned a deaf ear to my yarn and paid dearly for it.
I’m never going to understand why yarn has a voice, combined with such an unclear opinion. It drives me to distraction that all my yarn ever says to me is “That’s not it…”.
Steph - You’re so right. And it always seems to be a bit sullen that you haven’t figured out yet what it wants to be. Nice stuff, but definitely poor communications skills :)
yeah, I hate it when your yarn sulks and wont tell you what’s wrong!
Nat - Heheh…think we should make it stand in the corner until it decides to behave itself? Nothing worse than sulky yarn :)
