Getting Stitched on the Farm

Utter disbelief - I made myself something! and I actually finished it!

They say the cobbler's kids have no shoes. I know the feeling. I haven't made myself anything in at least ten years. Today I have an reddish orange sweater on that I made at least 15 years ago. Don't get me wrong - I knit but it's always for someone else - and usually not someone in my life that I love - usually for a model who will wear a sweater for about fifteen minutes. Then the project travels around to yarn shops and some knitters get to look at it. I guess after a few years, the project ends up in a "sample sale" and someone buys it and enjoys them. Oh, the glamourous life of a knitwear designer.

I knit a lot of swatches. Swatches are the learning and designing tools that I use to plan a sweater. I keep all my swatches in a pile in a closet hoping the moths won't terrorize them. I refer to them over and over to remind myself how a particular color combination worked or didn't work. Someday I will turn them into a giant blanket to cover a bed.

So today, I am proud to present to you something I made and actually finished for myself. It's a simple scarf knit in reverse stockinette stitch ridges made of many colors of Julia. One day I might add the pattern to my blog site as a free download. Unfortuantely I don't have time for that now - I barely have time to write this post.


Things in yarn land really heat up in January - I've got a lot of projects to design for companies and magazines. It's scary. Although I was knitting over the holidays, it was knitting that didn't help my work load. Those "step-outs" for t.v. appearances can really set a girl back. And then there are the trade shows that this year I chose not to go to. Thank goodness - otherwise I wouldn't be able to work on my real work. But I will miss the hustle and bustle of the show and seeing folks I haven't seen since June but have known for twenty years. Have fun everyone!

Back to the scarf..... I started it at my local FiberTwist back in October on a long circular needle. I like to knit scarves this way - I only have to knit about 8" and it's done. Vertical stripes are fun too - not to mention that there aren't as many ends to weave in. This scarf is very similar to one I did for Pam Allen's Scarf Style. It was the first one in the book and it had pom poms on the ends. This time, I chose to add braids to each end. I left my yarn joins long and braided the ends in with the yarn I added for the braided fringe. No weaving and it looks really pretty.

I've been wearing this scarf around town and everyone loves it. It's pretty long so it is a double wrap. Tonight it is supposed to be 18 degrees - I actually might need it. I especially like the fact that I can use the scarf as a learning tool. By isolating different areas of stripes, I can find a color combination that could turn into something else. Maybe I will write about that one day.