Inspired

I was inspired Sunday by a woman sitting ahead of me at church. She was ahead a couple pews and to the side of me, and she wore a scarf to dress up her plain black turtleneck. But I thought I could do it better.

Owning Teen Knitting Club by Jennifer Wenger, I was familiar with her “Teen Knitting Club Swap Scarf.” My version will be called the remnant scarf. Everyone in the club brings leftover yarns for everyone else to knit one or two rows horizontally on a new scarf. In my case, all the leftover yarns in my ever-full trunk of stash get worked into a scarf. The inspiration scarf had tails that were not woven in. Usualy, I look down on that — they were very conspicuous — but Sunday, I thought that leaving the tails out would mean a good excuse to make fringe with the leftover yarn, thus using more stash and allowing more leftovers to be worked into the length of my scarf.

I am quite proud that I figured out how to combine different yarn weights. Above, you’ll see Lion Brand Wool-Ease, super chunky weight, and Berocco Plush, chunky weight. I successfully increased the number of stitches to keep my work flat. Yay me!

I also hadn’t dealt with shaping for quite a while. So my first attempt, really a test for pleasing color and texture combos, was horribly uneven in its shaping. Envisioning an attractive width of sidesweep to snuggle against and narrow tails to wrap securely if needed, I really needed a flat scarf. I wanted a flat triangle, not a fabric full of mini-baubles. Remembering past patterns really helped — “Now that is why the increases and decreases are placed where they are!” A eureka moment occurred for me. Because of this more meaningful — rather than rote, follow-the-directions — experience, I am likely to keep this lesson in my heart from now on.