Monday, February 7, 2011

A Scarf Or An Ascot?

Ta.. Da.....! I finished it. The ascot my daughter had to help her mother with over the Christmas holiday. Or is it an ascot? I got to wondering just what an ascot was so I went where? Oh I can hear you all shouting it - the Internet, where else -and this is what I found.
An ascot is a tie that is narrow in the middle and widens dramatically toward the ends, and then comes to a point. With the scarf wider in the middle than on the ends and not coming to a point it is simply a short scarf. This suits me perfectly because I have hated scarves all my life. They are too long to tuck in nicely. They never stay slung over my shoulder because I'm too active. They are always getting caught in something - the car door, the goat's mouth, on the beef's fence etc. I figured the only good they were for was decorating my winter snowmen. So until now, I've avoided them. I did once make several hats that extended downward forming a scarf also but I'll show one of those to you on another post since who knows if I'll get to todays subject if I go off on this tangent.
I think I'm really going to like it. I have to laugh though. See if you get a chuckle too. Look closely, notice anything different from the first picture other than there is my glum face looking out at you. I just can't concentrate trying to hold the camera and smile too. It's more coordination than I've got. But no, look closely at the scarf. Yup, oopsy here discovered when she was photographing it that I'd put the buttons in the wrong spot. In my defense I was finishing the scarf while sitting on the bed with the three little girls and we were watching a movie. Lots of interruptions and my brain wasn't fully engaged in completing the scarf. Don't worry, there aren't any button holes. The buttons are decorative and there is snaps on a strip of fabric sew on the underneath the top layer and on top of the bottom layer to hold the scarf in place.
I wish you could feel this yarn. It's heavenly! Alpaca/wool blend and in a color I just love since it is a earthy natural tone. And even more awesome, there is enough to make this short scarf, a hat, and some gloves. No, I've never made gloves before but they can't be too much different than knitting lots of thumb holes only in a row. Or are they mm.... since your thumb is lower than your fingers? I guess I'll find out after I get the hat knitted but first I'm waiting on some needles to arrive since I don't have the correct size. I may need Toni, our daughter for the glove project, we'll see.
At least this first part of the set is completed and my daughter, to her surprise learned her mother doesn't know how to read a knitting pattern. One beyond the extreme basics that is. I've stuck to the same basic sock pattern, adding just slight variations over the years and the same for mittens though I've made scads of those. It wasn't until this past couple months that I've started figuring out new things like double mittens and a new type of thumb hole. Soon I'll show you another way I'm doing double mittens. In another day or two we'll know if it will work out or not or if Oopsy has done it again. LOL
Hats, well, I've made a few different kinds but nothing real challenging. As for sweaters, I've not made very many and yes, they were the same basic pattern also. All but the one of Kirks. I don't and didn't like that one very well so it wasn't repeated and not finished until last month when I added the elk horn buttons. This making lots of knitted items. led my daughter to the false conclusion that I really knew how to knit. HA!! fooled her didn't I?

But now some of you who have been following along are wondering whether blocking the scarf made a difference? I'm not sure.
I'll know for certain if blocking makes a difference when I take the hat I knitted over the last couple years, (it was put down and picked up numerous times), and block it. OOpsy here knitted it in too small a needle size and though it made the hat nice and dense, it also made the edges curl badly. I added some crochet to the edge to try and help the situation and it did but there is still a problem with curly locks. I don't feel too bad since our daughter, who knows more than I, just knitted a hat for her dad and it was with the correct needle size and the edges curled also.
This was my first Intarsia project. No, I didn't use a pattern for it either but I learned some excellent lessons.

1. I like the pattern better when it integrates from one into the other instead of ending one pattern and starting the next.


2. Intarsia is a pain in the __ -you know the relative to the mule. Looks great but changing colors so frequently isn't a joy.


3. An even bigger pain in the behind is weaving in all the yarn tails from all those different colors. The main reason it took so long to get to this point.

4. I don't ever want to do Intarsia like this again.

So there you have it. My latest completed knitting project and nearly completed project. Some of you are wondering when I have time to knit. When I put our youngest grand daughter down for a nap, I lay on the bed propped up beside her, rub her back a little while, and then begin to knit, staying there until she falls asleep. I do this again at bedtime. I get at least an hour a day in this way.

Last but not least, I completed the six bibs I started last year when our youngest grandchild would keep a bib on. They are hand towels shortened with left over ribbing from other projects sewn around the hole I made toward one end for her head. Oh well, she may never use them but I expect other grand children will be born in the future . One more UFO (unfinished objects)project down and umpteen to go.

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