Saturday, August 30, 2014

A winter scarf - Ta Da!

A winter scarf

You might recall earlier this month, that, at the last minute, I decided finishing this scarf would be my August goal for A Year of Lovely Finishes. Well, I am happy to report that it worked. I carried this scarf around all month, on and off ferries, to Vancouver and back to my island, and I finished it. I have a vision of wearing this scarf in November with a black leather jacket on a windy fall day, not that I have such a jacket but it will work nicely with my other fall coat too.

A winter scarf

This yarn is by a designer named Noro from Japan. He blends the different colours before the yarn is spun and that is why it changes so gradually as it changes colours. Also, the yarn does not change colours exactly the same way every time and there is generally something unexpected thrown in like that bit of pink. I've forgotten the name of this particular kind of Noro yarn and its fibre content, except to say that it is fairly chunky and has some cotton, silk, maybe wool and other fibres in it too so it is soft and lovely.

A winter scarf

This is a pattern that my grandmother often knit - you get squares that look a bit like patchwork. For this scraf, I knit 8, purled 8 and repeated that. I worked 10 rows and then changed the order around (purl 8, knit 8, repeat.)

A winter scarf - while blocking in the sun

I gave this scarf a good blocking. I washed it in the sink with some dish soap, making sure it soaked long enough to get the inner fibres wet. I rinsed it without wringing it. Then I patted it into shape, rolled it in a thick towel for a few minutes and then took it outside to dry in the sun. It happily held its shape while drying and after.

Scarf - in progress

This is a picture of the scarf while it was being knit. You can see how lumpy it was where the stitches changed and how wavy the edge was. Blocking made all the difference - I highly recommend blocking everything you knit. Also, it cleaned out the year's worth of dust and dirt that the scarf had acquired as I carried it about to work on.

A winter scarf

My scarf model is tall, almost 6' now, and although he is thinner than I am, there is no doubt that this scarf is a generous size. It should ward off the Canadian winters very nicely.

A winter scarf

Scarfs roll up nicely like quilts. You can see that I did nothing fancy on the edges of this one, and after the blocking, they look neat and mostly even.










I am off to link up my finish with Shanna and Melissa. You can join AYOLF too, it sure has been working well for me. And this scarf was on my Q3 FAL list too!

One question, I am doing my Around the World Blog Hop post tomorrow night and I need one more person to tag. If you want me to tag you, please let me know in the comments or send me an email.

Best,

Leanne

16 comments:

Katy Cameron said...

It looks great, and somehow I was imagining it smaller and more delicate until your model featured with it on!

helenjean@midgetgemquilts said...

beautiful scarf, I have heard of noro wool. Things never look the same after I wash them, no matter how careful I am !

Gene Black said...

Fun! The Noro is a wool that I have looked at for weaving. I haven't bought any yet since I prefer to use cotton most of the time. perhaps I should get some and weave a scarf.

elle said...

It is quite lovely, Leanne.

What Comes Next? said...

that should definitely ward off some cold this year - looks lovely, and thanks for the tips on how you blocked it.

Vera said...

Congrats on meeting your goal! I used this pattern on my very fist jumper many years ago :)

Dyann said...

I love your scarf :) I am a begining knitter and I would love to make this scarf. What size needle did you use and how many rows did you make it? Did you drop your first stitch?

Karen said...

I LOVE all the places you put that scarf!!!.......now to wear it in the winter!!.... hope it is not as bad a winter as last though!!!......Good work!!.......reminds me of organic quilting!!!

Sarah said...

When I used to knit I loved that pattern of squares. It looks slightly woven to me and is very effective in the subtle blending of your yarns. Nice and cosy for the autumn breezes!

Karen said...

Gorgeous! I am completely addicted to Noro yarn. The beautiful colours and textures running past my fingers as I knit really keep me interested in the project. Wonderful stuff and I love what you've done with it here!

Cathy said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Cathy said...

Super lovely! Your model looks great in it too! The things our children will do for us!

Kirsten said...

This is so beautiful - love the pretty colours in the Noro yarns!

tusen said...

It looks light but warm - lovely. Great pattern too - thanks for sharing. Thanks for the tips on blocking, too - I only blocked one scarf and one sweater so far but it made all the difference.

MariQuilts said...

It looks fabulous!!!

Archie The Wonder Dog said...

It's lovely!