FO: Child’s Feather and Fan Keyhole Scarf

Thanks to Knitty’s tutorial, I finally grafted the two pieces of the Feather & Fan Scarf together!  It ended up being simpler than I thought thanks to their method of holding the pieces back to back instead of laying them flat, one on bottom and one on top (like my knitting books showed).  I apparently grabbed a couple of stitches from the wrong direction, but all in all it looks very nice.

My daughter loves the scarf.  I have to admit, the yarn we dyed is so pretty.  The color changes are subtle and beautiful.  However, she tried it on this morning and said it was itchy.  I love the keyhole feature for keeping the scarf on my little one’s neck.

Mulitdirectional Scarf

With my Fall-colored hand-dyed yarn, I’ve decided to knit the Multidirectional Diagonal Scarf by Karen Baumer.  I really like the simple pattern, it’s nice and easy to bring with me or knit while I’m watching Criminal Minds (our new obsession).  The short rows really show off the variegation in the yarn and the colors are so vibrant, I know the wearer (possibly me?) will be lifted from the winter doldrums.  I’ve been working on it for about a week now, and it’s a little over a yard long.

Keyhole Scarf

My daughter requested a scarf with the yarn she dyed with Kool-Aid.  I scoured Ravelry, and finally settled on the Child’s Feather and Fan Keyhole Scarf by Ellen Mallett.  It’s a delightful pattern and really shows of the lovely variegations in the yarn.  I love the keyhole feature, as scarves are always coming unwrapped from my little one’s neck.  It’s an easy use of the feather and fan pattern, simple enough to take along and knit on my lunch break.  (My new nickname at work is Martha, as in Stewart, since I’m crafty enough to dye my own yarn and make things by hand I could simply buy at Walmart.)  My daughter loves the scarf, but it’s not quite finished.

See, I’m stuck on the grafting.  I looked in my knitting books but was quite disappointed at the complicated instructions.  A quick search on Ravelry turned up this nice grafting tutorial from Knitty that I plan to use when I have a few quiet moments to finish concentrate fully on it.

The Scarf Problem

I have a problem with scarves.  I start out strong, excited about the pattern.  I knit feverishly for a few pattern repeats.  Then I’m done.  My lust for new territory craft territory is satisfied, and I have no desire to finish.  Some examples now hibernating on the needles:

Linen Stitch Scarf #1 

Linen Stitch Scarf #2

Linen Stitch Scarf #3 – This is definitely my favorite colorway.

I thought these would be quick knits and good Christmas gifts.  In my enthusiasm, I bought alot of inexpensive variegated yarn and started too many projects.  I lost interest. 

Mistake Rib Scarf – Very, very ugly and itchy.  I wanted to use up the yarn. 

Norwegian Fir Lace Scarf.  This one is really pretty, and I do want to finish it.  But I have trouble remembering the pattern.

And again last night, the scarf bug took hold and I started a new one.  See, I have a tempting skein of mystery yarn that’s been sitting in my basket:

And I have a pattern I’ve been wanting to try: The Simple Ascot from Knit Ponchos, Wraps and Scarves by Jane Davis.  My mom made one out of Patons SWS and it turned out really pretty.  So I cast on last night while we watched American Idol.  Here are the first few rows:

So we’ll see how it goes.  Maybe I’ll get a yard or so done this time.