The Red Scarf

I've been waiting until the light is good enough so I can finish off taking pictures of the red scarf. I have waited a week, and this has not happened, so I can going to post what pictures I have got. Lesson: next sunny day, take pictures of anything that I have knitted or crocheted to provide content for this blog, or else I'll have to crack out a few more salt marsh pictures.

Anyway, the red scarf is the first thing I have made from New England Knits. I didn't knit it from the book verbatim, instead, I stole the leaf lace panels from the Ashfield Cardigan and made them into a scarf. It has a six stitch 1x1 rib at each edge, and then I just worked the panels as charted in the pattern next to each other, presenting a branching effect. Rather than make a full length scarf, I decided to make it a third of normal length and finish off with buttons. I am especially enamoured with this length of scarf at the moment, as you can button up the scarf to fit your neck and then slip the loose end round your neck to double up the warmth, or display the loose end down your front. The real advantage of this length of scarf is that you can slip it in the pocket of a coat, without ending up with huge bulges from the balled up scarf.



I particularly love the buttons on this scarf. I bought them in the summer from a little craft shop in Minehead which, despite its unassuming exterior, always seems to have a couple of seriously beautiful buttons. I thought that I had lost them some time between purchase and returning home from Somerset, but I found them a few weeks ago - just in time for my 'RED' project, which they suit perfectly.



The RED is from Wollmeise Sockenwolle 80/20 in shade 'Vamp'. It is very red - described as Ferrari red, and indeed, a colour that is so bright that it is difficult to find a suitable project for it. In the end, I decided that mini-scarfs are the best way to show off the yarn - a little flash of colour in a full outfit. It also lets me get best use out of the yarn - 'Red Scarf' is the second mini-scarf that I've made from the skein.

This post is also about the wonders of blocking. I don't think I've ever really appreciated blocking - I have always been very tentative with my blocking, using lukewarm water and barely letting the project touch the water before extracting it, scared that prolonged exposure to water would mean that my project lost all its colour/felted/would never get dry. This time however, I used fairly hot water and pushed the yarn down until it was all wet so that no bubbles came out. Well, the result was wonderful. It went from having a fairly scrunched up look, as below:

To the lovely flat example in the previous picture, which I took straight after blocking. As soon as there is good light, I will endeavour to take a picture of the completely finished project!

Also, just on a blog note. Thank you Rebekah from Michigan for alerting me that the comments didn't work. I'm sorry that I hadn't realised that there was a problem. I've done some fiddling, and hopefully it is now fixed!