First Class Scarf

I teach knitting at a local shop. It's not a yarn shop; we don't have one of those nearby. It's a lovely little place called Art & Soul Studio. It's part bead shop, part ceramic shop, a real creative do-it-yourself kind of place. The owner, Lori, is a good friend of mine and I sell some of my finished pieces, knit, crochet and beadwork in her shop. She's an amazing watercolor artist. She taught Botanical Illustration at the The New York Botanical Garden and now teaches an adult watercolor class at Art & Soul. I teach knitting and crochet and the occasional bead workshop.

The class I run is three two-hour lessons, one a week for three weeks and ready access to me if they need it. I take them through the basics and when all is said and done they can follow a simple written pattern, cast on, knit, purl, increase, decrease, knit in the round and bind off. At least that's the plan. Of each class I've run, one or less people actually emerge as knitters. It's been interesting.

I had planned to start up another class after Thanksgiving. Looking back that was a nutty idea. I always think I can get more done than I possibly can on a regular day. Throw in all the work to get ready for the holidays and it raises multi-tasking to a new level. I think the shorter days induce some sort of mental time distortion.

All the running around makes me want to knit. I crave the simplicity of it. It's meditative and a pattern that requires attention puts me very much in the moment. I get cranky when I can't do this every day. To make the most of this obsession tendency of mine I make at least two or three gifts each year. This way I justify extensive knitting time: these are gifts for others and I am being frugal with the holiday budget. I get to knit and friends and family get thoughtful well made gifts and I'm not cranky. That's win/win in my book.

I was all set to do this holiday multi-tasking thing one better and make one of the gifts be the knit scarf pattern I designed to teach to my beginner class. I'd make the scarf along with the class and gift it to my son's girlfriend. Sometimes I'm so clever I amaze myself. She's a lovely girl and they've been dating since June. Granted they are juniors in High School so I asked him how things were going. If I'm going to knit something for someone it helps if they will be around for Christmas to get the gift. He assured me they were doing fine.

I should've known better. I was sitting and knitting on this scarf when my oldest daughter asked what I was making. I told her it was a gift for the Girlfriend. She looked at me and said "You know they broke up, right?" Yes, my fearless son was too chicken to tell me that he dumped his girlfriend. When I asked him why he didn't say anything he said he felt bad because I was knitting her a scarf. I waited a moment to see if he saw the flaw in that logic. No such luck. I wondered out loud when he was going to let me know that I was wasting valuable Holiday knitting time on a no longer needed gift. When it was done? When I wrapped it? Did he hope I just wouldn't notice?

So I have decided on two things: when I am done with the rest of the holiday knitting I'll finish this scarf and give it to my sister; I will not knit another thing for any of my children's romantic interests until they are at least engaged. 

The scarf is easy by the way.

Cast on 31 stitches, work 10 rows of seed stitch (K1, P1)

Work 7 rows thusly: 8 seed stitches (take your cue from the row below) 15 stitches of stockinette, 8 seed stitches

Next 7 rows: 8 seed stitches, 4 stockinette, 7 reverse stockinette, 4 stockinette, 8 seed.

Next 7 rows: 8 seed stitches, 15 stockinette, 8 seed.

Then work the next twenty one rows the same but do reverse stockinette where the stockinette is and stockinette where the reverse stockinette is. All the while continuing the seed stitch border. It makes a lovely square in a square design and it really is a simple pattern. I usually do about ten repeats of the twenty one design rows and then finish off with ten rows of seed stitch. For the class I have this written up row by row.  I have my students use size eight needles and one ball of  Patons Classic Wool. It's 100% Merino and comes in a dozen or so colors. The scarf in the above picture is made with size eight needles and Lion Brand Microspun in Royal Blue. Any problems with my half-baked instructions; let me know.

Comments

[christine]

I am knitting this beautiful scarf for a gift and I have gotten to the point where I did the next twenty one rows but I am having a problem continuing from there. I cannot get past the second block. If you could help it would be great.

[Pennie]

Your scarf is very pretty . . . love the detail and that color blue :)