A series of scarves = afghan

An afghan has quietly been creating itself along in the background all year this year. (Well, not exactly on its own, it has been relying on me to be quietly knitting along on the component scarves amongst all the other knitting this year).

We first met the afghan in all its glory in April - Anyone got cable! scarf-ghan though sneak peaks had made it into the blog before that.But I haven't really posted about it since then and lots of progress has been made. In fact its an almost functional couch blanket now.

It's time for round two. I have made 4 more scarves since.

Scarf number 5: Twisted ribbons
The fifth scarf is a hybrid cable and lace pattern which I started in early April. I started this using the two balls of cream coloured Panda Machinewash crepe I'd bought in an end of winter sell out. (Can't you see that this was a potentially disastrous move?) But the pattern just ate through the yardage and I inevitably ran out of yarn late April and ordered some more. Whilst I was waiting I cast on scarf number six. (Can't have idle knitting needles, can you?)

Then of course the new yarn didn’t match colourwise. I knitted about half a pattern repeat but it offended my sensibilities. The colour change was that dramatic! So frogged the lot on 1st June 2014. I bought two more balls and began again in the new cream machinewash. This was now going to be the June strip!

That was probably a little ambitious. Actually I cast this back on on the 22rd of August! I was finishing up all the the other WIPs (Two jumpers for various children being the biggest of them). And it was finally completed on 15th September. The irony was that after blocking this ended up about 2 pattern repeats too long so in early October I frogged a bit of it and redid the garter stitch edge so it fitted with the rest of the strips. This scarf should just be very happy that I am persistent in the face of adversity.

Pattern: Twisted Ribbons Scarf and Cowl
Needles: 4mm
Yarn: Panda Machinewash 8 ply Crepe, Cream, 4 50g balls

Scarf number 6: Bernadette cable scarf
I had a cold and everything else I was working on is too complicated for my brain to cope with. Cables again - waving cables interlocking gently. This was me being productive whilst coping with the saga of scarf number five (see above). This was smooth sailing in comparison. And the yarn is a dream to knit. (Pity I think it's discontinued).

Pattern: Bernadette Cable Scarf by SmarieK Knits
Needles: 4mm
Yarn: Panda Woolblend Crepe 8 ply, Gray, 3 and a little bit 50g balls.

Scarf number 7: Eagle feathers
This one is based on Eagle Feathers - a free scarf pattern with a series of different patterned bands beginning with simple chevrons and morphing through to full feathers. I started with a provisional cast on as it is worked out from each end. This was true stash busting. The yarn I used had a somewhat checkered past. I was reusing the yarn from Arundel which I had frogged during the Ravellenics. I had some some fun (not!) unpicking the provisional cast on and getting the correct amount of stitches to work the other way. This was a really fun pattern to knit and I especially love the feathers section on each of the edges. Unfortunately it ended up too long after blocking. It’s always hard to judge just how much a lace pattern will open up. So I took off one pattern repeat on each end and redid the moss stitch borders.

Pattern: The Eagle Feathers Scarf by Margaret Kiprenko
Needles: 4mm
Yarn: Patons Australia Katie, Tan / mustard, 4 50 g balls

 Scarf number 8: Beaumonde
Earlier this year I discovered the delights of dropping stitches on purpose (See Curly Wurly). I was eager to try this again. This was slated to be a cable scarf again. This pattern is a combination of cable and dropped stitches - the very definition of fun. It’s awesome to drop stitches on purpose. The yarn is some cream 12% angora, 48% viscose and 40% acrylic in a buttery cream colour I bought for $2 a ball in an end of season sale. So this something I actually bought purposely this year with this rug in mind.

Pattern: Beaumonde by SmarieK Knits. (She has an awesome collection of free cable scarf patterns available. This is the second one I have used as part of this scarf-ghan).
Needles: 4mm 
Yarn: Moda Vera Messina, cream, 3.2 50g balls

I decided to bite the bullet at the beginning of December and  sew what I had completed up in order to decide how many more scarves I needed to make to ge the width I want. This process took most of a week using my ususual evening knitting time to painstaking stitch the scarves together.

It's not quite as wide as I want it to be. I estimate I need two more scarves and one is already on the needles - a leafy lacy tendril on reverse stocking stitch. It's not too early to declare this project a massive sucess. Even at it's present size, it's a snuggly, cuddly useable couch rug. It stretches from my toes to my chest. Various family members have spent a fair bit of time trying to claim this for their own but it's mine, mine, you hear ..... (Cue evil laugh track here). However, I foresee me making variations on this theme for the next few years.... (My mum wants one, so does the hubby....)

I'm snuggled under this

Anyone got cable! - A scarf-ghan

Sometimes you have an idea that you know is going to be just awesome and fantastic fun to make but is going to take time to bring to completion. Anyone got Cable! is an ambitious long term project that I'm ready to unveil as a sneak peak now. I started this in January and it's likely to take me the whole year to complete.

So what is it? I call this a scarf-ghan. I was inspired by two free afghan patterns  made modularly sewing up from long strips of knitting; Boy's Afghan by Ann V Gallentine and  the Fisherman Sampler Afghan by Judy Gibson. I'm constantly finding gorgeous scarf patterns that my knitting needles itch to make. But much as I hate to admit it, a girl can have too many scarves. Why not knit all these gorgeous scarves, sew then up together and make a unique, one-of-a-kind lap blanket? A warm snuggly blankie is always useful.

This project is also a designated stash buster. I've been collecting / acquiring (possibly you could call it hoarding) an array of recycled pure wool from our local op shop for a couple of years now. This particular op shop seems to have a unseen mob of little old ladies who recycle old knitted garments into gorgeous balls of crinkle cut yarn. I've been collecting all the neutrals, a beautiful array of cream, eggshell, fawn, tan, mushroom and greys from silver through pearly gray to smoke.

This is a random sample of the selection of neutral coloured yarns I have.

January saw me start with a gorgeous Celtic cable scarf with the most complicated cable chart I've ever attempted. I also love this yarn. It's a gorgeous wool and mohair blend, a soft cream winter white with a smattering of small black fibres. This was a slow but satisfying knit.

Pattern: Everstar Scarf from Josie Mercier from Interweave Knits Holiday Gifts 2013.

In February I changed tack and went for a lace patterned scarf.

Pattern: Falling Water Scarf by Bonnie Sennott. This is a beautiful mock cable and lace pattern and it's free.

The second ball of yarn I used for this was having an exceptionally bad day. It was extremely dodgy with multiple knots. At one stage the back of the scarf almost looked like an Ood’s face with about 20 sets of ends in about 10 cm of knitting. I sewed in ends as I went though and as long as I was careful about hiding them by sewing them in vertically along the knit stitches in the back, it looks good.

Cables again for March though I have to confess I started this in early February casting on and completing one repeat before putting it aside for most of the rest of the  month.

Pattern: Pretzel Scarf by Margie Mitchell from Interweave Holiday Gifts 2013. 

This one was not love at first sight I have to admit. It took me quite a while to warm up the beauty of this one and I wasn't fully sold on it till I was nearly finished. The pattern looks so  much better in bulk so to speak.

This one is officially the April strip but I cast it on and completed it in the last week or so of March. Lace again.

Pattern: Victorian Lace Scarf by Rachel Leverton. Again this is a free pattern.

This is almost the same lace pattern as my Tribute Socks. (See Knitting Gymnastics: Tribute Socks). It was great fun to knit this lace pattern again on a larger scale. It almost flowed off the needles.

April's second strip is a combination of lace and cable and a free pattern: Twisted Ribbons Scarf and Cowl by Kristi Holaas. Here is its progress so far hanging out in the yarn basket in my lounge room.

I'm really loving how all of these are looking together so far. This is going to be a very special rug.