Monday, November 12, 2012

Remedies

That line from Mick and the boys is still running through my head, like a mantra, as I begin this new week.  That, and the phrase I keep threatening to use as a new title for this blog:  "however long it takes".  Both began to haunt me when I finished P's scarf and found it continued to curl at the edges, even after blocking -- largely due to its 50% acrylic content.  I couldn't get what I wanted: a flat, narrow scarf.

What to do?  Add an edging, of course!  The scarf is 4" or so from edge to edge, so I needed a trim that wouldn't overwhelm it, yet fit in with the pattern.  After some searching, I found the one in the photo below, courtesy of Laceknitter's 1884 Knitted Lace Sample Book.  With the help of tutorials from Miriam Felton and Kelly Petkun (KnitPicks), I managed to make a start.

But. (Notice there's often a 'but'?)

At 6 stitches across, in this yarn, on 4.5 mm needles (same as for the body of the scarf), it was too wide -- and too lacy.  Hmmm.  Still not getting what I wanted.  So...I switched to 4 stitches, and a plain and simple seed stitch pattern which, as you can see from the photo, is moving along neatly, narrowly and smoothly.  I got what I needed.




But (again?!)

This scarf is over 60" long on either side.  When I began, I wanted a simple, quick-to-knit gift for my friend.  To make it properly, to do my best job, though, I realize I have to be patient for (you guessed it) however long it takes.

P.S. A word about 'followers':  Somewhere along the line in the past couple of weeks, I've reached 50 followers -- 50 Gentle Readers who put up with my wildest, wackiest, most sentimental posts and keep coming back to see what's new.  Thank you!!!!

1 comment:

Darlene said...

Make it 51! Just figured out how to do it. I can be a little slow with some things. Go figure :))