Winter Project

Today I'm linking up with Jennifer at Thistlebear and her Winter Project Link Party. Thanks for hosting Jennifer! 

I usually have something on the go throughout the winter. At this time of year it's most often a Christmas present. Right now I'm working on two scarves for two of my daycare kids. I'm often in a quandary with the kids because I know they get an absolute ton of gifts at Christmas from parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents (these two kids have 3 sets of grandparents), and friends! I have to keep my gift giving expenses quite low, and have been able to keep each gift at $15 each for many years. It's surprising what you can come up with for $15. A lot of times I'll give a small child a book with a handmade character or two that match up with the story. Last year I made felt animals to go with the book "The Mitten". It was fun to make and well received. 

This year the scarves are going to be given to the older kids. I had to wait until the kids wore their new winter coats so I could see the colours of them. The girl's coat is purple and blue with lime accents. I went with just the purple and blue.

I'm using a simple knit/purl pattern called the Two-Stitch Check. Basically you knit two, purl two all the way across one row. On the return row you purl the knits and knit the purls. It makes a surprisingly pretty pattern that is thick and squishy ... perfect for a cozy scarf. I also did two knit stitches at the beginning and ending of every row to make a slight border. The best part about this pattern is that it's the same on both sides, which is something you want for a scarf.

Since I'm only knitting four rows alternating with each colour, I twisted the yarn not in use up the sides. You can see that in the photo below.

I've decided to use up both the balls of yarn, and that will determine the length of the scarf. I thought I might like to add some pom poms on the ends, but I won't have enough yarn for that. Right now the scarf is 50 inches long. I worried a bit that I made it too wide at 8 1/2 inches, but everyone I ask thinks it's a nice width. The girl who is getting this is as tall as I am, so she's not a tiny thing. The scarf folds over nicely without too much bulk, so I think it'll be okay. 

I'm using acrylic yarn since I don't think the mom would bother to handwash a pure wool scarf for her kids. I prefer wool myself, but this is a fairly nice acrylic, and the colours were perfect for the girl's coat.

The next scarf will be for her brother. His coat is orange and grey. I have the yarn already, and will start on that as soon as I finish the purple & blue. I want to do a two-row alternating colour scheme, but still have to decide on a pattern. It might just be 1 x 1 ribbing to keep it simple and so the scarf will lie flat. However, I really, really hate doing a knit one, purl one pattern ... so much bringing the yarn forward and back! 

Thanks for stopping by during this very busy month!

Wendy

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