woodlands scarf

it is always so interesting to me

to see where an idea started and how it ends up.

today, swan’s island company released their fall 2016 collection.

my ‘woodlands scarf’ is one of the pieces.

if you like the ‘behind the scenes’

part of stories, here

it comes.

i thought that swan’s island was looking for patterns for their bulky weight yarn.

i was wrong, but that’s what i thought at the time.

i love chunky yarns and that attracted me.

so, i sussed out a new cable swatch and sent it along to be considered.IMG_2115sq

and they wanted it in the collection,

but in worsted weight yarn.IMG_1474sq

submitting designs is funny like that.

i once had a super bulky weight design accepted,

but was asked to rewrite the idea for a dk yarn

and you know what? i couldn’t picture it, but it looked great.

creative directors have visions for things that

i can mostly not even begin to imagine.

i just love the woodlands scarf stitches all done up in worsted.IMG_2116sq

in natural colors merino worsted,

both the yarn and the stitches shine, but

i never would have thought to try it without a little

push in that direction.

the photo above is the center back of the scarf.

you knit from both ends and wind up in the middle

where you graft the two end lengths together

so that the cool cable happening occurs right in the very center of it.IMG_2114 up2as a perk for designing it, i get enough yarn

in the yarn and colorway of my choice,

to knit one to keep.

i chose the same yarn the original is in, because it was so nice.

now, how well do you know me? can you guess which of these

gorgeous colorways i chose for my own?

and which one would you choose?

‘keep’ taken from 18:28 of the psalms.

sequential

i just wanted to knit.

something straight forward and nearly mindless,

in stockinette stitch and a stashed bulky weight yarn.IMG_1267+

but, the indian lake artisans needles that i wanted to use

were still in a hat that i’d started at vklive ny in january.

nothing, somedays it feels like

absolutely nothing, is a straight line in my life.

so, since the hat in classic elite yarns chateau was nearly done

i thought i’d just whip through the decreases lickety split

until i saw this:IMG_1266+

why didn’t i write down what i did as i went along?

huge designer no-no, unless you like to painstakingly stare at your knitting

trying to jump start your memory as you count

stitch by stitch to record what

 you think that you probably did when you were knitting it in the first place

and thought that you’d never forget – so why write it down?

deep sigh.

the thing is that it’s not that complicated of a hat,

i just didn’t want to take the time.

i wanted to be knitting with the richly red swan’s island bulky. IMG_0532+deep sigh again.

i did, for the record, figure out how i’d knit the chateau hat.

i wrote it all down and i finished the decreases.

it felt good

to have accomplished something

that i’m really happy with. i know that i’ll wear a lot in the fall.

patience is a virtue.  it’s true, especially when it doesn’t feel like it.

it’s probably most true then.

‘patience’ taken from 21:19 of luke.