Scarf

I'm usually knitting to sell and don't often knit for myself, but I have a black scarf that I keep pulling out to wear because it 'goes with everything'. I decided that it was daft me wearing a shop bought one and certainly a lost advertising opportunity ;)

I set out to design a scarf with the qualities that I liked about the shop bought one. I wanted it to be soft, lightweight, 'cobwebby', double sided, in a dark colour but with an accent colour to lift it and it had to be long and finished with tassels. I chose a smooth charcoal slub cotton and a soft fluffy white synthetic for the accent colour.

When I finished the scarf, it was exactly as I had wanted, but I didn't like it and I couldn't explain why. I thought of selling it and knitting myself another, but if I'm not happy with something then I'm not happy to sell it either. Teen remarked that it looked like something you'd buy in H&M, I didn't ask whether that was a good thing or not.

I got stressed about the wasted time and work, I was disappointed, I resorted to stashing it out of sight in my knitting box and ignoring it. A week later I got it back out and I have worn it every day since!

It happens often when I finish knitting a new design. I need to put it away for a while before I can return to it and like the end result. I think it's because when you create something you are so immersed in it that you can't really see it as the finished item, you see the process, the minor imperfections, the bits you changed, the hours of work. It's necessary Only to step back so that you see the finished article afresh and appreciate it. That's how it is for me anyway.