half-assed knit blog
half-assed knit blog
half-assed knit blog

FO: Knotted Openwork Scarf

Finally blogging this. I finished it weeks ago, but, well, I suck.

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Scarves are annoying to photograph.

Pattern: Knotted Openwork Scarf
Yarn: Araucania Magallanes in colour 311, 1 skein
Needles: US 9

Hey look, I have a head!

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I’ve sacrificed a goat to the digital camera gods, which seems to have bumped up my self-portrait quality from “unflattering picture of a retarded monkey” to “unflattering picture of a normal human being”. Yay!

Anyway. The scarf.

… I don’t have much to say about the scarf. Hmm.

I followed the pattern as-is. Except I cast on fewer stitches. If I knew how many, I’d tell you. I’m counting… how do you count stitches in this wacky lace pattern? My best guess is 27 stitches. I guess to try to make it a bit longer. It’s not really long enough; I have to tie it in a knot around my neck instead of that thing where you fold the scarf in half and make a loop and then pull the ends through the loop and oh god I am making no sense. You know, the thing. The thing. Yeah, I got nothing.

The yarn is scratchy.

I’ve complained about this yarn. It is beautiful, useless yarn. I’m never buying it again. And oh, it is scratchy. I already gave it a Eucalan bath, but it’s still scratchy. I guess a conditioner bath is next. Or I can wear it on the outside of my coat collar where it will look pretty and not touch my skin. Why do people wear scarves like that? Well, I know, because it looks pretty, but it doesn’t do much for warmth. This is Canada; I need to keep warm in my igloo. Or something.

Eh, it’s full of giant holes made of delicate lace, so it wasn’t going to keep me warm anyway, right?

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So overall? Pattern = yay. Yarn = suck. Make this scarf. Make it with some textured yarn, because it looks pretty neat that way. Do not make it with Magallanes, because Magallanes is made of pointy sheep and sandpaper and bees.

13 Comments

  1. Margie says:

    I have heard it called a versace knot but I don’t know if that’s the right name either. The wrappy scarf loop thing.

    The stitch pattern looks excellent close-up. I am going to make one of these fer sure.




  2. chris says:

    LOL! You look lovely! And it does look pretty on, but scratchy – we don’t like the scratchy. Maybe it will soften up some with the conditioner.




  3. jamie says:

    Ooo that is pretty!! I was eying up that pattern to use with some hand dyed stuff I have…

    A conditioner bath will probably make a huge different. The cheaper the conditioner the better!




  4. marianne says:

    The scarf is beautiful and I do hope the conditioner bath rights all the points, sand, and bee stingers…
    You make perfect sense to me, understood what you were talking about completely… the scarf thing. yep. (seriously, yes)




  5. Julie says:

    Your scarf looks fantastic- great job!




  6. becca says:

    Ooooh. Purdy lacework. am I making any more scarves this christmas season (oh god, I need to get back to the mountain of mittens.)…. ’cause I’m really liking that pattern…. I don’t think so, though, incredibly. that does look like it would make you look very strangled, though, with its scratchiness.
    I’m really not making english well right now. but yeah… you get me. just like I get you with the foldy-loopy thing. Word.




  7. gloss says:

    Shame it’s so scratchy, because the colors and lace knots are just so very pretty.

    (I’ve just started reading your blog and I *love* your blog-voice. *g*)




  8. misty says:

    I totally know that scarf-loop thing!

    Lovely job, that pattern is very pretty. And I really like the yarn colors. I think to make up for the scratchiness you should make another one in something decadent like cashmere. :)

    And like gloss says, I love your blog-voice too.




  9. Ladylungdoc says:

    Could be worse – you could have knit a Calorimetry our of it like I did. Nothing like scratchy yarn up against your forehead!




  10. Trine says:

    I love the close-up of the pattern – so pretty! :) I might make this scarf one day, it looks like it’s easy to memorize but still interesting to knit..

    And dude, I didn’t know you were in Canada! If I do decide to move to Canada (temporarily, doing some crappy job for minimum wage – which is how much??) I am SO gonna stalk you.

    P.S. I’ll be the short and pale fake-blonde with the fake-British accent. ;)




  11. Starr says:

    I’m feeling you on the pointy sheep thing. I bought a ton of the stuff and ran across your blog while trying to research how to soften it up. Did the conditioner work? I bet this damn yarn wants the expensive kind.




  12. Meijigirl says:

    Found your blog by accident and so glad I did! I have been trying to buy this wool on ebay but no way if it’s scratchy – imagine what a whole jumper would be like…




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