A Girl of too many Scarves

I’ve been browsing through my knitting journal (as usual) and I’ve come across an obvious but previously overlooked fact. I have far too many scarves. And hats. And probably shawls if you don’t count them in with the scarves. With leads me to conclude I must be a serial accessorisor.

In my 2 years of knitting I’ve only made one jumper and it didn’t fit. I’ve tried making up my own pattern (see my other posts for details) but stalled on the sleeves. I’ve started another, in the hopes that a pre-prepared pattern may once again lure me in again, but I can already feel the tug of other projects (some of which are, of course, scarves).

Being a serial accessorisor may no be a problem for some, but for a selfish knitter like me, who can’t bear to part with her finished works things are a little more tricky. I mean, just how many scarves is it realistic to wear at one time? And then there’s the whole too hot/too cold thing – if I get dressed once I can’t be bothered to keep putting things on and taking them off again, but the Underground, even in winter can still get hot and stuffy. And hats! Why are all my best hats completely unsuitable to take to work with me? If I get a cold head walking to the station I think a girl should be able to wear a devil horn hat without getting dodgy looks from all those ‘commuter types’. But sadly no.

One can’t even argue that it’s just that I lack the staying power to work on a sweater. I mean I’m sure that some of the lace scarves I’ve knit are far more involved and take just as long to knit as a full blown garment. Maybe then it’s all that stocking stitch? Which I also do when making socks…. No, I think it just comes down to the fact that I love lace weight and so many of the patterns that appeal to me happen to be scarves and shawls (not too many laceweight jumpers out there. Probably for the best).

A review of my knitterly habits to date would reveal a fondness for the following:

• lace weight yarn
• alpaca yarn
• scarves/shawls/hats/socks
• lace patterns
• mohair
• silk

I wonder how much a person’s knitting habits reveal about their personality….

My Raid on the Palace

This weekend has heralded the knitting equivalent of Christmas, with the Knitting and Stitching show coming to Alexandra Palace. I’d been looking forward to the event all year and even been saving a little stash of pennies so I could guarantee yarn-y purchases no matter what my financial situation at the time. Monday night brought the smashing of the money box, and a sense of unchecked glee at the healthy little sum inside.

Come Saturday, things didn’t seem so exciting anymore. Maybe because I had a ‘game plan’ of things that I hoped to get (none of which I could seem to find), or because as Eleanor says there was more ’sewing’ this time, or maybe because I had to wait so long in the queue (which I swear wasn’t there last time!) this year I just felt a bit cheated by the lack of ‘proper’ yarn-y goodness.

But don’t let that make you think that I saved my pennies and came away with nothing! Nope, here is a list of all the yummy stuff that I did manage to find, even if it was on the back up plan list.

• 2x Colinette Jitterbug
• 1x Manos Silk Blend
• 8x Colinette Parisienne (plus 3 contrast colours)
• 2x Twilleys Freedom wool
• 1x The Natural Dye Studio’s Cloud
• 1x Unknown skein of black mohair with a sparkly pink strand running though it
• 1x Scarf kit
• 1x Beret kit
• 1x Sock yarn

Here’s a couple of my faves:

And the best part is that I have a plan for all of these yarns, so they won’t just sit in the stash until next year until I find a suitable project. Admittedly they might sit in the stash until next year because I just can’t knit them fast enough!

So my raid on the palace did bring some treasures, but next time I’m considering giving it a miss. Maybe I’ll save next years’ money box for an Internet spree : )