FF#12: knit a scarf

When you were young, what sort of things did 40-year-olds do?

When I was 10, I'm sure my mum knitted.

(I mainly remember her knitting tank tops, to be worn over blouses. She also got perms and wore crazy patterned tights, but no, I'm not planning to try out those this year.)

I did learn to knit a bit when I was wee, but just for the Brownie badge - embroidery was more my thing.

For Christmas this year my Mum - who I'd already enlisted to help with FF#12 - gave me knitting needles with about 40 stitches cast on, and a ball of yarn.

As soon as I unwrapped them I tried to knit. Amazingly, garter stitch came straight back to me like riding a bike! By the time the family settled down to watch Doctor Who I'd knitted about 6 inches and could almost take my eyes off the needles while I was knitting.

And today, five days later, I finished my first scarf!!

proudly wearing my work!

I have loved loved loved knitting. It's been a real surprise. It's all garter stitch, but today I learned how to purl so there should be no stopping me now.

I've always thought that I could never sit still long enough to knit. Maybe it's because it's the holidays and there's a lot of down time, but staying still hasn't been a problem (although I confess to knitting standing up!) - I got a load done at my in-laws house at our annual Boxing Day family gathering. Most of the scarf I knitted while listening to BBC Radio 4's adaptation of Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere in iPlayer, so staying still hasn't been a chore.

Okay, don't look to closely at the scarf.

Um... yes. Character. A scarf full of character.

It's got quite a lot of holes in it and it's a bit of a funny shape. I honestly have no idea how it ended up that shape. At the widest point I had 60 stitches and at the end I had 38. I couldn't have done it if I'd tried. My mum said "it's got character." My sister-in-law said "well, the weans keep interrupting you, that's why." They are both being very generous.


Today when Mum taught my to cast off I felt so bereft that on the way home I bought some more wool. I've already cast on and I'll be knitting as soon as I've finished blogging!

I want to keep practicing so it's probably another scarf on the way - it's easier now because I have no work and no college! But if I ever get to the stage where I can actually (gasp) follow a pattern, I'll feel I've really arrived.

Thanks to my brilliant Mum for helping me fulfill FF#12!

(My mum is on the left in this picture.)