Tuesday, October 18, 2011

It has come to this

Last week I kinda shocked Trish when I mentioned I'd just bought two winter scarves.  "Your stash isn't big enough??" she asked.

But here's my theory: If you're wearing a handknit hat and handknit (or handsewn from felted wool) handwarmers over your gloves and handknit socks, and maybe even a handknit cardi (what a hope!) under your coat, you might look a little too much like a good thing.  If you have the odd woven scarf to throw into the mix, the knits stand out more.  Personally I'm just proud not to have shelled out for a loom.  Because you know that's gonna happen.

Naturally my priority was the sort of intensely boring accessory I would never weave even if I had a loom.  To whit, from Club Monaco, a finely woven very long black merino thing with fringe (which keeps catching on everything from my purse zipper to the inside of the dishwasher door: You Have Been Warned).  It is warm and unbelievably soft - I have no softer stash fiber, and fyi there's qiviut in that cupboard - and unfolds to massive proportions even by shawl standards.  Textural lift aside it looks dull as ditchwater on but serves its two purposes well.

Two Purposes

a/ keep me warm without drawing attention away from whatever way spiffier thing I am wearing

b/ keep those super itchy wool cardi collars away from my neck already

At a very long concert the other night it also proved entertaining to a small child who improvised a stuffed-toy relationship with it.  I did say 'soft', right?

Having established that this whoa expensive item was justified - though actually it cost just a few dollars more than the two skeins of yarn I'd have needed to make one myself, making it bargainlike - let's move on to Scarf Number Two.


This one cost $17.  It's only mostly wool - the rest is I think nylon.  It was woven on some fancy loom in Italy and a friend who saw it after the sleek black one said Oh.  It looks like a throw blanket.

Fair enough, but I had to have it, because I was pretty sure I had something to go with it.


See what I mean?  Woven and knitted stuff is just meant to go together.  Though this picture reminds me that lipstick also has its place.

(Hat note: I didn't show you this one before because it is a Fail.  I must have worked it out three different ways and it's still more mushroom cap than slouch or beret, plus the stitchcount shift between small brim and full band is bumpy.  However, it's made with alpaca, and hand-dyed art yarn, and also some handspun plant-dyed yarn from Sally, so I wear it anyway.)

4 comments:

Kathleen Taylor said...

Knitted hat and woven scarf? Match made in fiber heaven!

andrea said...

i can not see a problem with your beautiful hat. i would wear it with pride.

Tammy taylor said...

Looks GREAT to me :)

Unknown said...

I love the scarf shown!! And I seriously want a loom so I can weave to. But I don't need another hobby!!!!