Matching Beanie

For those who read about the scarf I made for Leigh, you'll notice the first thing we did was purchase wool. The obvious problem with this is guesstimating how many balls to buy. Particularly when we hadn't decided on the style or length of the scarf.

We guessed 5.

This turned out to be too many for a scarf, but just enough for a scarf and matching beanie.


The great thing about ribbing (yep, when i said matching i didn't just mean the colour) is that it stretches and contracts. As such, the first 18-19cm of the beanie is dead straight (102 stitches).

That's when it got nerdy! With a pen and paper i devised a system of repeating units and stitch combinations, such that in 8 rows i could get 102 stitches down under 10 - whilst maintaining a relatively linear rate of decrease, and also preserving the rib formation up to the tip of the beanie.


In the end i think it turned out ok. Hooray for Maths!

A Real Winter Scarf

A good friend of mine (Leigh) has just left for Britain. As a going away present i offered to make a scarf for those cold English winters. After an expedition to the local wool shop where she chose a wool of her liking, we decided on the style.


As you can see, we decided on a K2P2 rib style. (For those playing at home, the width is 42 stitches. I chose that because as well as being approximately the desired width, 42 - as science fiction fans like Leigh are aware - is the answer to everything). Apart from having a good look, the structure of the this style of knitting gives a good thickness to the scarf. And when worn in the double-over-thread-through fashion, it provides even more warmth around the neck region. (Did I mention this is for english conditions?)


However, Leigh prefers to wear it in this manner, which she thinks is more reminiscent of Doctor Who (circa 1980s). I'm sure she'll change her mind when she reaches London, and style gives way to warmth. It's somewhat surreal to be test-driving a scarf on a 34 degree Brisbane day.