At dawn, on the third day, we ride!

So the Rohan scarf has begun! This is it about one and a half hours into the third attempt (we will not discuss the first two…)

And the back

I have recently started recording how long projects take me. Mostly for curiousity, but I expect that I’ll find a way to analyse it! Which is how I know that this is 1.5 hours work. I have an app on my smartphone (I can’t believe I actually just typed those words…), which can have multiple stopwatches on the go, and name each of them (very useful!). So all new projects from here on out will be recorded. (If I remember!) Fingers crossed that I remember to start/stop each time!

The scrappy blanket continues. This will be the last row of hexagons to be attached (finally!), so I’m trying to get through them. This is my take-around project, as the colourwork on the Rohan scarf is very complicated, and I can;t take it anywhere!

Eek! I can’t belive this thing is nearly finished!!! And then I’ll start a new one! Gotta use up all those scraps!

Not the modifications post

So, it turns out that I need to think more about the modifications I plan to make to cockatoo brae…expect that post later. Maybe a couple of weeks. Because…

I got more yarn! This has a plan. A very solid plan. Working out presents for my dad has always been awkward. So, this year I finally did the sensible thing, and asked him to pick from a small number(4) of scarf patterns. I offered:

1)A star wars double knit scarf. This one apparently was too busy for his tastes

2)Fellowship of the ring iconic scene scarf. I really thought that he’d like this one, but the fact that it’s sideways put him off

3) One ring scarf. This was a firm favourite, until I showed him the one that he did pick. I’m not quite sure why this one loses out to it but I must admit to being pleased. As well as already having knitted this, there is a LOT of stocking stitch. In the round. I’m not sure how long I could do that for!

4) Riders of Rohan scarf.(edited to provide correct link)This one won. I’m not sure exactly why, maybe he fancies himself a rider of Rohan in a different life…

I tried to not influence his decision at all (after all, I do want him to wear it!), however, I am happy that he chose this one. I haven’t knitted it before, and it seems interesting, but not too complicated. (I may do the star wars one for me later, just for the challenge…). I’ve never tried double knitting before, so I’m looking forward to giving it a go on something fairly straightforward 🙂

The problem is, I asked him what colours he wanted (homestly expecting the iconic green and white. How could he not want that???) to be told brown and brown. *sigh*. Well, he didn’t tell me, he showed me the shades he wanted from his current (shades of brown and brownesque) scarf. The first two shades he suggested were brown and a reddy brown almost exactly the same when viewed on greyscale…not going to happen. So then he suggested a sandy brown and a darker brown, which I agreed to.

Then came the hunt for the right yarn. I knew I wanted tweedy (I considered Rowan felted tweed DK but ditched it because of how expensive it would be…). I went around all the yarn shops in York (Ramshambles is closing if anyone reading this is also in York. They don’t have much left, but there may be a few nice things), and found this:

(The white is more off-white, something akin to cream). This met with my dad’s approval, and so the knitting can commence (this will delay the cockatoo brae plans more, but oh well. I think I need to spend more money and work out how to fudge dye lots for that one, so we’ll see…). I’m planning on using a 3mm needle, because I knit loosely, and double knitting is loose as well. My current projects are on 1.5mm needles and 2mm needles. This is going to feel large my conparison! Knitting can commence as soon as I find a set of 3mm needles (either straight or circular). If I have to go into town again to find a set, I will be rather annoyed…now, do I have any other needles than my interchangeables, and those that are being used already??? (And if so, where are they???)

Which one of those scarves would you have chosen? And why? If you have any alternatives from other fandoms, I’d also love to know about them. It’s too late for my dad though, he’s getting this one.