28 Scarves in 12 months, can it be done?  By some, sure.....by me well, I don't know.  I'm going to give it all I've got.  I work full time as a kitchen and bath designer with my own business and I help my husband with his contracting business, and then there's the website I adore.

How did this get so out of hand?  Well, I'll tell you.....I love yarn, and I love yarn shops.  I see a yarn that I'd like to knit with in a yummy color, am not sure what to make - so, I buy enough to knit a scarf.  Someone else knits a cool scarf, and what do you know - I want to make that scarf.  I want to make something special for a special person, and I think I can make a scarf and it won't take forever or cost me a fortune.  28 Scarves later - well, here I am.

I don't know why I don't finish them, but I'm about to find out.  It was a little disturbing even to me, to learn of this many scarves ON NEEDLES.  One could call this needle harvesting!  I'm going to try very hard to focus like a lazer beam this year and complete every one of those scarves.  Some of these scarves are simple and some are more fancy.  All different colors and different yarns.  I'm excited to think that I will have 28 scarves or close to it for next years gift giving season.  So here goes, as I publicly stick my neck out.  Please join me if you have the same problem, only maybe yours is with socks or whatever.  I'll be blogging about this from time to time and showing you the finished product as I go.  Happy New Year - THE YEAR OF THE SCARF~

Scarf #13 - I always say that every scarf has a story.....well, the story with this scarf is, that some summers ago, I took a crochet class.  Let's just say that it didn't go horribly well.  The green yarn (Paton's Classic Wool) was provided to me for the class.  I was so frustrated and upset when I got home, that I decided I would KNIT something out of the yarn, so of course, a scarf.  I thought it was sort of boring by itself, so I added the 2nd yarn (Lion Brand Yarn Moonlight Mohair).  My friend Lynn had made a seed stitch scarf that I always liked, so seed stitch it was.

Scarf #12 - Angelina is my great niece.  She's 8 and a pistol!!  I was shopping at Amanda's Art Yarn & Fibers in Poulsbo, Washington, and I fell in love with this yarn.  It's called Jojoland Rhythm.  It's a worsted weight yarn made in China.  This yarn is such a mystery.  It seems to be a 4 ply, where all 4 plies are a different color that all constantly change at the same time.  I used 3 balls of yarn on this scarf and I didn't get a repeat colorway once.  This yarn is also very reasonable, but wool, so hand wash.  I fell in love with the colorway M06 which I thought was very playful and made me think of Angelina.  I hope she loves it!  The pattern I chose for this yarn is the Yarn Harlot's One Row Handspun Scarf pattern.  I thoroughly enjoyed the pattern, perfect for that mindless need we all sometimes need.  I also thoroughly enjoyed the yarn.....not only would I buy the yarn again, but I here that it comes in a superwash now too; perfect for projects for kids.

Scarf #11 - Better late than never.  It's been a while.  I've been distracted by projects that aren't scarves, and yarn I couldn't knit with for a year.  But I did get back on track, after wasting some time.  This scarf is a very simple and basic scarf, I just made up with no pattern using the mistake rib pattern.  The yarn that you see in this scarf is by Naturally, and it's called VERO, shade #11.  I enjoyed knitting with this yarn and would consider using it again on a project.  This scarf if for my book keeper Merit.  She does so much for me, and is so cool - she deserves a scarf.

Scarf #10 - WOOT, I hit the double digits, yeah!!  This scarf was made with Crystal Palace Yarns Kid Merino.  I bought this yarn at Debbie Macomber's grand opening of her store Debbie Macomber's A Good Yarn Shop in Port Orchard, Washington.  The pattern is by Classic Elite yarns, "SINFUL" Ribbed Scarf.  I totally enjoyed making this scarf, even though it was on size 4 needles, because this will be a gift for a friend of mine.  I didn't know it was going to be for her when I purchased the yarn, but it all fell into place.

Scarf #9 - the scarf that inspired all of this, is for my girlfriend Dawn.  I was drawn to purchase this yarn in the first place because of the color of her eyes, and the color of this yarn.  She has the prettiest blue eyes, that I thought this scarf up by her face would be so pretty.  I pondered the pattern -- because these decisions are key.  I swatched and ended up with this lovely scarf.  I loved knitting this; why I didn't finish it is beyond me.  I would make this scarf again.  You know, how after knitting a long scarf, you're sort of done.  Well, this I would knit again.  The yarn is shear yumminess of heaven.  It's a hand created yarn, made by Heidi Parra, owner of The Artful Ewe in Kingston, Washington, not far from my house.  It's a hand spun, hand dyed blend of Angora and Merino.  Dang Heidi you do good work.  The scarf will be saved for a Christmas gift.  The pattern came from The Twisted Ewe of Port Townsend, Washington, and it's called Basic Crab Claw Scarf.

Scarf #8 - more Noro Kochoran.  Loved the colors in this yarn, so of course I had to buy it.  And what to make?  Another scarf - duh!  This is a mistake rib pattern, but the yarn is yummy and warm I might add.  I purchased this yarn at a shop that has since closed - boo hoo.  I hate it when that happens.....but I'm here to tell ya that shops open all the time as well.  Now for scarf #9, which one to start working on????

Scarf #7 is the Koigu Linen Stitch Scarf.  I got the pattern from my LYS Churchmouse Yarns & Teas; it's a download from their website if you care.  I however, did not use Koigu -- I used Curious Creek Yarns Serengeti and Samburu.  I am happy with the turnout, it's long like 70".  I will most likely keep this one for myself.  On to scarf #8.

Scarf #6 is called Kochoran Cabled Scarf using of course Noro Kochoran yarn.  I received this pattern years ago from a friend, of course, ran right out and bought some Kochoran yarn and started it immediately.  I remember how excited I was that my LYS carried this yarn and made it so easy for me.  Then it sat, whilst other projects took center stage.  Well it's done now.....BUT, I do have another Kochoran scarf in the pile.  When I first started knitting, my favorite yarn was mohair; until I met angora, yarn yumminess!!

Scarf #5 is the Irish Hiking Scarf by Adrian Bizilia and it's published in Hello Yarn.  I would call the Irish Hiking Scarf a "classic".  It seems like everyone has made one or more.  The yarn I used I bought at my LYS Churchmouse Yarns & Teas because I wanted a pattern they wrote that went with the yarn.  I'm sure everyone has done this at one time or another.....then you ask yourself ??? I could have just bought the pattern.  Anyway, I ended up using the yarn on this scarf.  It's called Manukau Charisma.  It's a 100% pure New Zealand Wool 8 ply dk with 436 yds.  This scarf ended up at 58", so yes cables do use more yarn.  The yarn is scratchy, but I like the colors.  I hear that when you wash these types of yarns they become more soft -- we'll see.  I agree that the variegated yarns don't work the best with a cable pattern; you want to look at the pattern, but your eye really sees the yarn. I'm still happy with this scarf and am happy to have 5 scarves finished.

So here's the rest of the story:  Scarf #4 - When I had originally, decided that the scarf below would be Kyle's, I thought it would be fun to do a his & hers.  My niece Jennifer and her husband Kyle are a very fun and close couple.  I thought they would be the type of couple that would wear matching scarves.  My niece LOVES pink and I never really ran across a Noro Silk Garden in pinks around my local yarn shops.  In any event, I ended up buying two different colorways that I thought would be complimentary, and I had decided to just make me a scarf. I cast on for this scarf on a road trip from Bainbridge Island Washington to San Antonio Texas.  As I was knitting it, and now realizing that the other scarf would go to my son Kevan, I thought DUH, I'll give this scarf to his girlfriend Kim.  So it's still a his & hers story.  Here is scarf #4.  I think that these scarves have a very organic look and feel to them.  I did make this one a hair more narrow for the girl version, and I bound off at 60 1/2".

Scarf #3 is the Noro Striped Scarf by Jared Flood.  I caught on to this scarf a little late - you know, everyone else had already made it.  Well, even though late, I loved the scarf.  I already had the cream colorway of the Noro Silk Garden in my stash, so purchased the darker colorway to go with.  As I was knitting it up, I thought it looked masculine, and wanted to give it to my neices husband Kyle.  I enjoyed the process of the scarf and thought it would be fun to make a girlie version for my niece.  As I was knitting away on it, my son decided he liked it and claimed it.  The second part of the story is that there is a his and hers version - of course this is the his, for my son.....and the hers is next - stay tuned.  This scarf finished up at 63" in length.

I sort of think that every project has a story.  This scarf was started from fear.  About 3 years back, I went for my routine mammogram, and got a call back about 5 days passed.  They wanted me back for more pictures, because they saw something new.  I went back got more pictures taken, and they decided they wanted to take a biopsy of the area to look further.  My ordeal ended well, but in the meanwhile, whilst waiting for this appointment, and the call backs.....it seemed to be taking an eternity.  And the worry, well, let's just say, I didn't do so well in that department.  What could I do - KNIT! So, I chose this yarn and this pattern, and just started knitting.  When things were resolved, the scarf was not completed - but I needed to put it down and do something else; it was the biopsy scarf.  So, this scarf is for me.  The pattern is a mistake rib, and the yarn I used - well there are two:  Louisa Harding Kimono Angora and GGH Soft Kid.  When I picked this scarf back up to finish, it was 43" already, and finished it up at 57".  I always plan on about 300 yards for a scarf, and here just knit to the end of the yarn.

Here is scarf #1:  A basket weave design using Plymouth Yarn Baby Alpaca DC and di.ve' Scaletta.  when I started this project, this scarf already measured 51", it finished at 60".  That was the end of the novelty yarn, but I think plenty long enough.  Unfortunately, not all the scarves have that length.  Oh well, one done right?