A Christmas Knit for Mary

Each and every day that my mom and I are at the yarn shop, we fall in love at least seventeen times over with various knitting projects. Either projects that customers bring in, projects that we come across in new pattern books, projects that we eagerly show one another on Ravelry... there is simply never a shortage of inspiration when you spend your days at a yarn shop.

It's funny how often we fawn over a particular pattern for an entire day, pick out the yarn, the needles and maybe even bring it home, only to completely forget about it the following day. "What was that yarn for again?" is not an uncommon question that happens in my head. I just can't keep up!

One project that Mother Mary just couldn't shake however was a certain scarf called Lark from the Rowan Fine Art Collection. She just kept going back to it, day after day. But each time she would carefully pick the colour of yarn that she would want to knit it in, she would say "But that's $90.00 to knit it you know? I just can't justify that. It's a scarf!".

Now... if ever there was a woman who deserved to not only knit whatever she wanted, but also proudly wear a scarf knit out of $90.00 worth of yarn, it's her. She's been at the helm of a yarn shop for eleven years now, and quite frankly... she can do whatever the heck she wants.

The practical side of her however was having a hard time coming to grips with it all. So each day she would go through the same rhetoric, and each day she would go home sans scarf materials.

This of course, made for a easy easy decision when it came time to figure out what I was going to do for my dear mom for Christmas. It has been a while since I have knit anything for her, and of anyone I know, she is certainly the most deserving.

So, I wound the yarn, and got knitting.

And Ta-Daaaah! I actually finished it. I even finished it in time to wrap it and have it under the tree on Christmas Eve.

I must admit that while this was not a difficult knit by any stretch... it was a rather time consuming one. And I was determined that it be perfect. So that meant that if I discovered I had gotten mixed up with my wrapped stitches somewhere along the way, I would rip back and make it right. Something I wouldn't do for just anyone...

Baby, it's cold outisde

The yarn, is gorgeous. And so it should be! At $30.00/skein, it's pure and utter bliss to knit with, which is quite likely a large part of the reason why I had this completed with time to spare.

Big Thanks to Sister Emma for the photos

Not only that, it is also a delight to have cozied up around your neck as well. As pictured below, you will see that I may have tried this on. What isn't pictured is the multiple times that I may have tried this on.

I simply cannot resist a good knit wrapped around my neck!

Especially when it's cold enough outside that frost quakes become a 'thing'.

Handknit scarf, handknit sweater

For those of you who are already planning what to knit your Mother for Christmas 2014, here is everything that you need to know.

Pattern- Lark by the Rowan Design Team as featured in the "Rowan Fine Art Collection".
Yarn- Rowan Fine Art in shade 304 "Raven".
Needles- 2.75mm, 60cm Addi Turbo (Christmas gifts require that they be knit FAST, so only Addi's will do).

Sweater info can be found right here

Did I make any mods? Well yes, I did. The pattern calls for a 2.25mm needle... but I don't even knit socks that tight! I am a tight knitter, and felt that a bullet proof scarf was unnecessary, so I opted to bump up my needle size just a bit.

Also? I managed to get the length suggested in the pattern out of two skeins, rather than three. Which I think made my mother love it even more...

Stay warm dear knitters.

Mother Nature wants you to wear your wool.

And I strongly suggest that you listen to her.