Recycled Knitting

Several years ago - maybe 4, but that's not really important - I loaded JB's Eagles blanket in my car and took it to work with me. On my way home that night, I stopped at Great Yarns! and matched yarn to his blanket. I also bought myself a lovely pair of rosewood needles. If I was going to make a boring as all get out 1x1 ribbed scarf that was 6' long - I was going to use nice needles! Anyway, I worked on this scarf for weeks, in little bits and pieces to get it done in time for Christmas. JB was surprised as he didn't know when I had time to knit it - although a lot of it was knit right in front of him.

Anyway - it's spent years just taking up space in our scarf basket. Why yes we do have a basket in our entryway full of handknit scarfs - doesn't everyone?

It was finally time to turn the fiber into something useful. My friend Golden Tracks is knitting the double layer hat (rav link). I thought it would be the perfect use for this fiber.

So, I unpicked the cast off edge, grabbed some double pointed needles and starting knitting. The pattern calls for gauge of 20 stitches over 4", and has you increase to 90 stitches. JB has a big head and I didn't think that would be big enough, so increased to 108 stitches and followed the pattern from there. When I go to row 20 of the ribbing I decided to put it on waste yarn and try it on him. Well it was huge and I ripped back a few rows (all of the ribbing and then some) and then added 20 rows of ribbing and cast off. When I had JB try it on, I told him that it was to be two layers and he indicated it was warm enough. Because it was to be two layers originally, I didn't make the tails in the striped yarn long enough to weave back in - the would be hidden between the two layers.

As you can see - it still way too big. I'm knitting another from the remain scarf. This time In only increased to 90 stitches. I'm working 25 rows in the 'body' rather than the 40 the pattern calls for. Then I'll switch to 2x1 rib until I run out of fiber. When that hat fits better (as I'm certain it will) then I'll reknit this again.

It's a good think I knit for the zen feelings that knitting brings me and not for finished projects as it seems that lately I knit many things more than once. I know the "green" in the hat is more blue than Eagles green, but I swear it matches his Eagles blanket.