Unearthing my Henry scarf
Posted on: May 30, 2009
Awake from hibernation & relaxing by the window
From the vast darkness of my bottomless “craft closet” (an actual closet in my apartment overflowing with crafty mayhem), I managed to unearth a very noble, classy, and sophisticated project – the Henry scarf, originally published in the Fall 2007 Knitty. I absolutely love the design of this scarf. The cleverness is astounding, really. I love how the pattern makes this knitted piece look like woven material, and herringbone in particular. Oh, herringbone, you are my long-lost love! I really can’t wait to add this stylish and elegant scarf to my winter wardrobe.
Project Specs:
- Pattern: Henry
- Pattern Source: Knitty, Fall 2007
- Yarn: Jaeger Matchmater Merino 4-ply in pale blue, purchased at The Knitting Niche in Greenwich, CT
- Needles: US #3 (3.0 mm) Inox 40-inch circulars
- Current Level of Crafty Excitement: Blah
Progress so far
As you can see from the photo above, I’ve actually completed quite a bit of this scarf, although there is certainly a LOT more to go. The thing is huge – 452 stitches across and scrunched to fit on my 40-inch circs. Whoa baby, those are some long-ass rows. In fact, the reason this project is so “blah” right now (and part of the reason it’s been in hibernation since I started it in the fall of 2007) is because those incredibly long and tedious rows take forever to knit, and the project moves along at a snail’s pace. A tired, drunk snail, actually. A snail who’s lost all its slimy little will to live and has essentially given up and decided to die a miserable death on a scorchingly hot sidewalk. Ahem.
So what’s a girl to do? I really, really love the design, and I would get so much wear out of this scarf in the winter… but how can I muster the determination to slog through the rest of this beautiful but mind-numbing beast? When I dug it out of my closet this afternoon for the photo shoot, I was very tempted to work on it a little bit, but then I remembered that it takes 20 minutes just to get through one row, and I was like “screw that!” and put it back in the closet. *sigh* Is all hope lost???
To distract myself from the monotony, let’s focus on the clever design. The photos below show a close-up of the pattern from the front and back. The front is the herringbone design that I absolutely adore, and the back doesn’t look too shabby at all. In fact, the back looks pretty damn good and almost exactly like the front. Like I said, such a clever design!
Herringbone pattern - front view
Herringbone pattern - back view
In the front view photo, you can also see the 3-stitch slip-stitch edging that’s incorporated into the pattern. These slipped edges form the top and bottom of the scarf, and the sides are finished in some fancy way that I am too lazy to look up right now. I used a crochet-chain cast-on, which is usually indicative of some kind of fancy finish. We’ll see if I ever get to the finish line in the first place!
Oh, Henry scarf, the thought of wearing you this winter is so appealing, but the thought of knitting all those long-ass rows makes me want to jump out the window. Such a conundrum… but maybe if I work on a row here and there, I might start to see the light at the end of the tunnel? Despite a bleak outlook, I haven’t given up hope… yet. : )
October 17, 2010 at 1:04 pm
I had to comment….I laughed and laughed…I too am sloggging through this project as we speak. I looked up some blogs to see if I was the only one knitting this with their jaw fixed in determination. I must be out of my mind, but alas I too love the pattern and will endure. Thanks for my laugh for the day!
R.
December 1, 2010 at 10:47 pm
Good luck! My Henry scarf is back in hibernation – the poor thing. Perhaps eventually it will see the light of day again. : )