Knitting has been a hobby that I have abandoned and returned to many times over the years. On the one hand, I really enjoy the process of knitting. It is extremely relaxing and satisfying and it is something that can be done almost anywhere with minimal supplies needed. On the other hand, I don’t personally wear very many knit items myself so when I do knit, it tends to be primarily for gifts.
One item that I did knit for myself is the Noro Striped Scarf. It is actually a very easy project as it is really the yarn that does most of the work in making it look so beautiful. Noro Silk Garden yarn comes in so many pretty gradients that I think the longest part of the process for me is actually just choosing which ones to buy. In total, you need 4 skeins so I try to pick 2 neutral ones (stripe 1) and 2 vivid ones (stripe 2) so that I don’t have to worry about clashing colours. For the vivid ones, when transitioning between skeins, I try to do it at a point where they have a similar colour so that there isn’t a harsh transition point midway through. Sometimes this requires cutting the skein at multiple points and re-attaching it in a different order; this is a pain to do but I would say that it’s worth it in the end.
The pattern for this scarf is very easy, simply knit purl knit purl all the way through with a slip stitch at the end of each row to finish off the edges. Each stripe comprises two rows with the extra colour being carried up through the sides when not in use. I tried to copy Jared Flood‘s design exactly so I casted on 39 stitches using size 7 needles. For the scarf in these photos, I used 2 skeins of Noro Silk Garden 267 which I striped with 1 skein of NSG 301 and 1 skein of NSG 8. I didn’t do any blocking as I thought that it already looked good without it and I wanted it to maintain its elasticity. I haven’t been able to find a very good selection of NSG in stores anywhere close to me so I tend to order online either from LoveKnitting.com or Yarn.com. I have had great experiences with both of these websites and would highly recommend them.
One thing that I will mention is that NSG is actually a bit scratchier than I expected. I have dermatographia so my skin is very sensitive and I find that this scarf can be itchy at times. It seems that, as long as the scarf does not move around too much against my skin, then itchiness is kept to a minimum.
Overall, I’m very happy with this scarf and I always find myself wanting to knit more and more of them to give away as gifts.
