Silk Scarf

Last June, I was at my Monday night knitting group. We were all excited and buzzing about Black Sheep Gathering coming up that weekend. Some were signed up for classes, some were looking forward to shopping the market for unique yarn and fiber, and some were hoping to catch a glimpse of alpacas.

But, one friend had a different source of excitement. ETW, who has impeccable taste and also likes to keep an eye out for good deals, had found some 100% silk yarn on deep discount at Ben Franklin. I was intrigued. At $17 a ball, I wouldn’t consider buying pure silk. But $4 a ball? Now we’re talking.

That Friday I spent the afternoon at Black Sheep, and purchased quite a bit of yarn. Later that evening, BN and I happened to be out, I think we were going to a movie at the dollar-fifties, near Ben Franklin. It was a now-or-never kind of thing, I wanted to get some of that silk. I picked out a pewter gray.

Last fall, I needed a new purse-sized project that was simple and compact enough to carry around and work on anywhere. I was originally going to knit a lace-patterned mobius, but when I swatched the lace pattern it didn’t do the gray nubbly yarn any favors. So I switched to a simple linen stitch and cast on for a super-minimal rectangle scarf. Some people say linen stitch makes them crazy with boredom, but I found it quite meditative.

And I LOVE the finished scarf. It is so soft, warm, not a hint of itch (even with very soft superwash merino, I find my neck can tell it’s there). The neutral color goes with everything. Mmmm, luscious. And to think it only cost 12 dollars!

Ravelry Link