Christmas Knitting

My scarf is finally finished, and I feel sufficiently well pleased with it that I dare to give it to my dad for his Christmas present.  He doesn't know about blogland, so I can show you all!

This is a beautiful yarn, and reasonably priced at £2.20 a ball.  You can knit this scarf until you think it is long enough, so I just knitted it for a ball and a half.  He won't wrap it around his neck, but probably just cross it over his chest and tuck into his jacket.

The best bit about the yarn is that it is self-striping and makes the pattern all on its own!  All I have to do is knit and purl.

The pattern was shared by a lady at the Craft group at the chapel, and it is so easy.

I cast on 51 stitches onto size 4mm needles, and then the first row is K3, P1 to the end.

The second row is K1,P1,K3 and then P1, K3 to the end.  Continuous repetition of those two rows is all it takes!

When the knitting is hanging on your left needle ready to go and the tail from casting on is on the left, you are starting with K3, and when it is on the right, you need to start with K1.  That little tip saved me hours of trying to work out which row I was on!

It comes out in a delightful rib all of its own accord.  You think it isn't working in the first few rows and then it all starts to gather in, and it looks great.  It knits up into quite a thick scarf.

Having finished this one, I am now doing another in the same yarn but in shades of green with pink in it.  I love it.