FO: Ravenclaw Scarf; and Hanging with the Big Dogs

Finally, here it is:



The finished Ravenclaw scarf (a la Prisoner of Azkaban, pattern by Lauren Kent. I did only 12 sets of stripes rather than 14, to fit DH's desires for his scarf. This puppy is WARM, and wide enough that he should be able to wrap it around his neck and cover his ears and nose at the same time. I used five balls of Cascade 220, four in blue (color 9484) and one in gray (color 9324). Knitting this Continental-style, which I learned on this project, probably saved me 50% on the knitting time. Now I'm all set for some colorwork!

I have a hat in mind to go with this. Pictures when it's on the needles.

I have just one project, the slipper socks, remaining to finish up (probably an hour's work) for Christmas, and DD is the recipient, so no shipping time. Hooray! It seems like time to relax into the holiday.

Speaking of relaxing, I spent yesterday evening at a potluck and knitting circle on a nearby cooperative (community-supported agriculture) farm; a neighbor who is a member took me along. Some folks there were involved with the farm, and others fit in I'm not sure how.

Now, among my city friends, I stand out as a crafter and semi-Luddite (in a good way): knitting, sewing, canning a lot of stuff in the summer, and so forth. But among this group, I could tell there's a long way farther to go in that direction! Everyone there could knit (including the teen and preteen boys who came with their parents), some also spin, and I think more have livestock at home than not. Some folks were talking about going in together on an order of chicks in the spring -- one is building a new coop now, and some already have some hens. Several keep goats for milk. Much of the potluck food was from veggies grown there on the farm. The man sitting next to me, who was a great conversationalist, was finishing several pairs of socks he'd knit on his sock machine, as he told the group about a successful meeting that morning that was part of the effort to prevent the local cement plant from burning tires. (How'd you like that across the road from your organic farm? Yechh!)

I felt like such a city girl. But in a good way. A city girl who loves handcrafts, grooves on local food, and is learning more every year. It was humbling and encouraging at the same time. How often do you get to have an experience like that?

Happy holidays, everyone. May your fiber arts keep you warm, good food fill your bellies, and the people around you receive you with open arms.