scarf for dad for christmas - noro silk garden - please help me choose

[jeangenie]

very unoriginal I know but he really needs/wants NOTHING so I thought a scarf hand knit by his adoring daughter might just pass muster

please, your thoughts on these options...

I love this - but looks like might take forever - 1X1 rib for 6 feet. Yikes! love the colours though and think could get colours I need on fabstract (anyone have any experience of using these guys?)

or this (you need ravelry to see it - sorry) multidirectional-diagonal-scarf which is all short row garter stitch and could go quite fast in silk garden chunky

I could make the stripey one a bit faster by using noro silk garden chunky - but not sure which colours as there is a very limited range. One of them would suit him (shade 4) but wouldn't know what to mix it with

aargh - help - I need to post it to Ireland so need to be finished by about 20th (am ignoring the other handmade gifts had planned!)

last question - is silk garden (chunky or no) nice to wear close to skin? (not too scratchy?)

anyone got any views? would the stripey one take forever? is the other one nice or does it look like a quick knit garter stitch scarf?

(jeangenie, you need to ask this on ravelry! You will get more views than just mine!) anyway, IMO, the stripey 1*1 rib is a classic and will look fantastic. You could choose one colourway and just start striping at different points in the skein (and hope you don't get one of those colour-changing joins) if you didn't want to choose two different colorways.

I like the garter stitch one too, but not as much. Or what about a simple bias stitch scarf rather than the alternating triangles (you cast on at one end and decrease at the other continuously - I have an old Rowan mag with this in).

Haven't ever bought from Laughing Hens but if you are worried about stock levels give them a call. If Get knitted have it in stock, they are usually pretty good (also available on the phone). And Stash (celtic cove) did have some on sale recently - IME they are very quick on delivery.

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ah aye - ask on ravelry - so blindingly obvious it passed me by!

well, without your input I ordered 4 skeins of the chunky in shade 4 from get knitted who say they have it in, ready to do the triangle one as I reckon will be faster

not sure this was wisest move - would love to make him something really lovely and not sure i will feel like that about this

here is a link to how it looks in the colourway I got. Quite manly I thought, and I will deffo get it done in time so probably wise after all

will make the stripey one for DH after xmas - was our 7th anniversary this year and the gift is wool so have been looking for something to make him

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i've knit the brooklyn tweed scarf and i have to say i didn't find it took long at all. obv it depends on how much time you have per day to spend on it but it took me a couple of weeks. it looks FANTASTIC! i really love it, my dh loves it and wears it all the time, and he gets lots of compliments.

i don't knit rib in the continental style because my purl is a different tension to the knit and i haven't sorted that out yet.

i will put a pick on my profile.

ahem - pic not pick.

annoying toddler jumping on my legs is my excuse.

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OOh, I guessed exactly what scarf you were talking about from the OP, it is lovely but my DH loses scarfs so I'm not knitting it for him. I made a scarf for DS3 lasr christmas and found that knitting stripes in the round in stocking stitch (ie. a tube) was quite fast, but it does eat up the yarn and makes a very thick scarf. Anyone else have a little fantasy about being Brooklyntweeds girlfriend? I love New York and men who are good with their hands.

wow warthog your scarf is beautiful!

I have about ten minutes a day though so I do need a fast knit (slight exaggeration - on the days I commute to work - 3or 4 a week - I have about 1.5 hours per day, otherwise 30 mins of so after dinner before collapsing) I reckon teh striped scarf might be an xmas hols staying up late watching movies knid of knit

pruners glad you rate that colourway - my dad wears lots of earthy tones and has a thick winter jacket I reckon will look great with

I was helping a polish woman at work pick up knitting again after a break of 26 years (she has done an ysolda teague urchin under my direction so far and is now making her xmas knits list!) and she does it continental - it's bloody brilliant! I could believe it - why does anyone learn anything else. Next time we have the needles out at work I must try to get her to teach me - doubt will ever manage to pick it up though

allytjd - brooklyntweed is too cool and gorgeous and into his yarns. he has GOT to be gay, surely...

i have been wondering about jared too. my jury's out on that one, but he is totally inspirational. i suspect living with him would be difficult. i bet he's got wool stashed everywhere. you'd take out the tagliatelli and find you're boiling scottish tweed.

i'm going to start his cobblestone jersey for someone. and i dream of knitting one of his blankets...

well, i'm very envious of anyone's who's managed smooth rib using continental knitting.

pruners - feel like doing a video?? maybe i should try the circulars.

jeangenie, i think you'll have enough time for the stripey, but it's not nice knitting under pressure. i've resolved never to set deadlines because it just takes the pleasure out.

oh yes, forgot to say - i used fewer stitches across than he does and ended it when i wanted. i think he suggest 50, and i used 40 or 45.

thanks warthog

think am gonna go with the diagonal garter stitch one - would love to do the stripey but will just get stressed

am stil trying to finish pair of evangeline gloves for friend's birthday on saturday so won't be able to get started til they are done (and yarn for scarf arrives) and am out a lot between now and 20th, when would have to post it...

so we would be talking about c. 7 days, with limited knitting time, involving staying up late to knit AND (DANGER alert) knitting while tipsy

Jeangenie, i assumed he was gay too but thought i saw a mention of a girlfriend somewhere on his blog (probably imagined it). heck, I'd be happy to be his faghag anyway.
I saw a childs version of the cobblestone pattern on Ravelry, hoping to make it for DS3 but have a lot of UFO's to finish as new spinning wheel distracts me from knitting.

I thought this was the scarf you meant just from the title! Finding SG in 'manly' colours is a bind, though. I'm thinking of starting a jumper for DH in 252 which is nice. I think with this scarf though, you can go for a colourful one and have the darker yarn bring it down a bit.

I'm convinced the lovely Jared is gay too, although he's not in queer knitters or anything on Ravelry. Wld also settle for being his best faghag! I have queued that scarf for the new year and already have some SG I want to use on it. Can't start any sooner as am currently wearing fingers to nubbins on christmas knitting!

went for the diagonal garter stitch scarf in the end - cast on yesterday, frogged and changed needle size many times - but am about to move onto 4th and last ball on bus home tonight

AND i managed a craft party for 12 6yo (and mulled wine mince pies for their parents when they came to collect) yesterday afternoon

noro silk garden chunky has turned me into freakin' SUPERWOMAN